East to West – Thrills and Spills

An early start before 8am, I was shooting for 7 but the plan was to take it easy and clear my route that was just less than 40 miles. Once I reached the end I checked my maps and plugged in the following route that was 35 miles. It was only 11am and I decided to take it on. Unlike the horse draw carriages passing me by I startedfeeling fatigued climbing through the hills of the Dutch Country in Lancaster, PA. The hills can sometimes look like your riding into a wall or resemble a scene from Inception. The Charlie horses were coming in, and being fatigue was getting the best of me. I knew I had to make camp before 6pm and I was at least 20 miles from it.

The first campsite was missing and nowhere to be found. I didn’t waste much time searching or asking the locals since it was getting late so I continued on my route. I was off the grid to take a short cut where I took a spill on a back road slicing my left knee open. A few antiseptic packs and a Band-Aid patch were good enough to put me back on my bike without worry. I stopped at a church while in route and was able to refill my water bottles. Shortly after I was riding down hills, which was a relief after the climbs earlier that morning. I found a campsite by a lake and took it in for the night. The geese were honking, the stars were out with the moon illuminated the lake beside me.