Trail Reflections

After three more days of cycling, I am back home. This was one of the best trips I took this year, tied only with Stoic Camp. I´ve been spending some time thinking about why it was so great, especially compared to some of my other vacations. (I´m looking at you, Galapagos!).

First off, nothing I worried about actually happened, but I was mostly prepared in case problems happened. The bikes didn´t break down. When it was cold and rainy, our gear kept us warm. R and I didn´t want to kill each other after spending eight days continually in each other´s presence. (Well, I can only speak for myself. R did not express such a desire out loud, and that´s really all you can ask of someone.)

I had forgotten that small towns can have a hotel but then just a pizza restaurant and a gas station as dinner options. The food was not as enjoyable as I hoped, but the rare good options were therefore really appreciated.

And although it pales in comparison to marathons or obstacle races that some of my friends do, this was the most physically demanding thing I have ever prepared for and completed. I enjoyed all the practice rides with a purpose throughout the summer, and then it felt even better when I could complete it without struggling much. I definitely prefer trips that ask something of me, rather than just providing leisure.

I also really enjoyed having a companion on the trip. I take a lot of solo trips because I am determined not to my current life circumstances prevent me from doing what I want to do. But it is delightful to have someone to talk to on mile 27 or to laugh when the town has six pizza restaurants but no place that will sell you a vegetable. 

Random trivia at the Pennsylvania- Maryland border: Mason and Dixon were British surveyors and not representatives of some deadly north-south feud. Additional trivia: if you travel with me, I will make you stop at every informational plaque. I have never met an informational plaque I didn´t like.

We are physicists. Of course we found the only Foucault pendulum on the trail. 

The hardest day was 31 miles at a small but continuous incline. I was determined not to use the battery on my bike, which was mainly a matter of pride. R was probably dismayed at the thought of cycling at 4 mph for the entire day, though, so he ended up carrying half of my luggage that day. We encountered the steam engine on a downhill day, so I was managing all my luggage in this photo.

Sleet, nuts, and beautiful views

We just finished day four of the cycling trip and it is still awesome. 25 miles per day is definitely doable, even at my piddly 6 mile per hour speed. The path follows an old train track, which parallels the Monongahela and Youghiogheny rivers. We have been slowly but surely climbing in elevation, and sometime soon we'll start descending. The river plus fall color makes for spectacular views.

We had nice weather for a while, but today it turned quite cold and rainy. It was a pleasant surprise to find that our rain gear worked well, even when we encountered sleet. Tomorrow it is supposed to rain more or less continuously, but it just so happens to be the planned rest day. So rather than a hike, I'm thinking that staying in with a cup of tea and a book is a far better choice.

Food had been a bit of a challenge on this trip. The towns are very small and sometimes only have options like a sandwich shop that is open on alternate Thursdays or an all pork restaurant. On top of that, my gut has been iffy and some days pizza or cheese sandwiches feel like more than I can handle. Here R showcases our trusty companions on the trip, peanuts and almonds. They have gotten me through many lunch-less afternoons.

Accomodations are a mix of inns, BNBs, and Airbnbs. I apparently did very little research and forgot all details after I paid the deposits, so every night is a surprise. Last night we stayed in a converted one car garage that faced a busy street (earplugs thoughtfully provided for all guests) run by a hotelier who actively disliked us (not all the guests, just us). Tonight is a lovely half of a tiny duplex facing the river that is blissfully silent. It's a surprise every day.

The GAP

I had scheduled a vacation for this week, which is turning out to be a welcome respite from selling furniture and wondering if the house will sell. (In fact, the first buyer has fallen though but we are trying again with a second buyer.)

Earlier this year I decided to try a cycling trip. This took some planning, because I wanted to avoid the hot summer months and because the route I planned had limited hotel capacity. I am cycling the Great Allegheny Passage (aka the GAP) a 150-mile trail that stretches from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Cumberland, Maryland. Many people do this in the or four days, camping along the way. I am not very fast and cannot carry a lot of weight, so I planned a seven day trip, with stays in inns and BNBs. 

My parents were kind enough to visit me right before the bike trip, so they could drive me and the bike to the starting point. At the last minute, my cycling friend R decided to join me.

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The fall colors are really beautiful right now and the weather was great for the first two days. However, they are predicting a cold spell for the next few days, so I will be glad I brought my thermals.

It has been delightful so far, as long as you consider minor inconveniences as part of the adventure. The first AirBnB was at the end of a three mile climb on a road with too much traffic. And then I ordered delivery so spicy I couldn't eat it, and we were far from other options. But all in all, it's been a way more enjoyable than my Galapagos vacation, so I'm content.

Traveling light

The house is under contract! If you haven´t sold a house before, that´s what you say when you and a buyer have agreed on a price and a date to hand over the house. You can´t say that you have sold it yet, because the bank could decide not to give the buyer all the money or the inspection could show a lot or problems that the buyer doesn´t want to deal with.

Nonetheless, the means that I can move on from my daily showing routine: every morning I´d make the house immaculate, including removing everything from the kitchen counters, and wiping down all the sinks, turning on all the lights. Then I´d leave for however long people were looking at the house. Sometimes that would be one or two half-hour periods in the day, and sometime it was for eight hour as a stretch. I had almost fifty showings, plus an open house, which is about three times as many as my realtor expected. I spent a lot of time sitting in the car at a park, taking walks, or drinking coffee, waiting for time to pass. 

Now it´s time for me to shed possessions as fast as I reasonably can. I have seen so many people downsize and almost every time they are overwhelmed and frantic by the end. Almost all of us underestimate how many belongings we have. My goal is to throw as little in the trash as possible, which involves a combination of selling, donating, and sharing with willing friends. Hopefully, in three weeks, I will have a single carload left, which will come with me to my next destination - Florida. For various boring reasons, it makes sense to live there a while, and then apply for my visa from there. The adventure continues!