Ken's 2019 Charity Ride Blog- 800 Miles in a Three Week Span

It was how hot today for Grandpa's ride?? Yes Anaca, it was really hot. I just checked and its way hotter in Bethlehem, PA than in Bethlehem, Israel (it hit 92 F today). And people in Bethlehem, Israel are probably not biking 73 miles with 4300 feet of climbing. Oy Vey!  Some temperature-related photos from today! Believe me, we were watching for ice all day! Gotta love the heavy hand of the messaging here... I much prefer the messaging at this church SAG stop "Welcome to Heaven"  We got out at our usual early start time, this right around 6:20 AM. Here's a shot of us as the sun was coming up. And here's our buddy George Desser warning us that we need a permit to peddle in a small town on the route. Today was the toughest day of the week. It was in the high 80's by 9AM, and we completed half our climbing in the first 25 miles of the ride. Luckily we did have shade for a good part of those miles, especially as we biked t...

Well, this day worked out well, despite a foreboding forecast of storms in the early afternoon. We had an 80 mile day with a lot of climbing (4300 feet) ahead of us, and it turned out to be a great, albeit challenging day. But first a word from our riders...Below are two riders separated by 30 rides. Amanda is 21 and a first year rider. She is a truly amazing person and has brought such light and fun to the ride. Next to her is Ken Sharples, who is in his 70's (albeit a very youthful 70's) and is completing his 31st ride. Ken is one of my favorite people on the ride. So cool to introduce them this morning before the ride. Below is our buddy Dave Robinson, decked out in a fine floral kit, which served as great camouflage among the flora at the start. Below Dave, is a photo of Ken and Jim, two great guys who have been riding together for 14 (?) Anchor House rides. They have been riding together so long they are starting to look alike! Okay, today's ride. The ...

No bears today! Today was a planned loop day- starting and finishing from our hotel in Williamsport with two riding options- a short 38 mile loop and a long 63 mile loop. That was until a flash flood warning for the afternoon resulted in just the short loop being supported. It was a good call as we have been pounded by rain for most of the afternoon and evening. Jack and I set out at the leisurely hour of 7:30 AM (which is late by Anchor House ride standards). We got out of the city via a trail. Williamsport has a fantastic network of bike trails- this bike advocate is impressed. We came in on a trail yesterday, and the trail today took us close to the Susquehanna River, which was stunning to view in the morning. The ride took us into the foothills east of Williamsport- farms and lovely countryside. As always in PA, there were plenty of good climbs. At the top of one of them we were welcomed by a sign at a local church.  Jack was a gamer despite waking up wit...

Today was a schizophrenic day- the first half of the day was cool and mostly downhill, and the second half of the day was hot with a lot of ups and downs. We had mountains on either side of us (often both sides) for almost the entire 76 miles. And there was a second bear sighting in as many days!  First the bear... We've been going through some very remote areas, with deep forests and lots of mountains. Meaning, we're often in bear country. Bruce's room mate, Glenn, saw a huge bear yesterday on the road and had to stop to wait for him to cross (why did the bear cross the road?). And then today, Glenn saw another bear alongside the road. We are all trying to find out what cologne Glenn wears so none of us use it. Maybe he uses Moschino? So back to the riding. The first 42 miles were glorious, with temps in the 60's to start. We had a climb out of Wellsboro, and then we rode along the Pine Creek Gorge, the Grand Canyon of PA, for 30 miles. Spectacular riding- shady...