The Finish

89 miles
7:30 pm EST

Another beautiful day – sunshine, no clouds, 75°, slightly humid. It was cold this morning, probably mid-40s. Cold, humid, hilly mornings are “sweat-and-freeze” to a bicyclist. Sweat terribly all the way up the mountain and freeze on the way down.

Tim and I left in a misty fog which lasted about an hour, after which we’d only put eleven hilly miles past us and were drenched with sweat. Doubts that we could reach Gettysburg before nightfall filled our minds. The roads flattened a bit before us and our pace picked up slightly. We were still tired from yesterday’s climbing. Breakfast was light – we had some apple cake before we left and a snack at 20 miles in Orbisonia. Then the real ascending began. We climbed 2,000 or 2,500 feet; a ten percent grade for two miles.

We passed under the Pennsylvania Turnpike, then had a choice – PA 641 truck or PA 641 car. We decided to take route 641 car, thinking it would be steeper, but shorter. We were right, it was four miles shorter, but very steep. Another ten-percent grade for two miles; when I sat, I went 3-4 mph and standing did 4-5. I cursed and yelled. We were almost totally trashed at the summit. We said to each other that if it were longer, we might have walked. That was the last major climb of the day. It was 12:00 and we’d only done about 43 miles. Had there been any more big climbs (we didn’t know what lay ahead) I don’t know if we would have made it. Tim said that he didn’t expect that the mountains would be this steep. I had about a 27-inch low gear (plus 50 pounds equipment) – Tim had no equipment to carry but he only had a 40-inch or so low. It was so steep I couldn’t spin up, either. I had to stand a lot. The pain was intense.

But the descent! Tim maxed at 50 or 55 mph, I at 48.6 mph. I’ve never gone faster on a bike. The descent was 10% grade for two miles, then 7% for the next one and a half. The ride was fairly flat from then on.

We lunched in Roxbury, and slowly made our way in. On the flats it was tough to keep up with Tim so I drafted him a lot; when he got ahead, he’d coast until I could catch him.

I drank 3 ¼ bottles of Exceed today. It helped a lot, but I learned the body doesn’t lie – three bottles must have been enough because water began tasting great and Exceed terrible. I guess I had too much Exceed and not enough water. My stomach felt queasy as well. We got to Pizza Hut in Gettysburg around 3:30-4:00 and inhaled a large pizza. It cost too much so Tim lent me some cash (all he had) so I could afford to stay in the hostel here.

So now it’s just one more day of cycling, and it should be an easy one. I’ve had the unique experience of being able to reflect back on this trip for two months and then finishing it.

The mind forgets pain. The farther in the past the first part of the trip gets, the easier the ride was, the less windy it gets and the less hilly and lonely it becomes. I recalled tonight, while talking with Vicki on the phone, how lonely it felt not to be with her. These last two days of mountain climbing will eventually seem easier. The good parts are remembered well, the bad and difficult fade. This trip I’ll always cherish; like wine it grows better and finer with age. I hope I’ve left a part of me, some trace everywhere I’ve stopped. From the inn at Mazama, to Jay and Linda in Republic, to Dave and Russ in Cooperstown, ND to the people I’ve met and forgotten there will always be something way back in my head, some thought or picture, that will come to the surface, perhaps reminded of by something else, that will seem special in its own moment, perhaps forgotten for several years.

Tomorrow I can close the chapter on this journey and begin the next. On with the more responsible things, I suppose. My legs will ache tomorrow, I’ll lag on the hills, but it’ll be a great day.