Williamsport - the black hole for GPS--even screwed me up when I was navigating to the school. I had to call Crista for directions, because I couldn't even log on to my email to view the ride description which included the directions to the school. Once at the school, I still could not get a signal, so I did not record the first 30 miles of the ride, waiting until we got to the first rest stop to start BiM recording. So, if anyone tried to check out the ride using "Live Tracking" prior to that, they would have seen the last ride that I allowed to be monitored over "Live Tracking".

We had the following riders with us this day: Crista and Chuck, of course, Keith, Harry, Bennett, Maile, Gary, and me.

Because, I was running late--last one to arrive at the school--in my haste, I left my heavy gloves sitting on the bumper of my truck. Realizing this, I decided to go back after them. When I got back, they were right where I left them. Keith, who usually rides on his own, was still getting ready. I said goodbye to him for a second time and that I'd see him later.

I put the gloves on and set out to catch the group. It took a bit of effort, but I caught back on. A little after doing so, I see Harry drop off. I heard from the others that Harry had dropped his cue sheet. The group continued down the road and after a while Bennett dropped off to go see what happened to Harry. A bit later, they were spotted coming up from behind.

The first rest stop was in Marion, PA--mile 28.5 according to the cue sheet. This is where I started recording the route. We stayed long enough to have some coffee or hot chocolate and something to munch on--soft pretzel for me.

After the stop, we headed to New Franklin, then Scotland, PA. We were nearing Tinyworld (aka, Tiny Town) which is located on Rice Rd. There, several of us took pictures of the miniature buildings. It's rumored that the owner built these little buildings for his cats, and indeed, we saw one cat, but nothing that warranted a town. Also, there was a friendly little dog there. The dog seemed attracted to those who were wearing yellow--Gary in particular. We stayed at Tinyworld long enough that Keith caught up. I snapped a picture of him just after he arrived, but he stayed only a moment before heading down the road.

Lunch was at Pizza 'n Stuff in Shippensburg on King St. The pizza was good. Most of us had at least a slice with Bennett having spaghetti noodles with butter and Parmesian cheese and Chuck having a sub sandwhich. The lunch stop was at mile 23 of the recording. Apparently I left the application running, hence a 3 MPH split for that mile. As we started down the road, Bennett noticed he had a flat tire. So, Chuck and Crista and I stopped to help him while Harry rode after Maile and Gary to let them know what was going on. Shortly, Harry returned to where Bennett was repairing the flat.

Next, we headed to Fayetteville followed by Greencastle. Somewhere during this stretch Harry and Bennett went off the front. Feeling frisky (and after having spent a lot of time on the wheel of the tandem), I jumped after them. Somewhere along the line, Harry dropped off the pace that Bennett set. I continued on catching Bennett who had stopped at one of the cues. We continued together for awhile, but he had exhausted himself being off the front. I found that he couldn't hold my wheel, so I dropped him until I had to stop to get rid of some clothing. Once I pulled off my jacket, I was nice and cool, but he continued on, so I was back into persuit mode catching him and dropping him once again. I rode into Greencastle--the next rest stop. About a minute or so later, Bennett pulls in. next came Harry, followed minutes later by the rest of the group.

After the break, we headed back to Williamsport. Again, I found myself with Bennett. He dropped off my pace somewhere before Kemps Mill Rd. I missed the cue, heading the opposite direction that I needed to go. Bennett later stated that I was beyond shouting distance, so he couldn't warn me of my mistake. Three and a half miles later, I realized that I went the wrong way, but I couldn't verify it with my GPS--the Williamport black hole strikes again--so, I asked a woman for directions just to verify that I needed to turn around and that there wasn't a simpler way to get back. Once back on cue, I had no problem getting to the school, but not without a worried cell phone call from Crista that I didn't answer, because I was so close to finishing. As I headed down Sunset Avenue, I see Chuck and Crista drive by followed by Maile. When I pulled into the parking lot of the school, Gary and Keith were gone; Harry and Bennett were still there, Bennett waiting for Crista, Chuck, and Maile to return from getting gasoline so they could head to Frederick for dinner. Upon their return, I declined the dinner invite, opt'ing to head home to get ready for Sunday's century.

All in all, it was a great day for a ride. The route was relatively flat and there wasn't much wind at all. It even got warm enough that I had to pull off some clothing!