Covid Cross Day #6 DuBois, PA to North Washington, PA
Covid Cross Day #6
June 6, 2020
DuBois, PA to North Washington, PA 75.8 Miles
Start 9:20 AM Finish 8:44 PM
Ride Time 8:00
Ascent 4336 Feet
Descent 4846 Feet
Tour Total 496.3 Miles
I slept so deeply in my underground bunker at the Best Western hotel. I was exhausted and my body was sore. There was a couple in the room directly above me, whom I could hear stirring throughout the night. With so few guests in the hotel, why did I need to be stuck right beneath others? Was I put in the lower level because I was from New York? I woke up at 6:30 AM and It was a long slow pack. My socks were still wet. I had sunburn on parts of my arms, and my crotch was saddle sore. The only bike maintenance item that I took care of at the hotel was cleaning my chain. I hadn't inspected my tires or bolts.
I heard from my high school friend Pete who said that he and his partner had re-considered my staying with them in Ohio. Chris had some serious medical issues. I had questioned at all along whether it would be a good idea to stay with them. I initially suggested that I camp in their yard. As I got closer to Yellow Springs, I would see if I could arrange a roadside elbow bump.
I rode out of town on the horrible highway that I had been out on yesterday. I finally left Highway 219 and was on two-lane 830, and then Highway 950. There were lots of TURD signs and I saw a sign berating liberals. I was going to slow down and read it but I was on a downhill. I didn't want to give it the respect. I felt like I was behind enemy lines while listening to freedom songs on WFMU's Duane Train.
I’D been barked at by a lot of dogs but so far they’ve all been fenced or chained. That was the difference between Pennsylvania and Kentucky. The azalea bushes continued to astound me as I pedaled into Reynoldsburg. I didn’t see any services, and could have used a Starbucks Frappuccino. I knew there was a big hill west of town. I passed a fresh roadkill deer in the ditch. I got honked at by a motorist, and I think it was a friendly honk. I was way to the right on the shoulder. I guess they wanted me to know that they were behind me. I could hear a car from 500 feet away. Rubber on pavement is loud. I didn’t like being honked at, and I didn’t like horns.
I saw Tyvek on a lot of the house exteriors. The smell of fresh cut grass and lawn mowers brought back childhood memories of the suburbs. Roadside Bible verse signs began appearing. A sign posted on the outside of a barn read, "Ye shall be reborn. John:7." There was a pretty serious headwind outside of Brookville. In the center of town I spotted the Courthouse Bar and Grill. I had wanted to sit out on the sidewalk on the low bouncy chair. They didn’t have a license to serve me beer outside so I went inside. They had Sam Adams on tap and the BBQ sandwich was off the hook amazing!
After lunch I put on more sunscreen and got back on the road. I was met with steep ups and downs and passed a road kill snake. It was hot and the sun was bright. I forgot to turn back on Cyclemeter, creating a two mile gap. Above me were clear skies and I was still dealing with the headwinds. There were no services in Corsica, population 3570. I saw a sign saying that "Western Pennsylvania Cares for it's children". I guess that meant I was in western Pennsylvania. I crossed back over I-80, and was desperate for a Gatorade. I got my hopes up when I spotted a Shell station. As I approached I noticed orange barrels in front of the driveway and grass growing up through the pumps.
I passed a sign that read, "One country under God or one country going under." The weather was hot, and the steep ups and downs were adding to the heat. I saw a sign for soft-serve ice cream and I pulled over for two large ice cream floats. I relished them in the shade.
I could spot the church steeple in Clarion from a mile out of town. I rode through Clarion, first through the university area and then through the town center. I stopped for two bottles of Gatorade red, and then sped down a hill and over the Clarion River where I saw people down below on motorboats enjoying the afternoon.
I rode up and down steep hills and it was hot, so I pulled over in the shade. At Shippenville I left Route 322 and joined State Highway 208. I had a downhill and then an uphill. At one point I couldn't take it anymore, so I pulled over and took a nap. The root beer floats and double red Gatorades had been too much for my stomach. I was exhausted. I laid in the grass in the shade of trees, and was probably asleep for an hour. I did my downhill after the nap.
I was back in Amish country and saw a horse and buggy. Later I saw a man mowing his lawn with a horse-drawn lawnmower. I passed a small oil well pump on my way into Linton. I saw another confederate flag and I was starting to lose count. I've certainly lost count of the hundreds of TURD signs. I had a wonderful downhill into Emlenton descending to the river, and I knew about the monster 750 foot hill that was ahead. I stopped at Uni Mart and got myself an iced tea. Cycling in the sun is so much harder than cycling in the rain.
I had a long climb out of Emlenton. The road forked and I went southwest on Highway 38. I split away from highway 208 as well as Pennsylvania Bicycle Route V. I’d been on bicycle route V since the Delaware water gap and it was a great route. Route V was well marked and I never got lost. I crossed under I-80 for the last time in Pennsylvania. I'd be seeing I-80 again out west.
Once I reached Eau Claire I knew there would be no more serious hills. I was back up on a 1500 foot plateau. It was only seven more miles to my destination. Coming into North Washington I spotted yet another confederate flag. All of these towns have pictures of military heroes who grew up in the town. Military service is a way of life for small town America. I stopped at The Beer Garden bar and grill. No one was wearing masks, and I ordered a cheese burger and several bottles of Yuengling. One of the servers asked about my tour. When I told her that I had cycled from New York City and was on my way to Oregon she remarked that I was an over-achiever.
At the end of the day I need beer, food, and a place to sleep. I had called the Peaceful Valley Campground in the morning to verify that they were open. It was located a few miles outside of North Washington and I found it without any difficulty. The campground offered amusements, including a swimming pool and a giant blow-up slide. It was brimming with deplorables. The office was closed with a sign saying to go to the snack bar at the auction. I had seen a similar food and staples auction last summer in rural Minnesota. There were over a hundred tightly clustered people, and no one was wearing a mask. I tried to keep my distance the best I could. The place was filled with trailers and campers. When I got back to the office kids were messing with my bike. It was $31 to camp. The electrical hook-up was 220volts so I couldn't use it. I set up my tent, showered, and sat at my picnic table editing journal posts until I got cold and went to bed.
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