Mental acuity? What mental acuity?

It is a good thing that I am nearing the finish line of this journey. I swear that this general fatigue that I have is affecting my brain as well as my muscles. Just as happened eight years ago, on that trip, I am having difficulty remembering and focusing. A common example is turning left instead of right, even though I know better.

As I was packing this morning, I realized that my map was missing. I searched all over, and even went through the motel dumpster, but to no avail. Since Kathryn Osmondson was going to act as support for me today, by driving, and hauIingl my panniers plus carrying beverages and snacks, I had the motel staff run map copies last night for her so that we were on the same set of directions. Somehow, I absent mindedly set down my map in the lobby, and forgot about it. At least we still had Katheryn's copies to work with. 

But what about tomorrow? It looked to be a brutal day: over 100 miles and temperatures in the 90's. The Lord would have to give me the strength to do it, but the map would be critical.

 First things first. I have to ride to Suffolk, Virginia. It looked to be 55 miles m/l. Because of all the searching for the map we got a later start than normal. Yet the ride through Colonial Williamsburg was just as interesting as yesterday. There was hardly any traffic on the Colonial Parkway, so that part was very pleasant. I passed within 8 feet of a turkey  vulture, sitting on a guard rail trying to look invisible. There was some road kill in the middle of the road, and it did not want to get too far away from it.

At the end destination of the Parkway was the Jamestown settlement, but next to it was a ferry that we took across the James River. Once we got off the ferry Katheryn earned her weight in gold. She took responsibility for keeping the route, and all I needed to do was pedal, and not think. Occasionally we would stop, and I would guzzle down a bottle of water.

One thing I had not considered, another sign of fatigue, is that there were no services to speak of after we left the ferry. Fortunately, Kathy McMahan, my hostess for two nights earlier, had made two scrumptious peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, which still remained from yesterday. (But not for long)

Katheryn made the comment that the scenery was very pretty, and I would have to agree. The roads had few cars on them until we got close to civilization. The terrain has been exactly as I hoped: flat, except for stream beds. Then I would drop down to the bridge, try to get a head of steam up to get up the other side without losing too much momentum. It worked earlier in the day, but not so well later.

Finally, in mid-afternoon, I reached the motel in Suffolk, VA. Being the big spender, I bought lunch for Katheryn at the restaurant next door, McDonalds.

Having put some thought into tomorrow's route, it seemed to make sense to use Google  Maps, asking for a bicycling route. I would use the motel computer, and print out the route on its printer. A good plan if the motel had a computer. I asked if I could email the directions to the motel, and then they could print them. They did know their own email password. So I pulled the map up on my phone, went to the young lady at the front desk, and she emailed it to herslf, then printed out the directions.

The good news! The mileage would be in the mid-70s instead of over 100. Still a long way in this heat, but far more manageable than I previously thought.

As I pedaled today, I thought about how lucky I am to have family that will put up with me. Arlie and Martha McMahan drove over 4 hours to spend time with me. Mike and Kathy McMahan put up with me for a day and a half. Now Katheryn Osmondson accompanied me today, when it was really needed. Yet this whole trip is full of family and friends who have met and helped in many ways.

And from the beginning, I have received the protection and comfort of our Lord. Even when things would get a little crazy, I always felt His love and grace. The next several days will not be easy. It will be hot and humid, and my body seems to not be running on all cylinders, but I know I will be okay. In the 16th chapter of John, Jesus says "In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." So, if you were in my shoes, would you worry? I tell you, I will be fine.

Blessings to you all. 

Capitol Trail: a gorgeous trail to Jamestown
After a wonderful visit with my cousin, Mike, and his wife Kathy, it is time to finish this journey, and it will not be easy.

My time in Charlottesville has been relaxing and informative. Yesterday we went to Montpelier, home of our fifth president, James Madison. I could not recall much about President Madison, but he is credited with being the architect of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. The tour of his home was both interesting and educational.

The plan this morning was for Mike to take me east of Richmond, and drop me off there. It was quite a way from Charlottsville, taking over an hour and a half to get to the prescribed starting point. We talked for a while to the new owner of store, and I finally left around 10:15 AM.

The entire ride to Jamestown was on this beautiful bicycle trail, called the Capitol Trail. The closer we get to the ocean, the more the terrain flattens out, and it was a very comfortable, non-stressful ride.

My room for the night was in Williamsburg, an 8-10 mile trip from the route I was on. I asked a bicycler for the best way into town, and he gave great directions onto a road called the Colonial Parkway. The total number of cars that passed me during my 8 miles on the Parkway, probably would have been exceeded in the first half mile on any other street.

When I pulled off the Parkway, I found myself in Colonial Williamsburg, much to my surprise. The main street for Colonial Williamsburg was one block over, but I could still see people, in colonial dress, giving tours and talking with the tourists. Before long, I pulled up to my motel. At check in, my registration did not show up. They had me down for last night. Fortunately, there were plenty of rooms available. Thank you Lord.

Tonight I am having dinner with Jack Ingorsol's daughter, Katheryn Osmunson. Jack is Karen's cousin with whom I stayed in Bloomington, Minnesota. We will walk through Colonial Williamsburg, and eat in a tavern there. All employees are in period dress, and musicians go room to room entertaining the guests.

I was a little surprised that my shirt and shorts were so soaked with sweat. Then I turned on the weather report, and the heat index was 105 today here in Williamsburg.

Tomorrow it will be a be a bit warmer, and more so every day thereafter. However, Williamsburg is typically warmer than other communities. Katheryn asked if she could support me in a car by carrying my panniers, and following me to Suffolk, my stop for the night. I quickly agreed. The lack of a load should result in faster speeds. It was a very generous offer.

I am behind in doing my homiletics. This involves breaking down scripture so that truths jump out, that one might miss if just reading but not studying. So tonight, homiletics is on the agenda.

Blessings to you all.

Smoking or non-smoking?

Despite the pathetic room that I was in last night, I slept soundly. Apparently, my body did not care that the sheets had never been bleached or that the waste basket was an old five gallon paint can.

The agreement that I had with my cousin, Mike, was that we would agree to a route to Charlottesville, then he would leave around 10:45 AM to meet me enroute. He would be towing a trailer for the bicycle.

Once finished with devotions, I checked email, and discovered that Mike had a new route for us. Since I was not going to be riding the whole distance to Charlottesville, I took my time getting ready and having breakfast.

To me, the difficult part of today's ride would be getting out of Fredericksburg. Most of what I have seen in Virginia towns were roads that were unsafe for bicycling, and I hoped that this route would be different. It wasn't.

The trouble started when I reached a four lane highway, with tons of medium speed traffic, no shoulders and no sidewalks. There is nothing to do but enter traffic and make all the cars go around me, at least until things changed. The change happened when a third lane for "right turn only" occurred. From that time on, I rode in a continual right turn lane. I would not want to ride a bicycle on that road again. It was far too dangerous.

Finally, the route took me off the busy highway, and onto much quieter roads. It took me through the beautiful Virginia countryside. Occasionally, Mike and I would exchange texts as to our relative locations.

Virginia is full of historical events, and today I took time to read some of the interpretive signs. In particular, I rode through the Spotsylvania battlefield area. Apparently, Grant had Lee in retreat to Richmond, and was trying to push him away from Spotsylvania for purposes that would be advantageous to the North. The southerners, seeing what Grant was trying to do, put up a tough defense in retreat, and were able to take the most direct route to Richmond. It felt funny to look across the road and see the tavern that troops slept in. Soldiers battled along the road I traveled. I tried to imagine the chaos, the smoke, the shouts.

Finally Mike texted me to let me know that he had entered the same road that I had just turned onto. Before long we were on our way, by car, to Charlottesville. It had rained for 30 minutes, or more, before we met, but not a hard rain. My rain gear and shirt were soaked, but my resourceful cousin had brought along a set of dry clothing. 

Before leaving Everett, I remember talking with some men about this upcoming trip. One memory from 2008 was how my mental acuity diminished the last few weeks of the trip. Today was testimony to the fact that it was happening again. I was following the route instructions, which said to turn right at the light. I turned left, exactly the same mistake (but different location) I did eight years ago. Fortunately, the mental acuity does return (although I am sure there are people who aren't convinced). Once at Mike and Kathy's house, I had a load of laundry. The bicycling clothing, of course was dirty and smelly. The rest smelled like cigarette smoke from the room last night. Tomorrow will be devoted to time with Mike and Kathy, then Wednesday the end is in sight. After riding for five days, I will be in Raleigh. Thank you, Lord.

Uh oh. Where's my map? Oh no!

For some reason, I awoke exactly at 4:00 AM this morning, and decided to get up. The likelihood of falling back into any type of meaningful sleep was slim, so maybe I could be productive.

Productive, perhaps, but I was not efficient. I left at 8 AM. The distance to Fredericksburg was only 50 miles or so, but there were three problems: First of all it was probably going to be very hilly. Secondly, the map and directions had an inordinate number of turns and roads. It would be easy to get lost, something I already am inclined to be. Thirdly, the traffic here is so bad that I mostly rode on the sidewalk yesterday. Maybe Sunday will be kind to me today.

It took a long time to figure out how to leave the city, and get onto the route suggested on the map. Finally, I was out in the sticks, and traffic there was not bad. In fact I was making such good time, that I remembered that I needed to see if there was a church in service which I could attend. Sure enough, one loomed in front of me as the road turned. I pulled in, sweaty, smelly and all.  They graciously welcomed me.

This was an all black church, and a wonderful experience on several levels. I am used to casual attire, but here, everyone was dressed to the nines. Women wore hats and the men wore suits and ties. People were addressed as brother so and so, or as sister so and so. The music was rocking. The choir consisted of six men, who were outstanding. The only song which was average was the one sung out of the hymnal.  Occasionally someone would stand up to give testimony. The sermon was energetic, probing, and inspirational. The only down side was that it lasted over two hours. I was hungry and anxious to finish the day's ride.

According to the messages my stomach was giving, it wanted food. The service ended around 1 PM, so I pedaled down the road a mile, and pulled out a sandwich I bought that morning. Fifteen minutes later I was pedalling again.

Every time I came to a turn on the route, I would pull over look at the map and note where, and how far away, the next turn would be. I had been riding for quite some while over a number of dips and climbs. Finally, coming to a turn, I pulled over to check the map......and it was gone! I must have dropped it or not put it away properly. Nuts! How was I going to get to Fredericksburg? I did not even know where I was. What about tomorrow's ride to Richmond?

For now I was going to use Google Maps to direct me once I could not remember any more turns. It was a surprise to find that I actually remembered turns for quite a while. I figured I was at least 22-24 miles from my destination when the map was discovered missing.

Ironically, it seemed that the route that Google Maps suggested was exactly like the one I had been using. After a while my water bottle was getting low, so I opened a pannier to get some water. When it opened, out fell the map!

This was a hot sunny day with high humidity, and I was starting to get tired. When, after 52 miles, I pulled into my motel for the night, I was ready for bed. No such chance.

I am used to staying in motels in low places, and this one definitely lowered the bar a little more. Oh well, it has a bed and hot water. That is all I want. 

Tomorrow, I ride to Richmond, Virginia. Sometime before I actually get there, my cousin, Mike McMahan, will meet me, pick up myself and the bike, and transport us to his house in Charlottesville. I will take a day, Tuesday, with he and Kathy.  Wednesday morning Mike will drop me off on the east side of Richmond, and I will ride every day, Lord willing, until I reach Raleigh. 

Every Sunday, I have worshipped in a different church building, in a different city. I thought today might be the first day which the Lord would not bring me to one, but He did. He has always been there for me since I left Everett 69 days ago.

Blessings. 

A little bit of sun, a little hit of rain

The last day and one half have been joyful,  spending time with Arlie and Martha McMahan, my uncle and aunt. However, today is all business. My goal is to get 1/3 of the way to Richmond, Virginia. A town, called Woodbridge, will work nicely.

The first leg of the trip would be a continuation on the same rail trail that I came in on. It is called the Washington and Old Dominion (W&OD) trail, and it would take me close to Washington, DC. Then I would join the Mount Vernon trail until I reached George Washington's residence. The rest would be on rather busy roads.

It was around 7"30 AM when I entered the W&OD, and it was full of bicyclers and runners. I do not recall ever seeing such a large number of people running. Today is Saturday, but a lot folks around here take their exercise seriously. The trail lasted for 30 miles, and the Mt. Vernon trail lasted for 12 miles.

Although thunderstorms were forecast, there was not a cloud in the sky. Out came the sunscreen as the temperatures started to clinb.

Nearing Woodbridge, I consulted Google Maps, and saw that I was less than 5 miles to my motel for the night. Getting there was another question. Slowly working my way over, the thunderstorm hit. Compounding the problem was the fact that the traffic began to get intense, which translates into being very dangerous for a bicycler in this weather.

Exiting onto a side road, I sought sanctuary, and found it on the front porch of a business which was crowded with customers who did not want to get soaked getting to their parked cars. Yet in 15 minutes, the hard rain lightened, and within 30 minutes it had stopped.

Eight hours and 45 minutes after departing, I arrived at my lodging. Soaked. Ah, they offer a washer/dryer. At least I will use the dryer.

This seemed to be a good evening to study scripture. I enjoy an author named N.T. Wright, who has written countless books, but my electronic ones are about different books of the Bible. Every morning and most evenings, I use one of his books in devotions. So far, I have completed his writings on I Corinthians, II Corinthians, and most of John. He writes so well and his illustrations helps one understand what he feels the scripture is trying to say. 

Tomorrow I will be in Fredericksburg, another 60+ mile day. I may have difficulty finding a place to worship while riding. I guess I will leave that up to the Lord.

...Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Amen. 

 

Welcome to Virginia!

This should be a good day. The weather was good, the distance was not too far, I was to cross the Potomac River on a ferry, and I was to meet my uncle and aunt, Arlie and Martha McMahan. 

 The distance on the E&O Canal was only 20 miles before I reached the ferry. Some of the path, at first, was surprisingly muddy, but quickly gave way to dry paths that made for easy riding. Although I was anxious to get to the ferry, I had to stop several times to examine the locks and structures along the way. 

Finally, I reached Whites Ferry, the only cable drawn ferry on the Potomac. It can cross the river in five minutes, so I did not have to wait before it was loading myself and three cars. On the other side were 8-10 bicycles and two cars. Letting the cars go anead, I then set out up the hill up from the river. It was not near so onerous as I had been told.

Pedalling out to the main highway, an approaching car honked and slowed down. It was Arlie and Martha. We agreed to meet at the motel. To get there I had to enter Leesburg, find the Washington and Old Dominion bicycle trail, follow it for 12 miles, then exit close to our lodging.

It took me a while to find the W&OD trail but once on it everything went smoothly. It certainly was not a level trail, but the grade was not that bad. I will be getting back on it Saturday morning.

Now, a day of rest with family. Thank you, Lord.

Praise Him, above you heavenly hosts.... 

SEA.....HAWKS! SEA.....HAWKS! SEA........HAWKS!

Do we have expectations for our children that are too low? Last night, my solitude on the second floor of the B&B was disrupted with the arrival of two bicyclers, a young man and his 14 year old daughter. They finished their first day of riding out of Washington, DC,  by completing 80 miles! That is a lot of miles for anyone, let alone a 14 year old. They were going to do 85 miles today, then ride the 150 mile GAP in two days. Of course, they are sacrificing enjoyment, instead opting for a sense of accomplishment.

They are impressive, but today I decided to focus more on the side of enjoyment. The miles were, again, going to be on the lower side, 45-50 miles or so, and I wanted to examine some of the trail structures today.

Once on the trail a cadence is developed, creating 9-10 mph average speeds. The mud puddles were small to non-existent. The trail is between the Potomac River and the Canal. Most of the canal does not have water in it. Instead, it has trees. It is clear where the sides and bottom of the canal were, but nature is slowing trying to reclaim the land.

Then suddenly I ride past a long stretch where there are no trees, just mowed lawn. Here you can get a clear idea of what it must have looked like in the 1830-1850s, with, of course, water instead of grass. A couple of horses or mules would walk along the tow path, towing 60-90 foot barges that were pointed at the bow. At any given time there were hundreds and hundreds of barges going either east or west. I do not know how they passed each other on the towpath.

At one point, the rock cliffs abutting the river precluded the canal from going further, and, apparently, tunneling was not a viable option. So those clever civil engineers opened the canal into the river. However, in order to make it feasible, they first had to build a small dam that would bring the river water level to that of the canal. Then a towpath was hewed into the rock cliffs  for several miles until the canal could be recommenced. It was fun riding on the reconstructed towpath which now is concrete sheets.

There were many bicyclers and hikers on the trail, including several separate groups of boys, and several groups of girls. I stopped and chatted with two of the groups of boys. They were both Boy Scouts troops, working on their bicycling merit badges. The group today were getting ready to depart, I teased them about not going too fast when they passed me down the road. They would make me look slow, I said.

Before long, here they came. One of the boys saw my Seattle Seahawks banner and said " Yea, Seahawks!" Seeing some potential here, I replied in kind. Then I yelled SEA..." And the boy said "HAWKS!"  I said it again, and this time three or four joined in. On my third time, I had most of the dozen kids cheering on the Seahawks. Take that, you Steeler/Redskins/Ravens bicycler fans! It made me miss home.

A group of hikers stepped to one side when I announced I was approaching. Soon after I stopped to talk to a couple who had questions about the logistics of a trip like this. I opened one of the panniers and shared my itinerary, and gave him a bicycling map that  I no longer needed. I also gave him my card and directed him to Amazon.com to find my book about my cross country trip in 2008. It is called "Crossing America: Bicycling Through the Heartland". It would be super helpful for him as well as a good read.

Right about then the hikers caught up with us. I volunteered to take their picture. They get together several times a month and hike different trails together. They were from a town just two miles down the path, called Shephardstown. They said I should have lunch there. My stomach (and the rest of me) agreed.

 I crossed a bridge over the Potomac into West Virginia, to the wonderful town of Shephardstown. Riding in I saw a sign advertising their Rotary club, which meets at noon, but I was a day late. In town, looking for a restaurant, a woman asked to take a picture of my bike. She has, also, a recumbent, and photographs all the recumbents she sees in town. She invited me to join her and a friend for lunch, which I did.

Late in the afternoon, I reached Brunswick, where I planned to stay the night.

Tomorrow, I am taking a small ferry across the river into Virginia. The only other state remaining is North Carolina.

Praise Him, all creatures here below..... 

The C&O Canal---a walk through history

What yesterday proved was that this towpath is not nearly as arduous as I had been told. Today's ride will likely be the easiest of my three and one half days on it.

The purpose of this canal was to transport commerce from the east coast to the Ohio Valley and back. What I do not understand is how it got built. George Washington got the ball rolling in 1785, when he got a company to build a number of locks around previously unnavigable parts of the Potomac River. In 1828, the Chesapeake and Ohio Company decided to make a canal, connecting the locks, and adding some between Cumberland and Washington, DC.

The result is this absolutely amazing engineering feat, much of which still survives today. The canal is plenty wide, and, in places  wide enough for two or more rows of barges, some going east, some going west. It took 35,000 workers to build the canal. The locks, dams, spillways, and pumphouses are still there, in good shape, after nearly two centuries. Much of the canal still has water in it. It is just stunning to think of all the planning, logistics and labor that took place in the wilderness, all because George Washington had a vision of opening up trade to the frontier.

One spot, which I went through yesterday, was a 3,100 foot long tunnel, still with canal and towpath. It took 14 years and 6 million bricks to build. I stopped and walked the bike through, with my headlight and a head lamp on. 

As one rides the towpath, the canal is on the left (going east), and the Potomac River is on the right side. This is a far more beautiful path than I expected.

This morning, I was to ride the trail for five miles, then there would be a paved rail-trail trail paralleling the C&O for 22 miles. Before I pedaled the five miles, I counted 9 deer. The asphalt trail enabled an extra 4 miles per hour.

At the end of the paved rail trail was Fort Frederick, a relic from the French Indian war. It had thick masonry walls that were 12-14 feet high. The enclosed area was also quite large. Obviously, much of the stonework was re-constructed, but it was pretty cool.

I arrived, today, in Williamsport in mid-afternoon. Words cannot express how smelly my bicycling clothes and footwear are. The nice lady who runs this B&B is laundering them for me. I have also been able to dry out my panniers from yesterday's puddles.   All in all, I am feeling good, but the light daily mileage has helped.

Physical ailments are common, but rarely serious. I developed another chafing on a different part of the upper, inner thigh. A large bandage stopped it from getting worse. My wrenched knee is doing fine. My major concern is the swollen area around the Achilles tendon. It was very swollen two nights ago. I put a large bandage and a heavy mid-ankle wool sock over it yesterday morning. The bandage stayed in place, but it became tender late in the day, and slightly swollen. Today, I stopped in a pharmacy in the first small town I came  to, and purchased some moleskin, which seemed to do a good job. Any ailment that is affected by hours of repetitive motion has potentially bad consequences.

The Lord has been good to me, and more generous than I deserve. It is far easier to keep Him foremost in my thoughts and mind, when I am bicycling alone for hours. I hope I will be able continue when I get home.

Praise God from whom all blessings flow..... 

Day #1 on the C&O Canal towpath.
The beauty of this trip is that I am neither an athlete nor a bicycler. I am just an ordinary guy, blessed to not have any serious infirmities, who got himself into decent shape, and have been able to bicycle most of the way across the country.

The credit for the success starts with my firm faith in God. He had me put a plan together, with daily objectives, then He granted me the perseverance to get it done. Of course, it is not done yet, but my final destination, Raleigh, North Carolina, is not far off. In two weeks I should pulling up to the house of my brother, Jim, in Raleigh.

There have been a number of times during this trip when, upon waking up, I have not wanted to face what the day had to offer. There have been nights when I have woke up, and had difficulty getting back to sleep as I pondered difficult riding ahead.

So it was this morning. I have talked with number of people about the C&O trail, and they almost universally felt it was a difficult, tedious grind. The reason is because the towpath is dirt which becomes mud when it rains, and especially muddy when it rains hard like it did two days ago. It is similar to old country roads with two worn tracks with grass in the middle. It is full of all sorts of unpleasant surprises, from tree roots to rocks, mud puddles to ruts. I was told that it was constant vigilance, far exceeding what is normal. Needless to say, I was not excited about today, and especiaļy when I heard the rolling thunder around 4 AM.

Duty calls, however, so I was able to have devotions and packing, a good breakfast and was off to the trailhead by 7:30 AM.

The majority of people I chatted with, advised not to exceed 40 miles per day, so that is my approach. The trail was very good heading out of Cumberland. Since I was the first east bound rider of the day, there were still lots of deer on the trail (I counted 16 for the day). There were, indeed lots of puddles and stuff, but not nearly as bad as I imagined. There was no rain all day. Vigilance was important, but there were still long periods of time when the trail was pretty good.

I was making good time until I pulled up to a large tree that had fallen across the trail. As I attempted to ease the bike over the trunk, I discovered that one of my pannier's rain covers had fallen off. I had to have it, and knew where I last saw it, so I turned back to find it. It was 3.4 miles back, the stick that had pulled it off the panniers was still attached. Putting it back on, I headed back to the downed tree.

Before long I was at the town of Little Orleans. Calling it a town may be a bit of embellishment, since it was only one building that served food, alcohol and a few sundries. I got there two hours before the posted closing time, and they were already closing it up. They stayed to fix me a sandwich, then locked the doors.

My accommodations for the evening, were 1/2 mile away, and the place defies description. I was the only guest that night. All the other possible guests had better judgment, I reckon. I suppose it could have been worse.

Around 8:30PM, I started doing homiletics of some scripture in the book of John, but could not stay awake. At 9 PM, I turned off the light and drifted off to sleep.

Blessings.

Finally, the end of the GAP.

For some reason, I slept little last night. I was in a hostel, so maybe it was the other men around me. Maybe it was that I was only given a sheet, which was insufficient. For whatever reason, I still rose at 5:20 AM. By 7 AM, I was on the GAP.

I had switched my itinerary again. Instead of staying in Frostburg, a distance of 47 miles, I opted to go all the way into Cumberland, MD, an extra 15 miles, because those last miles would be all downhill. Thus it would make Monday's ride less than originally planned.

My knee was slightly swollen but seemed fully capable of pedalling. There were some scratches on my Achilles tendon, as a result of yesterday's fall, so I put a bandage over it. 

This is a heavily traveled trail, but I did not see anyone for the first hour and fifteen minutes of pedalling. I did see something suprising, a mother turkey with her two baby chicks. 

After 18 miles, I stopped for a snack in Rosewood. I discovered that a church service was just starting, so I decided to attend, once the train finished passing through town.

I have wondered about the wisdom and need of a railroad in this area. Is there enough business to support it. Well, two more trains passed through town in the 45 minutes that the service lasted. 

The sermon was titled "Den of iniquity". One point the pastor made was how when our sins become habitual we no longer see our sinful acts as sinful acts. They become a normal part of our lives.

After the service was over, I began to look for a place to have lunch, and found one in Meyersdale, PA., just 10 miles down the road. The road bed was wet but not slushy, so a 8-9 mph pace was achievable.

There were a few tunnels, which were interesting. As I approached one, I saw above the entrance, the words Eastern Continental Divide. Some other bicyclers were waiting for one of their companions to fix a flat, and one of them said to me "It's all downhill from here to Cumberland." Sure enough, the last 20 miles were little more than light pedalling, to achieve a consistent 15 mph pace.

I had noticed that the bandage on my Achilles tendon was gone, and it was feeling quite tender. Upon taking off my shoe and sock, in the hotel room, it was swollen out 1/2 inch. Not a good sign. I will have to baby it before it becomes a bigger problem.

Tomorrow begins a completely different day than I have experienced so far. It will be on the C&O Canal towpath, a canal designed and installed during George Washington's presidency. It will be level, and is reputed to be very pretty, however, the path is dirt. Which means it will be mud tomorrow, along will lots of trees roots and potholes. The pace will decrease to 5-6 mph. One will have to be alert all the time. I am not looking forward to it. It should be a tiring day, especially if it rains as has been predicted.

I  can hardly keep my eyes open. May God be active in your lives.