thevcblog: Michigan 26 Day 20 - Harrisburg to Shrewsbury

First thing, Jim's 27 year old mountain bike he switched to when his frame broke yesterday is working just fine. The tour continues.

Today was a fairly short day, because there are lots of hills. For me at least. I rode 48 miles and 2400 feet of climb, including starting the day with a brutal 350' climb at 11%. It's hard to get in and out of Harrisburg. And once you get out of the Susquehanna Valley with this climb, you go right back down to the river, where you can admire Three Mile Island, look for wildlife with three eyes, and climb back out again.

I did not see any three eyed animals or fish, although I'm not sure about some of the groundhogs.

Jim got to go farther, and up even more hills because he missed a turn. I'll usually ride ahead at my own pace, with the route on my GPS. When there is a turn in the route, I stop and wait for Jim to catch up. We also take quick breaks every 10 miles or so.

So I stop and wait at a dollar store, and we take a break. There was an immediate turn right after the dollar store, I and I thought Jim was right behind me, but he didn't see me turn, and went straight. In the wrong, very hilly, direction, for about 40 minutes! The next stop and wait at a turn point was only a couple miles away, all downhill, but after I waited for about 10 minutes, I realized Jim made the wrong turn. So I texted him, but he never read the text because it was raining and he can't use his phone when he and the phone screen area all wet. I took a break at a Rutters in Manchester, and Jim answers the phone. We figure out he is now 10 miles behind me in Newberrytown, which is about an hour and a half at Jim-riding-up-hills speed. We decide to meet up at York.

I wait out a heavy shower at the Rutters, nice and dry.

There are no hills the rest of the way to York for me. In fact, I got to ride on this fabulous north extension of the York Heritage Trail in to town. It follows Codorus Creek.

Here is where I spent two hours, dry and comfortable, on the deck at the White Rose Bar and Grill in York, eating a tasty Bacon Blue Cheeseburger, sitting next to an outlet with my phone charging, and my bike leaning on the side of the deck. Meanwhile, Jim is out there in the rain riding up hills.

Jim makes it to the White Rose around 4 (he stopped for breaks and snacks), and we head out on the NCR Trail to our end point at Shrewsbury, 20 miles away. The rain has finally stopped.

We are at this pretty new and perfectly maintained fancy Hampton Inn. It has a hot tub and a Ruby Tuesday in the parking lot. To get here from the NCR trail, you leave the trail at Railroad, then go over a big steep hill to Shrewsbury, and down the other side. Then you get to climb back up the hill to the hotel.