Day 44, 8 days to go. Erie, PA, Rest Day, (22 miles)

You might envision me on “rest day” as lounging by a pool with a gin and tonic in hand reading a trashy beach novel about the search for the evil scientist who genetically engineered Cherioos to remove the fiber and doom the next generation to a life of constipation. It’s not like that. There is some rest. I sleep until 8:30 and then go downstairs for a leisurely breakfast. It is sooooooo nice to have breakfast without the pressure of load and road. I also enjoyed a few cups of coffee that, due to its diuretic (look it up) properties, I can’t drink on riding days. Then it’s bike washing time, just like the last rest day. But this time there is a twist, I have a flat. Yes, the irritating hotel-flat. But it’s on a rest day, doesn’t delay the start of the day’s ride, and the puncture site is readily found. You’ll remember that I had a flat yesterday and found the puncture, but apparently the tire had that very rare double puncture flat. So rare that when you find the first puncture, you don’t look for the second. So I threw that tube away, changed it and was ready to go on my excursion.

Shock, chagrin, outrage! “Dollar General” does not have the same deal as “The Dollar Store.” In Dollar General, things are generally a dollar, but can be $1.50 or even $20! I left in a fit of indignation and bought my new flip-flops at Rite Aid. (During the campaign, we’ll have to choose between Obama flip-flops and McCain as flip-flops, but fortunately I was still able to buy the pre-election model). Then I made the obligatory trip to the bike shop, where I bought, guess what? More inner tubes. I needed a pair of bicycle gloves; I wore out one pair worn and lost another pair (well actually I lost one glove, but that has the same effect).

Then it was vacation time. I rode out to Presque Isle State Park (see picture). It’s a peninsula that arcs out for 7 miles to define Erie’s bay. There’s a lovely, mostly shady, bike path that hugs the shore. It was populated by recreational cyclists and runners. On one side of the park, the City of Erie lays across the bay. On the other side of the park, Lake Erie stretches out beyond the horizon. For the record, I can identify the five Great Lakes: Huron, Superior, Ontario, Michigan, and the other one. The redeveloped water front was typical of many cities’ water assets. There was a striking Sheraton Hotel and Conference Center right on the water, a Bicentennial Tower with panoramic views of Presque and downtown (or should I say “rundown” since the redevelopment didn’t extend a block beyond the Sheraton.) The Erie Maritime Museum was the other tourist magnet, but didn’t attract me. They had a big wall around the restored ship “Niagara” so that I couldn’t even see it without paying admission. As a matter of principle, I didn’t. All of that took two hours. Oh, yes, I know, “the Other One" is Lake Erie. : - )


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