Wednesday, August 19, 2009

Biking, Day 31: August 18, 2009

Day 31: Wheeling, WV to Chalk Hill, PA
Distance: 75 miles
Route: 40E/National Road
Lodging: The Lodge at Chalk Hill, $70, very nice, no internet

I really thought I was done with big mountains after the rockies. Apparently, there's some mountains called the Appalacians. The mountains out west were rough, but at least the people who built roads understood the necessity for switchbacks. Maybe it's because I'm riding on the National Road, which was built in the 1800s. It was the hightway when there was no interstate. Point is, it's historic. And by 'historic', I mean old.

I got up today around 615 and got my 'free' breakfast at the Super 8. I really do wonder why they use such small cups for coffee. I just end up using two small cups, which I'm sure cost more than one big cup would. I mean, its not like the actual brewed coffee costs a lot. Lord knows they make it weak.

I got on the road around 7:35 and started riding down 40 East. It's a beautiful region, but poor. Very, very poor. There were a lot of trailers and rusted out cars. Even the road was poorly maintained.

It was ridiculously humid today. And the road was hilly. Like, really hilly. I was sweating more than I have ever sweat before. Ok, that's kind of a bold statement. I was sweating a lot. I continued and took my morning stop in Washington, PA. There was no sign entering PA, but I noticed pretty soon that the road got better maintained.

I had only gone like 25 miles, but the going was slow. With the humidity and the mountainous road, I wasn't making very good time. I do love the region, though. I remember driving through Washington, PA many times in my life. It's a valley and a meeting of many highways.

I took off again down 40E/National Road from Washington, PA. The hills were pretty bad, and there were menacing clouds stirring up some pretty serious winds. About 15 miles from Washington, PA I got a slow leak in my tire. I stopped and patched the tire and filled it. I got some good pressure in my tire, which is rare for me with my hand pump. I realized that I finally really learned how to use the pump. I feel sort of victorious about that.

I got back on and rode the bike until Uniontown, PA. I took another break at the Sheetz. I don't know if people are familiar with Sheetz, but it's basically the best gas station ever. I have felt this way for a long time, and openly expressed this view. My passion for Sheetz is not a secret. I first discovered Sheetz when I drove to my friend, Shannon's, summer house in Maryland back in college. I stopped at a sheetz. I didn't see Sheetz on the east coast, but when I moved to DC, Sheetz were again back in my life.

Sheetz are amazing because not only do they have good gas prices, but they have stores that have good snacks, clean bathrooms, and fresh baked goods. In any case, I took my break at Sheetz. For the first time this adventure, when I came back outside, the bike had been knocked over. I had left one of th pouches of my panniers open and a few items had fallen out., including my sports bra. Awesome to come outside with my bra on the ground.

I checked out hotels to see where I wanted to stay. I figured I could ride for another 2-3 hours so I looked out 25-35 miles. My dad had found an adorable motel in Grantsville, MD and my mom checked for availability. It would be cool to hit 3 states in one day. I got back on the bike.

The wind was pretty serious and Route 40 split going into Uniontown, PA. I wasn't sure whether to take the business route or the bypass. I took the bypass. In retrospect, this was dumb. It added on about 5 miles and it was basically an interstate. I was riding on the wake-up bumps on the side of the highway, which was really uncomfortable.

I decided to get off the highway and try to find a parallel road. I wasted about 45 minutes trying to find a parallel road and my googlemaps took me to a road that didn't exist. I backtracked and got back on 40East, the interstate version.

Soon after, it turned back into less of an interstate. Instead, it was climbing a mountain. Seriously, it was pretty intense. It took me about an hour to summit. And it also started raining. Finally, I got to the top and started the downhill. Unfortunately, the road was so poorly maintained, that I had to go very slowly in the berm. After about 3 minutes, the road started going up hill again! I was pissed. But it was a small hill, then I went down into Chalk Hill, PA. I stopped to get out of the rain.

It was after 5pm so I started looking for a place to stop and sleep. Chalk Hill, PA was a cute little town and there was a lodge that looked out of my price range, but I figured I would check prices. The lodge didnt have any single rooms, only double rooms. The price was high, but he offered me the AAA rate of $74. I managed to negotiate him down even further to $70. At that point, raining, not any other places to stay in the area, so I decided to do it.

One thing I haven't mentioned is the tingly feeling in my hands. I lean on my hands all day. My fingertips have been tingling since I started this. I wake up, they are tingling. Even when I took off 2 days at my parents, they were still tingling. I do hope that they stop once I stop biking.

I'm about 200 miles from DC.

1 comment:

  1. I didn't know Sheetz either until I was in PA last week. Eveeryone was talking about their Sheetz and how they loved to go to Sheetz. I haven been to Sheetz or been taken to Sheetz, but if I ever get a chance to take a trip and I don't see Sheetz, I am going to search one out and buy some Sheetz at Sheetz.

    Love your blog...be safe.

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