Day 7,8,9: Iron City Bound...

You have returned? Were you followed? Tell your husband you were at the Beauty Salon, and no will have to know...

Day 7:
I left the library with every hope in my heart of finding a Chili's at the bottom of the long descent into Somerset. Alas.... it was Wendy's again... and then also Dairy Queen. I'm pretty happy about being able to eat whatever I want, in whatever portions I want, while still losing weight. After lunch, we coasted 15 miles into Rockwood (all downhill) and had plenty of time to kill, though the town was strangely empty. We checked into our campsite and hung out with the proprietor for about an hour. He was a really neat guy, and ran the nicest campsite we've yet seen. Running along the campsite was a giant berm overlooking a river. I am sitting on it in the picture below. It was a peaceful little railroad town, but it seems that the "looking berm" was one of the few attractions. The Husky Haven campground was very nice...FYI

Oh.... some of the locals had these "porch monkeys" on display. I tried to snap a picture without being noticed by the owners... as I would have to explain that overt racism is kind of rare nowadays, and frankly more fascinating than repulsive.

Day 8:
We woke up pretty early and got riding at 8:30; our goal was to ride 100 miles to Pittsburgh, where we could stay with Mike and Brandy for a few days while we recharged. Here are some photos:



Around mile 60, it got really, really hard to go on. It was all slightly downhill and all on private trails, but still difficult.

After about 90 miles, we got dropped off in central McKeesport, which is destitute, crumbling and scary. It turns out that the road to Pittsburgh was marked with nails, glass, angry drivers, and a general lack of shoulders on the road. We passed Kennywood, which is the oldest amusement park in the world... but really it was just sad and disconcerting for all of the sad little children on the unimpressive attractions.




We arrive in Pittsburgh!

Day 9:
I find Iron City Bikes and they fix a lot of the problems I have been having with my bike. It really is the best bike shop I have ever seen. No joke. The guys are really, really helpful, and its pretty cheap. You gotta stop by if you're in town... It really is a great bike shop. Couldn't be happier. I am insanely impressed with the cyclists in Pittsburgh. They are a tough breed. I love this town.

Sorry.... I would write a better post.... but I am distracted by UFC on TV. I'll keep you updated when I have more time.