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Pennsylvania


It's another lovely day. Part of a large yard full of school buses. I think the schools are on holiday now. What I've never r... I believe that's central Philadelphia in the distance. Malvern! This is the first example I've seen of what I once heard called 'single-storey America', large out-o... 'None shall pass!' 'The Black Knight always triumphs!'. When I first saw one of these signs yestrday... This is Lancaster. It seems that I've only ever found myself in Lancaster in England when things hav... I think all licensed radio transmitters in the world might have four-letter call signs like this but... Anybody want any 4th of July fireworks? Oh, how American! I'll be riding on the Lincoln Highway quite a bit over the next few days. This is just before the br... I knew they used some funny old units of measurement here but what on earth is a bushel? Quarts seem... The town of Yorkshire in the county of York. Something seems not quite right there. The town of East Berlin. It doesn't look much like the East Berlin I visited last year. I visited this area once about 11 years ago but can't remember if I went to Gettysburg or not. I rec... Here's an inspiring sign, at a sawmill. Signs like this are everywhere: restaurants, churches, schoo... There was some heavy rain a little while ago. Luckily, it's just one of the scattered showers that w... This is pretty, isn't it? This stream is known as the Falling Spring Branch. I will be following it ... These green signs mark the cycle route I'm following. One of several routes marked out by the Pennsy... Dinner. In my experience, European hotels are never very keen on guests eating in their rooms. Some ... Central Chambersburg. A marker for the Lincoln Highway in Fort Loudon. The cycle route has been off and on the Lincoln Hig... I'm going to have to cross that ridge. An extensive, and currently unused, picnic area at Cowans Gap. The 170 metre climb wasn't as hard as... A bathing area on Cowans Gap Lake. The weather here is mild enough that swimming in a lake would pro... A bridge on the Pennsylvania Turnpike is being replaced here. When the Vogels passed through in the ... Possile. Actually, this sign was flashing up different messages so quickly that I didn't notice the ... The descent down that hill in the background was another fun one. This is Breezewood. It's not a lar... They really will fly a flag from anything, won't they? Bridges on the approach to Bedford. The river here is known as the Raystown Branch. Bedford. I think the Lonely Planet guide said that Washington's presence here made this the captial ... Bedford. More of Bedford. Bedford is the first of this trip's towns which I know I've visited before. The only thing about it ... I hadn't seen many benches until today so I grabbed the opportunity to have a rest on this one for a... The altitude is now just over 800 metres. I'm afraid I got off and walked part of the way up here. What's this? A speed camera? If it is, it's very small. Perhaps it's the 'electrical mechanical devi... I've seen enough on-line photo journals now to recognise that this is how American road signs indica... Another roller coaster of a road. Those are the first wind turbines I've seen on this trip. I wish i... The road down into the town of Somerset. This view reminds me of my approach to Sturovo in Slovakia ... It may be warm but it's not 55 degrees. Ooh! Solar grave crosses! Can I have one? Incidentally, the Flight 93 mentioned here was one of a se... More of Somerset. Sorry about the overhanging wires but they are everywhere in every town. They make... Birdhouse. A drive-through bank! What will they think of next? I've just realised the significance of that big hill I crossed earlier, near a village called Dividi... Inside the Opera House at Rockwood, where I am enjoying some ice cream and a slice of pie. I opted f... Rockwood Opera House. A trailhead on the rail trail, ie disused railway, which will form the next 140 km of my route. To be honest, it was probably a bit excessive to have built two railway lines along this valley in t... A natural water feature beside the rail trail. This bench has been placed here for people to admire the shady babbling stream coming down the side ... Fellow users of the trail. More scenery. The river does a looping meander here. The railway originally crossed it on this bridge, went throug... The inside of the boarded-up tunnel. It reminds me of that scene in one of the Thomas the Tank Engin... This is now the Casselman River. Wonderful route, this. No hills to deal with at all. For a while earlier, I did have the sensation o... I've seen a photograph of this before. Confluence, my destination town for tonight. The Casselman, Youghiogheny and Lauel Hill Creek all co... Baseball at Confluence. I'm staying in a little bed and breakfast place tonight. There had been some slight confusion with m... Stabling for the bike. The Confluence House. This house used to belong to the town's doctor. Apparently it was rather run d... The Confluence House again. There are five other guests here. One couple are driving around the area... The Confluence House. A couple with a tandem. There seems to be some kind of bike event on at the moment. She's reading th... Ohiopyle. Popular with cyclists. I hope those babies enjoy their ride. I like these bridges. This valley is popular with canoeists and rafters as well as with cyclists. A good sweeping corner cutting through the rocks. At times, it rather feels like being in a train. T... A type of bird I don't recognise. Electrical stuff. The cycle lane through Connellsville. Connellsville park, with a bike and a big inflatable raft. That's not the Washington I'm going to, which caused some confsion when we were discussing routes ov... Barges of coal on the Monongahela. Some of the information boards along the rail trail said that the... Look at this petrol station. Not only is there a burger bar in the shop but you seem to be able to o... This was lunch. Apparently, the restaurant offered free wireless Internet access. The railway and the Pennsylvania Turnpike both soaring high above me. The railway bridge looks typic... All this Americana is quite useful really. Without going more than a few hundred metres from my mote... It seems you don't have to have done much to be commemorated with one of these tourist signs. This o...