May 18-24, 2003 “Meyersdale Moon” Early morning half moon Such a change from Rehoboth Soon stars alone when new Maps and directions Mapping a trip like this is labor intensive. I’ve relied on internet mapping sites such as randmcnally.com, mapquest.com and csaa.com. Each has its strong and weak points. None of them is as easy to use as a paper map. And since I don’t have a PDA, paper maps are really important on the side of the road when I’m trying to answer the question “which way now?” I’m blessed with a good sense of direction so 99% of the time we’ve been able to stay “on route” and I’ve been able to create routes on the fly. Asking for directions has been interesting. Most people have no idea of anything more than a two mile radius of them and if they do their knowledge is restricted to the main highways. Every once in a while there will be someone who knows and can also give directions. A man in Martinsburg, West Virginia was very interested in our trip and gave us great directions to Hancock, Maryland. His route took us on less traveled roads and followed the Potomac River for some distance. On Tuesday we had gotten to a four way intersection with no indication that we were actually in Champion, PA. The woman behind the counter quickly told me she had no sense of direction and pointed to the man eating his breakfast, “ask him; he’ll tell you how to get there”. Once Harold had gotten oriented on the map I was carrying, he gave me his way of getting to Kecksburg, the next little town on the way to PA-130. The route was the way he went to his accountant and it was shorter and probably less hilly although will never know for certain about the hill part. Meyersdale Yoder Motel and GI Lunchroom Yoder’s Motel is directly across the street from Doges Motel and drive-in. The difference between the two is striking. Yoder’s is an old home that has been subdivided into apartments and rooms to rent for the night. Although the rooms are not spacious, they were clean and bright. From the outside Doges is a cinderblock box with tiny narrow rooms that looked to be almost windowless. We were glad that Yoder’s answered the phone when we were calling to making reservations and that Doges hadn’t. Helen Hook is the manager of Yoder’s. She is in her seventies and is quite spry with a wicked sense of humor, telling Ron that there were no rooms for us and we would have to continue to ride. She hunted up an extra pillow for me and also gave me two of her own personal towels when I asked for extras. Extra towels come in handy for squeezing out water from clothes after they’ve been washed; there never seem to be enough towels. Helen also recommended GI Lunchroom for breakfast the following morning. GI Lunchroom at 4:30 in the morning is probably typical of all early morning breakfast restaurants. There’s a cook and 4 or 5 stalwarts at the counter. As we opened the door there were 6 sets of eyes riveted on us so I said “Good Morning everyone”. That settled them down and they went back to pondering life and their coffee. The fellow behind the counter turned out to be a good short order cook. He was fun to watch, a real master at flipping pancakes and eggs, all the time talking with his customers. Later in the morning after deciding not to ride the Alleghany Alliance Trail, he was helpful in verifying the best route to Rockford. Pittsburgh It was wonderful getting to the Confluence of the Ohio, Alleghany, and Monogahella Rivers. We were the only ones on the promenade so there was a certain quiet and yet the energy flowing from the rivers filled the air. Just as we were wondering how we were going to get back on route, two joggers came out of the weeds to our left and promptly told us we didn’t want to ride on Ohio River Blvd. Once we convinced them we did, they told us a route to get on it. At one point, we needed to figure out where we were as we left Pittsburgh proper and I stopped a mail truck by hailing him from the middle of the street. His reaction to being on Ohio River Blvd. was much the same as the two joggers. The only one who expressed no concern with our choice was a bicyclist commuting to work. We talked for a while about Lewis’ adventures and he said his good-byes as we headed toward Ohio State Blvd. Reactions to Our Adventure Most striking this week were the reactions people had to our following the path of Meriwether Lewis to St. Louis and then the Lewis and Clark Trail. The woman who sold us the apricot pocket pastries outside of Pittsburgh said “that’s exciting” and then followed it almost immediately with “and scary”. Ron mentioned the shop owner in Beaver, PA and his enthusiasm for both bicycling and our following history. The young man in Stratton, Pennsylvania where we stopped to get water kept asking us questions and then finally asked why. Ron and I had already explained our trip. My response was the same answer that people have given when asked why they attempt to climb Mt. Everest – it’s there. The three girls in Reedsville, Ohio were thrilled with our telling them about bicycling and going across country. Their mothers were equally excited and promised to check our website. Jeff, who guided us into Gallipolis, was impressed that we were riding an historical route. He’s a real history buff and full of endless information about the area. As we approached Chesire, he explained that the town had been purchased by the company that owned the polluting chemical plant. The next morning our waitress at breakfast told us that she had lived in Chesire but had moved during the buy-out and that only the old-timers had stayed. Food Pizza, pasta and Chinese food have been our fare this week. The Thai food in Pittsburgh was a notable exception, very tasty and almost as good as Thai House in Santa Rosa. Breakfasts since the Sunrise Café have been pretty humdrum. I’m definitely missing Bill’s oatmeal. Marguerite Bellringer asked me if I missed cooking. I can definitely say I only miss the end result. Wildlife In addition to the two beavers, the deer and chipmunks I’ve seen along the way, I was also treated to a Indigo Bunting, a first for me. This bunting is about 5” tall, 2” shorter than a bluebird and are a very intense blue. “Indigo Bunting” back electric blue sitting on honeysuckle streaks away in flash And that was the week that was. …LaValle Doges Motel Yoder's Motel