Saturday, July 14, 2007

Day 5 - 52 Miles

We slept in an extra hour this morning, and it would have been nice excep it was so freaking cold. I wanted to stay in my bivy sack until the fog lifted and we got some sun to warm us up. But, like the last few days we pressed on. Even thouh it was cold I decided not to wear my rain jacket and during those first 5 miles I actually had dew on my arm.

Our first major stop was the beautiful town of Wellsboro. A must see if your passing through on route 6. We all wanted to stop at the bike shop and the store manager ended up being great. Didn't even charge Armin and Julie for some minor service repairs and he was very helpful in picking out some spare brakes for me.

As we were milling about outside another nice guy, Brian O'Shea, started chatting with us and gave us a tip of a place to stay up the road. Denton Hill State Park was his suggestion and that if anyone asked just to say that he sent us.

So, we headed off and were hopeful that his suggestion would work. This part of the route brought us into Potter County, or as they like to call it, "God's Country." A local flyer describes it as, "Vast tracks of forest where man is outnumbered by wildlife - herds of deer, flocks of turkeys, abundant bear and coyotes, and the lighting fast grouse that the Indians called Thunder Birds."

We reached Denton Hill State Park and true to Brians word they were welcoming. We spoke with the ski/mountain bike hill owner Scott, who knows Brian, and he said pitch a tent down by the creek. So, once again we have a beautiful place to stay that includes a creek, picnic tables, and a fire pit we might get going. If we have as much luck in the remaining parts of the country, this trip is going to run smoothly.

Recap:
* 52 miles (total = 275)
* Mainesburg, PA to Denton Hill State Park, PA