DAY EIGHT: Huntingdon, PA

June 9, 2007
Sunbury, PA to Huntingdon, PA
By Ali Weiss

Whew!! Today was the longest ride yet- 95 miles! And since we are still in the great state of Pennsylvania… it wasn’t quite flat. We had a huge climb between miles 60 and 70 which took us up about 1,000 feet. But, lucky for us, Liz (a leader and van driver for the day) was waiting at the top with water and food (chips, salsa, bread, peanut butter- the usual). We actually ate lunch twice today- once at 45 miles, and then at 70. It’s great how much you can eat when you are powering a bicycle across the country! Earlier in the day, many of us had the pleasure of stopping at “Yohan’s* Awesome Cookies!” (*Name has been changed to preserve anonymity). Yohan, a dorky 12-year-old with braces, quite enthusiastically sold us plates of peanut butter and M&M cookies for $2.50 a plate (12 cookies). We made sure to eat as many as possible to prevent “bonking” AKA “hitting the wall”. Another pleasant surprise today was my first encounter with the Amish people. I saw a couple in horse and buggy, and even a young lady riding her bike (in her old-school dress, of course). Today was full of firsts. I got my first flat tire, which puts me out of the running to see who will get one last. I could argue it wasn’t really a flat, since I was pumping up my tire and I broke the valve, which deflated the tube… but I’ll have to take that up with the group. Another first: I hit 42.3 MPH on a downhill! Don’t worry, Mama, I was wearing a helmet. And probably the best gift of the day was the AMAZING dinner prepared for us by the Fifteenth Street Methodist Church. To start, every table got a huge plate of veggies, which definitely quenched my desire for fresh produce. Then they put out a big spread, including Asian noodle salad with peanuts, homemade lasagna, watermelon, spinach salad with strawberries, and creamed corn!! As a Californian, I had never eaten creamed corn, and it was the most delicious thing ever. A decadent mix of creamed corn, sort of soupy, sort of casserole-y, with a crust topping of corn bread! And, of course, a large array of desserts. Now it’s 9:21, and we are all smashingly exhausted, just rolling out our therma-rests, brushing teeth, and getting ready for one more day of mountainous PA terrain!!