O What A Beautiful Morning

August 18, 2023

O what a beautiful day

NEVER, EVER, UNDERESTIMATE the value of, or fail to appreciate, a tailwind. My day-long companion today was a 10-12 mph following breeze, blowing me from Caledonia State Park all the way to Codorus State Park.

A mass of coolish dry air is moving in from the west, bringing with it not only the lovely 10-12 mph breeze that's currently drying my laundry and airing my tent, but also big puffy clouds and very comfortable temperatures. Looking at the forecast, I expect I'll be burrowing into my cozy down backpacker's quilt not long after dark.

Afternoon shade leads to evening sun. Not long after nightfall I'll want to close the tent flaps completely because it'll get quite cool. Bliss!

It may be the earliest harbinger of the impending change of season, along with numerous college students returning to the campus of Gettysburg College. But I'm getting ahead of the story so let's rewind a bit, shall we?

Before I turned in for the night yesterday I checked the weather forecast, and was dismayed to see a 70 percent chance of thunderstorms between 11 and 3. That caused me to bring all the campsite goods in under the vestibules of my tent, and to put Serenity under cover of the bathhouse / dishwashing sink roof. Then it was off to bed, to wait and see what would happen.

Sure enough, around 2:30 the very slightest of patters on the tent fly alert me to the fact that the weather has arrived, accompanied by two very distant rumbles of thunder. I'll give credit to Team Anderson for what happens next, which (from a meteorological standpoint at least) is absolutely nothing. Whatever rain there may have been goes elsewhere; this morning tent and picnic table are the slightest bit damp and that's all. So, I've dodged the only weather bullet I expect to encounter on this brief excursion.

I've got company for breakfast this morning. I don't recall having ever seen a pale green spider before. It looks almost as if it should be bioluminescent. I think it's a white crab spider (https://www.alamy.com/white-crab-spider-sometimes-is-also-known-as-white-flower-spider-image335735121.html) also known as the goldenrod crab spider or flower crab spider. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Misumena_vatia) However, Google Lens returns matches for several visually-similar species so I might easily have it wrong.

Having consolidated camp the previous evening, the morning's routine is noticeably compressed and more efficient than that of the previous morning. I stay in bed until a half hour past when I got up yesterday, yet am ready to roll out 15 minutes earlier.

If the Garmin's to be believed, there's a LOOOOOOONG day ahead of me. Best get a wriggle on. Then again, this unit has told me many times in the past that I have thousands of miles to go before the next turn, so I'm a bit skeptical about this one.

Making my way eastward toward Gettysburg, first along U.S. 30 then on Old 30 and some tertiary roads, I cannot help but compare today with my experience of May of last year when last I attempted to traverse the same route. That May day was beastly hot; today is delightful, almost cool. That day there was not a trace of breeze, today I have a following wind. It was humid then, today's dry. By the time I was 20 miles in last year it was clearly time to bail out and call for help. Today I'm in Gettysburg within a few easy hours and know I'll finish easily by early afternoon.

Since I'm following the same route, I recognize spots from last year: several trees where I took some of my many shade breaks; Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum and Candy Emporium; another tree where my condition (sprawled in the shade) prompted a passing nurse to double back on her path to check that I was okay; and of course the point where I threw in the sponge and surrendered.

I remember stopping here early in the day's ride last year.

It's still got great murals decorating it, but the license plate from St. Maarten is gone.

Elephants standing vigil over the garden.

I can agree with this! It's a great day to be out riding.

There's no surrender on the card for today, though. Instead, with the help of the lovely tail wind, I sail easily along, breezing through a series of short road works, each of which has the usual flaggers at each end to control vehicle passage through the one-lane work area. Apparently touring cyclists have found favor with the flagger's union: in all cases they stop the oncoming traffic so that I can zoom through (all of the zones are on segments of a long, sustained downhill several miles in length) without having to brake and scrub off speed.

In the best of moods- and how could I be otherwise with a long, fast downhill run AND a tailwind to boot- I greet one crew with a hearty "YAAAAH-HOOOO!" and another with an enthusiastic "YEEEEEEEE-HAW!", which draw smiles and laughs from the workers.

I paused and photographed this beautiful church on the outskirts of McKnightstown last year as well.

And also this classic Pennsylvania country house, which stands across the street.

After following beautiful, low-traffic Old U.S. 30 for several miles the route veers briefly northward to avoid busy U.S. 30 as it approaches Gettysburg. I reflect once again on the difference between today and last year. Then, I was already hot and tired and showing signs of fatigue. Today I'm feeling really good thanks to the combination of lower temperatures, my friendly tailwind, and perhaps a change of bike.

Another beautiful country church, also in the Greater Cashtown / McKnightstown metropolitan area.

And a decidedly more restrained or modest one.

I remember this place. It was here, while I was sprawled in the shade trying to recover from the heat, that a passing motorist turned around and came back to check on me. I'll never forget the kindness of a stranger.

Arriving on the outskirts of Gettysburg I find myself feeling slightly peckish, and a bit curious about Gettysburg College. The campus, larger than I'd realized, is coming to life with some early-arriving students bustling about and numerous campus personnel in evidence to assist. I take a brief self-directed "tour" of the campus, pausing to photograph some of the buildings that catch my eye, then move along.

An obviously modern building stands at the north edge of the campus of Gettysburg College.

On the campus of Gettysburg College. This building shows echoes of the Baroque architecture in Germany and The Netherlands, to my eye at least.

I'm on the lookout for a coffee shop but see none. On the edge of town I stop and seek information from Google Maps, which directs me back the way I've just come for about a mile, then to the far edge of the campus. There I find The Ragged Edge, a combination coffee shop and art gallery.

A smoothie and breakfast sandwich fill the bill, and I'm feeling sufficiently fortified to carry on. Making my way past the infamous (to me) stopping point from last year, I enter new-to-me territory. It's gently rolling, and my friendly neighborhood tailwind helps propel me so I hardly have to work.

Leaving town, the route carries me through the northeastern unit of the Gettysburg National Battlefield, a part of the park I've not previously visited. The action here took place on 1 July 1863, the first day of the three-day-long battle marking the turning point of the war and last major Confederate offensive.

All quiet and serene now, unlike that day 160 years ago.

What stories these buildings could tell, if they could speak.

East of Gettysburg the route includes a long stretch on PA 116, a two-lane highway with higher traffic volume, a higher speed limit, and less shoulder than I'd prefer but it's all good. The cars and trucks give me adequate if not ample clearance.

Along PA 116. This place needs serious help.

Arriving in Brushtown I find the Half Pint Creamery right along the highway. Unbidden, Serenity brakes hard and makes the turn. What choice have I but to honor the decision with a double scoop (raspberry, and Irish Cream)? The creamery is housed in a building originally built as a school, in the 1890s. Had it been a creamery in those days I'll bet the students would've been much more enthusiastic about going to school every day.

Serenity jammed on the brakes and turned hard right at this sign. What choice did I have but to sample the goods?

The schoolhouse-turned-creamery serves delicious ice cream. Newly renovated and redecorated, it's bright and cheerful inside.

It's only about 11 miles from the creamery to my campsite. Hanover lies in between; it's a town I've been to a couple of times without really appreciating its size. I'm agreeably surprised to see a bustling, multi-block downtown area, and mildly amused to note that its street pattern is hopelessly confused and disrupted by the several PA State and U.S. highways that converge in the vicinity.

An edifice befitting a town the size of Hanover, far from being a humble countryside church with a couple dozen congregants.

I'm now ensconced in my campsite, still enjoying the breeze. One other benefit is that it's keeping all the flying insects and pests away.

An omen: the first leaves to change color, in a sign that autumn isn't all that far off. The college students milling around in Gettysburg College were another clue that change is in the air.

Since I've arrived in mid-afternoon of a glorious late-summer afternoon I have ample time to write, relax, and reflect. It's been one of the best days of riding I can recall, and one that should serve as the model for an ideal day on a bike tour.

After dinner, taken fairly early in the evening because I'm hungry, I'll loll around a bit then get things organized for a smooth departure in the morning. I know that tomorrow's going to be harder than today: it's about the same distance but has loads more climbing than I had today. Also, it seems improbable that I'll have another friendly wind to assist me. So, following the words of Ben Franklin, it's early to bed so I can be early to rise.

See you tomorrow.

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43 miles.

Total for the mini tour: 112 miles.

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