We had seen the hill leaving Milford yesterday and I was dreading having to start the day going up it. Hills just take the juice out of you. You go from a nice 15 mph all the way down to 4 mph once you hit a decent hill.
One thing that is nice is the heat has left us for now. We can ride with a little more energy. As I sit at the half way point I'm actually a little cold. Great feeling! And despite the hills the Poconos are a beautiful area.
One thing that is interesting about bicycle touring is the various car honkings and cheering you get. Today has been full of this so far. We have even had some a few local truck drivers pass by honking their horns multiple times and yelling out the window and pumping a fist in joy. Whoever you are, thanks!
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After the break we hit the hills for the remaining climb to Canondale, PA. Which was in a valley, so I'm sure tomorrow we'll start with a climb. Oh well, I'll worry about that at 6AM. Right now Julie and I are waiting in the city park for Armin to catch up. Than we will head out once again to find a place to sleep. We can see two churches up and down the road that are good bets. It would be great if they let us sleep inside.
Its been a while since we expected to see Armin. We just had a big rainstorm roll through and that might have stopped him. Hopefully he's okay. Another guy bicycle touring that we passed earlier just rode by. I wonder where he is headed?
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Carbondale, PA: fourth oldest city in the state, location of the first underground coal mine in the US.
We finaly found Armin. He had been searching for us for a while in the town. Were not sure how he missed us, but he ended up going an extra 8 miles looking for us. He had already given up and was looking for a place to sleep for the night.
After Armin fixed a flat we searched for places to sleep. Nobody was answering doors at the churchs in town, so we headed west on 6 where Armin had seen some houses that had big yards. Two rejections later one of the owners suggested we sleep in a park around the corner. The park was secluded somewhat, but houses were around, so we went door to door to ask if it was okay. Nobody seemed to really mind, but they did not want us near their property. That was until Julie went to the last house and instead of being okay with the park, Ed & Judy said we could use the side yard. It even has a gazebo that they gave us the permission to use. Ed & Judy rock!! It turns out that Armin talked to Ed earlier in town when he was looking for us. Despite being turned down a few times, Carbondales good name was saved by the grace of Ed & Judy.
Tomorrow were going to try and make it to Wysox, PA. We expect more hills, but the road does follow the mighty Susquehanna River, so that should be pretty.
Recap:
* 52 Miles (total 115)
* Milford, PA to Carbondale, PA
* High Knob Moosic Mountains, elevation 1940 feet (tough climb)
* A lot better weather!!
