October 5, 2021
Ohiopyle to West Newton
Day 7
It is a misty cool morning and I end up wearing a long-sleeve jersey and a windbreaker over a shirt. The road to West Newton passes over a number of bridges, some with spectacular views. I eat lunch in Connellsville by the river, the highway and a weezing pump. The afternoon has warmed up. I take my time since Jon and Lisa said there wasn’t much going on in West Newton.
At a ballfield in Whitsett there’s a pavilion with a wicker chair under it so I take a rest. As I check out the pavilion, I see it has a huge grill and stainless steel tables. On one of the tables is a small carved figurine of a wizard with a staff, about 3 inches tall. It’s really nice. I think some kid lost it, probably carved by his grandpa. As I move it to take a picture, a man rides up and says, he’s surprised his figure is still there. He says he carves them and leaves them around for people to take. I ask Dave if I can have it and he says sure. Then I ask Dave if he carves stuff to sell. He says he carves walking sticks, Santas and sometimes sells them. He’s an artist from West Newton and rides the trail a lot. I now have a talisman protecting me. Thank you, Dave.
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Further down the trail I pass a sign for cold drinks and ice cream then notice a fridge and freezer in front of a house. I grab an ice cream sandwich and am looking for the money box when Jeff comes out of his home. We get to chatting about houses and renovations. It seems his home was once a train station. I sit on his patio furniture and have another ice cream sandwich. We talk about trains, mining and the different ethnic groups that worked the local mines. I could have sat there all afternoon eating ice cream sandwiches, shooting the breeze with Jeff, but West Newton wasn’t coming to me.
Previously, I had booked a room at Bright Morning B&B. I had nabbed the last overpriced room a few days before. Ebullient Rob greets me and makes me feel welcome. He gives a quick rundown of the dinner options. I get situated and stroll around. West Newton has seen better days.
Of the five restaurants in town, three are pizzerias. I have some laundry to do. The town laundry has a great sound system. I get in a good air guitar practice session while the machines are doing their thing.
Jon and Lisa are in town and we eat at one of the many pizzerias, enough said.
Today's ride: 50 miles (80 km)
Total: 240 miles (386 km)
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