Chicago to NYC – Day 21 and 22

Wednesday, October 16 – Thursday, October 17, 2019

Start: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
End: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mileage/cumulative: 78 / 1,075
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 3,091′ / 26,385′
Weather: Cloudy, 40º at start; rain, 60º at finish; Winds: not much
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 4 / 9

Everyone went to bed in Lancaster knowing that the next day was going to be a race against the weather, which we would all lose. Rain would be chasing us all of the way to Philadelphia and the only question would be how far we could get before being caught. The radar map looked like a giant Pac-Man coming to swallow us.

There were three reasons that this was a bad day for rain. First, we were riding 78 miles. Why couldn’t we get rain on a short day? Second, there would be lots of cool things to see, but no time to stop when being chased by a major storm. Third, we were riding into another huge city. Pennsylvania greeted us with rain in Pittsburgh and would return to soak us in Philadelphia, clear on the other end of the state.

Our Lancaster B&B hosts made us an early breakfast and sent us off under dry skies. Leaving Lancaster, we saw the Amish families that we expected to see a day earlier. Children walking to school in orange vests and straw hats. Buggies being pulled by a single horse. Riding our bikes on shoulders that weren’t bike lanes, but buggy paths littered with horse manure and worn smooth on the edges by steel wheels.

Our route eventually took us through Valley Forge, the location of the 1777-1778 winter encampment of the Continental Army under General George Washington. The amount of American history that we’ve biked through in these three weeks could fill a textbook! Bev and I agreed that we will return to Valley Forge someday to explore the area and visit the Valley Forge National Historical Park, but this day it was all about getting closer to Philly before the skies opened.

With 18 miles to go and on a bike trail that ran all of the way into downtown Philadelphia, the “bomb cyclone” arrived with a pelting, soak to the bone rain. When we got back on city streets for the last several miles, we had the additional joy of having cars and busses throwing road spray on us.

So, what does a couple do after a day like that on the bike? Take a hot shower and go to the wine bar across the street, of course.

Day 22 was our final rest day and we spent it walking around Philadelphia, taking in the Mutter Museum, Elfreth’s Alley, the Fireman’s Hall Museum, and lots of the public art that the city is known for. SO much to see in Philly and never enough time.

We crossed over the 1,000 mile threshold for the trip and are two days away from New York City. The end is in sight!