Day 6: 55 Miles

Hazleton, PA to Lewisburg, PA

I woke up this morning hoping today would be better than the last few days. Pennsylvania has been a real struggle and I’m not even half way through it. The hills have been tough and the temperature has made things hard as well. My destination today was Lewisburg and based on the local news it was 37 degrees there when I left the hotel.

I hit the road around 9:30 this morning and within 3 miles I’d already gotten a flat tire. I noticed my rear tire was a little low this morning and it seems the tube had a slow leak. So 15 minutes into the day I had to unload all my bags and flip my bike over on the side of the road. I made quick work of things and within 15 minutes I was up and riding again.

The ride today was otherwise uneventful. About half way into the 55 miles I arrived in the town of Catawissa, where I stopped for lunch. Rarely do I crave breakfast foods, but french toast covered in syrup with a side of bacon really hit the spot. The rest of the ride was rolling hills all the way to Bucknell.

I stopped into the bike shop in town to pick up some new tubes, because I’d already used my two spares. The store owner was extremely helpful with information and tips for tomorrow’s ride to State College. He said to me he’s had a few riders stop through town on a cross country trip heading east and they’ve told him they we’re ready to quit once they got to PA. Those riders had been hitting 100 miles in a day and were only managing 30 in Pennsylvania. That made my average of 55 miles over the last few days actually seem pretty good.

Tonight I’m staying at my old fraternity house at Bucknell. It’s nice to have that connection even though I no longer know anyone in the house. They’ve got me set up on a nice couch and I was able to do a load of laundry which is good. Tomorrow begins another day with a big hill looming. I’ve at least ridden this hill before so I know what to expect.