Providence [2] Each morning (8.30 till 11.00) the pupils in Providence follow a course in one of the vocational skills offered such as tailoring, rexine work, commercial cooking, confectionary, beauty care, paper making, screen printing, bead work, carpentry etc etc. These are presented not merely as hobbies but a possible avenue to apprenticeships or enterprises. In the afternoon (11.00 till 3.300 they follow regular classes in academic subjects such as English,Maths, Business, Science, Social Studies, Khasi etc and some of the sit for the State exams.Today was a welcome rest day with no pressure but for me it was all cycle related at leisure. Some of the group actually went for a 30-mile cycle around the city’s attractions. At 6 am I was awake and ready to get started out of habit. The longer I stayed in bed after that the more tired I got, so I made breakfast by 9.
The hotel has no guest laundry so it was off down 5 blocks with the lot and all was sparkling again within the hour. I’m improving in these household chores…never too late to learn. The laundrette was beside Molly Brannigan’s irish pub and I went down there last night for the one drink I treat myself to on Rest Day. The owner is a Waterford man and the walls were decorated by the feats of recent years and of 1959, Ballygunner’s Munster title as well as Master McGrath and old local papers. Wasn’t I proud to see the victorious Wexford team of 1996 on the wall in full colour? A publican with good taste!
The bike, RW PACAT, badly needed a wash after the last few days and I replaced the chain. The old one was showing a bit of wear and would cause a more serious problem for the crankset and the cassette if left much longer. Am very pleased with this bike and hopefully there’ll be no problems between here and the end. End? I don’t like even contemplating the idea. I’ll miss the cycle and the group. There is an amazing positive dynamic among the 40 of us. One for all and all for one.In the afternoon I spent a long time deciding on and drawing up a cue-sheet for the two days from Portsmouth to Providence. Got it finished a while ago with the aid of cycle maps of east Massachusetts and the Boston area.
And I have just been speaking with Ted in Providence who will be overseeing those last days. Really looking forward to meeting up and having a good chat about Providence.
Now for a good night’s sleep before the last stage –the Eastern States.
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When I first spoke to others regarding this cycle in Sept 2007 I had the dream that it could attract a six-figure sum for Providence. At times since then my expectations have wavered but the dream still remains. My big thanks to those who committed even before a pedal was turned in San Francisco. They believed that I was really serious about this challenge. Hopefully, more will come on board to ensure that Providence continues to give these children a chance in life.
I reported last night that there was torrential rain in Niles and this morning the rain had stopped but the forecast was a gloomy one with 80% chance of thunderstorms. Everyone set off just in cycling shirts but with raingear at hand. Drops fell in the early stages but at mile 20 there was no option but to don the rain-cover.
It poured down incessantly for the next 50 miles but without the lightning. Be merciful for small mercies. Pulling out of the first SAG while it still poured down knowing that there was another 64 miles to go wasn’t appealing. Consolation in that you can get soaked only once.
Pulling into the second SAG at 70 miles things had eased off and all removed the raingear. The stop at the already crowded Richardson’s Rootbeer Stand and did some extra business. It was here that I phoned home to get the result of the Munster Final to be told that it had just finished with success for Tipp. Just about then, the sun broke through and gave the necessary heat to dry out our shirts as we continued on for the rest of the day. So good results do contribute to beneficial global warming. I relaxed feeling very happy. Sorry to hear that the minors lost.
As for the last few days I cycled alone to the first SAG but there was little opportunity to take photos with the rain. Suburban Niles was quiet at that hour of Sunday morning as I moved generally north-west assisted by a south south west wind. Between the SAGs I fell in with John, Amy and John Douglas and kept up a brisk pace for the forty miles. After the second SAG I cycled alone again as I wanted to capture something of the area on film.
In the early part I did spot a familiar store that has cropped up a few times along the route. Wonder what specials they have this week?
Shortly after second SAG I arrived at the state line with Pennsylvania and a photo opportunity. Luckily Audrey was coming close behind and we accommodated each other. Another state finished along the journey; we’re now in state 10. Pennsylvania is 1.5 times the size of Ireland and has a population of 12 million. It's often referred to as the Keystone State or the Quaker State. Its capital is not Philadelphia or Pitsburg but Harrisburg. It is amongst the top states for mushrooms, Christmas trees, battery chickens, milk, grapes and horses.
Corn storage silos have been along our route for ages with some of steel and some of pre-cast concrete. The invention of the corn silo allows the preservation of corn in the green state for feeding to livestock.Today I spotted one of solid blocks. Didn’t see too many of those before. Still seemed to be in excellent condition.
Some lovely houses along the road with most on open plan… no boundary fences or gates and very large heavy-maintenance lawns. Others (like the farmers place above) stood out with the picket fence about. One cyclist mentioned that they looked very Irish. I don’t know!
Coming into Erie had some echoes of California. We had not seen as many cyclists on the roads since early June on the west coast. It seems to be a popular pastime for young and old here. And cycle paths and bike lanes also. Also quite an amount of vines (and sour cherries) were being cultivated along our approach to Erie although the grapes are still quite small.
By 3.15 I had arrived at the Avalon Hotel right in the heart of Erie and noticed the Irish flag flying. Reception told me that they have quite a few Irish visitors staying here from time to time. I thought that it was just for me! Again I had made a century of the scheduled 97 miles. That’s 4 centuries now back to back.
Today I used the same procedure as yesterday – cycle the first 10 miles at my own pace in order to warm up and then pick up the pace for the rest. Directly out of Wooster there were a few stiff hills and plenty passed me by. I didn’t mind nor did I try to stay in contact.
At the 8 mile mark I met up with a few friendly horses in a field by a farmyard. They seemed to like being photographed and gave me a bit of advice.
While I was there a number of cyclists passed by, eager to put miles behind them. The sun was still only a little above the horizon and facing directly into our eyes as usual.
Yesterday I stated that there was no hope of getting the smell of burning turf around Ohio. Maybe, I was being a bit too rash. This morning I spot this sign for Peat Moss. If there’s Peat Moss, there’s peat. I didn’t smell smoke but the odds shorten. Every day new experiences and surprises.
Crossing railroads can be dangerous for a number of reasons. On these country roads they stick above the level of the road and the timber and can be the cause of a puncture or a damaged rim. Their location are all indicated on the daily cue-sheet. At times the railroads cross the road at an acute angle and there is always the danger of jamming the wheel down beside the track. It happened to three riders one day at the same crossing and one cracked his helmet. No other serious injuries. Only solution is to manoeuvre to cross them at right angles. Haven’t seen any of the 100 carriage long trains recently.
Passing through canal Fulton on one of the Ohio and Erie canals there were signs that there was a celebration or a festival in the offing. The main street was cordoned off, stalls set up for the day and the usual lorry for a bandstand. I was told that they were in the middle of a three day Olde Canal Days Festival, an annual affair. There would be music and vendors on the streets; fireworks at 10 pm and of course Miss Olde Canal Days Queen.
Further up the town the locals had their seats and rugs out to book their spots for the Grande Parade that would commence at 11 am. It was still before 9 am and waiting was not an option.
Today I passed by Stoll Farms an enormous dairying operation. Here they milk 3000 cows and in all there are about 5000 animals between milkers, dry, heifers and calves. A lot of the workforce is Mexican and feed was being delivered by the truckload as I passed by on Coal Bank Road. Also further on I passed a large area devoted to market gardening alone – mighty fields of red lettuce on my right hand side.
Gary and I teamed up again at the first SAG stop after 40 miles and set off at a good pace now that I was warmed up. On the level we were usually hitting 20 mph and down to 13 mph on the inclines. Passed by gravel pits, airports and lakes. The route seemed flatter than yesterday although my Garmin recorded almost 100 feet more climbing today. None of yesterday’s rolling hills. Today it was all more gradual.
We are moving in a north-east direction these days and todays wind was helpful for the most part. Coming into Niles we moved onto a bike path for 4 miles. We had it to ourselves with no traffic of any type and only the cross-roads to contend with. These are so relaxing. We haven’t been on one since leaving Grand Junction in Colorado. Near the end of this path Gary and I parted as I was on a mission.
Today’s scheduled ride was 93 miles; we had a detour near canton that brought the figure to 95 miles. Still feeling fresh I went for the century. Pity not to do it when it was so close. So I went to the end of the trail and a bit of a circle and by the time I reached the hotel I had 102 up on the clock. That is my 11th century on this trip.
