Day 030 - Columbia to Gettysburg - Two Far 2023 - Oranges to Apples - CycleBlaze

May 15, 2023

Day 030 - Columbia to Gettysburg

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I don't have much of a post today.  Most of the ride was on very busy state roads, and I rode through several urban and commercial areas.  I had to concentrate on the traffic, and I really didn't see anything interesting that made me want to stop and take a photo.  It was really just one of those days where you want to get to your destination and be done with it.  

We will be in Gettysburg for the next 2 days exploring its history, so I hope to get back into my "Life is Good" mode :-) 

NOTE:  The following was added 2 days after the above post. 

I'm in a much better mood now - so I decided to add to the post.  As I alluded to in the above, it was a pretty unpleasant ride. 

The first unpleasantness was going through York.  My route took me through a rough looking section of York, and it was there where I had my first Ride-With-GPS fail.  It was no big deal, but the route had me going down the wrong way of a one-way street. I had to stop to get my bearings in an area where I really didn't want to have to stop.

After I got through York, the busy roads became the problem - lots of traffic with lots of trucks and, for the most part, not great shoulders.

The log yard for Pixelle Specialty Solutions in Spring Grove. I had pulled off to take a breather after a climb.
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The logs are chipped and then carried to the paper plant by this conveyer. Spring Grove has had a paper mill since 1851.
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I met Jeanna for lunch in Hanover.  Hanover, PA has a large industrial food base.  It is home to Hanover Foods (canned and frozen vegetables), Campbell Soup Company's Snack Division (think Pepperidge Farm) and Snyders of Hanover (think pretzels, but which is now also part of Campbell). 

The Snyders of Hanover plant had an outlet store, so naturally I had to stop and check it out.  They had some great deals, and I got a Family Sized bag of pretzels for $1.49.  (It's a good thing we have the car this year!)  I would have bought more, but 1) I didn't have room on the bike to carry it even a short distance, and 2) I didn't want to hear what Jeanna would have said if I showed up at lunch with several bags of chips and other types of junk food. 

A few miles outside of Gettysburg, I stopped at the C-Store shown below.  As I was getting ready to leave, I happened to notice several cars in the parking lot on the side of the building.  As I had been the only customer inside the store, I assumed this was a Park-N-Ride lot.  However, a car then pulled up, parked, and a couple got out and walked towards the rear of the building.  Intrigued, I decided to follow, and was surprised to find that the rear of the building housed a Magisterial District Court.  It certainly is the least imposing Court House I have ever seen.

A convenience store with a Park-N-Ride lot?
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Nope. It's a convenience store with a district court in the rear. Not what you would call an imposing entrance!
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I ended the ride with my 2nd, and much more aggravating, Ride-With-GPS fail.  About 4 miles from the end, Garmin tried to take me down a non-existent road.  I ended up calling Jeanna for help, and we determined that I could continue straight (northwest), go to the center of Gettysburg and then turn and head southwest to get to the hotel.  In hindsight, it wasn't really a big deal, but it did add a couple of miles to the ride and added to the unpleasantness of the day.  

Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 1,495 miles (2,406 km)

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