Susquehanna River Ride 2021

Yesterday’s decision to cycle an extra 30 miles so we only had 50 miles today was a good one.  Rain was forecast for every day on this trip but until today we stayed dry.  In hindsight, we should not have cycled today.  It was rainy, cold, and hilly. On the ride we crossed a bridge that was closed, cycled around 3 areas with traffic backups, and asked for directions from motorist that we flagged down (because we got lost).  Havre de Grace is the end of the Susquehanna River .   Here it dumps into the Chesapeake Bay for eventual flow into the Atlantic Ocean .   We enjoyed the river and are thankful for the opportunity to see the communities along the way and meet some nice people. Today's pictures Todays Map - 57.53 Miles Map - Total Trip to date - 610 Miles (up to Havre de Grace, MD - the end

Yesterday we tried to decide how to make our last day’s ride easier. It was scheduled for over 80 miles with lots of climbs in the second half.  It wasn’t until this morning that the light came on in our thick skulls.  We decided to make today our long day since most of the 80 miles would be flat and have a shorter day for the climbs.  From Shamokin Dam to Columbia we cycled mostly next to the river.  It felt like we were flying.   We left our hotel without breakfast, anticipating a place along our route.  In Port Treverton we found Lauver's Family Traditions Restaurant.  As we entered all the chatter in the room stopped and “old guys” just stared at us—2 guys in spandex with sweat dripping off their foreheads.  Using a old ice breaker we said “we understand that this is a great place for breakfast.”  They quickly responded with several jokes and welcomed us to join them.  As they were leaving one of them even offered us his pickup tr...

We left our B&B early and looked forward to a later breakfast. However, breakfast came at a big price.  Seven miles into our ride we had a big hill with grades ranging from 12 to 18 percent.  We are tired of writing about our climbs and suspect you are tired of reading about them. What is noteworthy about this one is Joe’s mastery of the hill.  He cycled it all the way to the top.  Jeff walked.  Joe’s power must have been a carryover from yesterday’s 4 scoops of ice cream. After our down hill we cycled into Bloomsburg and crossed the Rupert Covered Bridge .   The bridge cost $1,637 when it was built in 1847 by Jesse W. Beard. It was named after the nearby village, which was settled by Leonard Rupert in 1788. Rupert Bridge was restored and upgraded in 2000-2001. The walls and roof are still self-supported, with a new load-bearing modern bridge constructed underneath. Breakfast was finally found at Woody’s Café in Catawissa.   There we met a...

We had a nice start with a “real hotel breakfast”, our first on the tip.  Hotel waffles are good when they are the only alternative.  We saw several deer as our ride began and enjoyed the cool temperatures that we knew would soon evaporate.  Actually, with the high humidity, nothing evaporated today.  In West Pittston, Joe came to an abrupt stop and pointed franticly at a shopping center sign “ Insalaco  Shopping  Center ”.  Joe said that when his family immigrated to the United States they first settled in this area.  He believes that it is likely that some of his distant relatives are still here. For several days, Joe has been concerned with his rear hub bearings making noise.  We stopped at a bike shop in Wilkes-Barre where Rich, the owner of Around Town Bikes, stopped his project and replaced Joe’s bearings.  Before leaving, we decided to fill our bike tires using the shop’s floor pump.  Jeff’s Presta valve broke off and Rich...

We left the hotel at first light to get a start on the expected day’s heat.  Our first 20 miles were delightful with flat roads and scenic rural landscapes.  We were mostly by the Susquehanna River until we reached Towanda where we cycled through the town.  Leaving Towanda we crossed over the river and cycled for 5 miles on a very busy 4 lane road (with no shoulders) through the town’s commercial district. At its endpoint we found our breakfast spot--Pipher’s Diner.  Despite it being old and worn out, it was full of customers and 2 women efficiently provided great breakfasts.    Our goal was to stay along the river whenever possible but for the next 40 miles that proved difficult. The roads left the lowlands and went into the mountains.  Our route had 7 significant climbs that led us away from the river.  The first 3 were very long but with reasonable degrees of assent on a major highway. At the top of each of these we enjoyed a panoramic view...

Before leaving Binghamton , we toured the downtown area.  There was absolutely no traffic on the cool Sunday morning which made it perfect time for exploring.  “The first known people of European descent to come to the area were the troops of the Sullivan Expedition in 1779, during the American Revolutionary War. The city was named after William Bingham, a wealthy Philadelphian who bought the 10,000 acre patent for the land in 1786,” From the days of the railroad, Binghamton was a transportation crossroads so our first stop was the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad passenger station.  The station was built in 1901 in the Italian Renaissance style (see pictures).  Our next stop was the Broome County Courthouse.   “It is a massive 2+1⁄2-story structure, built on a raised foundation, in the form of a Latin Cross and topped with an elegant copper dome. Originally constructed in 1897–1898 in a "T" shape, the south wing was added in 1916-1917 to f...