Day 12 – “Getting Close to Jersey”

I rode from New Columbia to Drums today. The picture above is at the start of the ride as I passed over the West Branch of the Susquehanna River in Milton. The river splits and the island created is the Milton State Park (on the left).  I didn’t stop in the park but it looked like a great place.

 

I went through a lot of small towns along routes 642, 54, 11, 93, and 37.  The video I posted yesterday of Rebersburg was a pretty good visual for most of the small towns I passed through today.  I loved it!!  I definitely like riding through towns more than I like riding in the middle of nowhere, even when the scenery is spectacular.  The hardest part of the trip today was a 1200 foot ascent at mile 42. I put the bike in my easiest gear and just kept plugging along until I hit the top.  At least I was able to descend 550 feet at about 35 mph for quite a thrill.  The climb took a lot out of me, but I was able to pedal the last 6 miles and finish the 56 mile route.

 

From Janel’s comment yesterday — I’m “Getting Close to Jersey”

I got a text from my good friend Dan Knauss and he wanted some more details about the trip.  So I thought I would change it up today and answer those.

Q1) I’m curious about Catholic churches on your route?

A1) Let me start with these statistics from the Pew Research Center (2022) regarding Adults in Pennsylvania:

   a) 74% are Christian, 21% are none

   b) Of the Christian faiths, the top 3 are: 24% Catholic, 23% Mainline Protestant, 19% Evangelical Protestant.

On my route, I have seen very few Catholic Churches.  Usually in the bigger of the small towns I go through.  I have seen way more Protestant churches, probably because most of the small towns are along the routes I ride and everything is in town.  The picture above comes from Mechanicsville and is the St. Cyril Academy (Catholic).  Just before I saw this, I saw a St. Joseph’s Church (Catholic) in Danville, a big city.  But I’m also at the mercy of the route that Google tells me to take, so it’s only by chance that I happen to see any of them.

Q2)How the heck did your forefathers traverse the elevation – did they carry all their supplies?

A2) It amazes me that the Westward expansion required horse drawn wagons on trails that weren’t very often in good shape.  Spring was rainy and the wheels would create ruts in the dirt trails that made travel extremely dangerous and difficult for the whole year.  Until they actually created toll gates, where people paid a fee to travel, no one had money to keep up the trails.  If you were traveling with a wagon, you were able to carry your belongings, supplies, and family.  In the case of my ancestor, George W. Howell, he was solo on horseback.  I don’t know, but I assume he had saddle bags that allowed him to carry water, food, and clothing for travel. In some of my research, it appears that the typical distance for a horse to travel in a day with a rider was about 30 miles;  probably a lot less with some of the ascents I’ve been riding.  Back in the days of horse travel, towns would spring up every 30 miles so that the town could provide resources for travelers — stables, horse shoes, food, lodging, etc.  So I wouldn’t think my ancestors would have had to carry everything they needed.

Q3) What is your equipment list?

A3) What I take every day is my bike; helmet; water bottle filled with Gatorade; Osprey back pack which I’ve been filling with 2 liters of water, another Gatorade, an apple, a few protein or Cliff bars, my rain jacket and shoe covers; Garmin watch; Garmin Edge; iPhone with wired ear phones; GoPro camera; and my drivers license, medical card, credit card, and cash.  Of course I’m not riding naked, so I’ve got my riding shorts, jersey, socks, and clip-in shoes.  What I have in the truck that’s crucial for the ride is my tire pump and chain lube.  Not so critical (I hope) are other bike repair tools and supplies.  The non-bike things in the truck are my clothes bag, toiletry bag, computer bag, and supplies (Gatorade and snacks).  If I didn’t have the truck, I would have to put panniers on the bike (like saddlebags) and pack what I absolutely needed.

Q4) How’s your equipment holding up?

A4) I haven’t had any issues with any of the equipment. I’ve only had issues with the Garmin Edge, but it’s more of a learning curve than an equipment failure. As far as the human equipment?  My legs are a bit fatigued, my butt is a little tired of sitting for 4 or 5 hours a day on a rail thin seat, and my neck and shoulders are a little sore when I finish and it usually leads to a slight headache after I’m done.  But honestly, I’ve traveled about 550 miles or so and climbed about 15,000 feet, I’m thrilled that I’ve been able to make it this far.

Thanks for the questions Dan!!  For everyone else, I welcome any feedback you have or requests for something different.  

 

I have the route planned for tomorrow.  It takes me to East Stroudsburg — close to the Delaware River which forms the border between PA and NJ.  It’s a full day of riding, but I’m close.  Thanks for reading!!!

By Dennis

Ninth generation Howell in North America

8 comments

  1. Awesome, D, thanks for taking the time to answer all my questions! I cannot help thinking you may have discovered the ultimate homeschooling class, your adventure would be a great field trip and an excellent learning experience. By the way, my Parish is Saints Cyril and Methodius Slovak Catholic church in Sterling Heights and you can visit a statue of the brothers on the Charles Bridge in Prague 😉

    1. Hey Dan — Skip and I visited Prague in 1995. I was on that bridge and have a vague recollection. I thought this was a better picture so I took it from here. I tried to insert the picture in this comment. Not sure how it works.

      Prague Castle

  2. East Stroudsburg is about 45 minutes from me. Let me know when you get here I still would like to meet up. They are calling for rain Saturday and Sunday here which puts a damper on things but shoot me a text!

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