Day 54. PENNSYLVANIA North East
70 miles 1,660 feet
I left before dawn to avoid some afternoon heat and it was nice for the first few hours. It was light enough to see and be seen, and sunrise over the lake was beautiful. The route was mostly on rural roads, quiet and first but increasingly crowded as the morning progressed. It is amazing to me, even after 54 days, how many cars there are in this country.
The biggest city for the day was Erie after passing in to the corner of Pennsylvania. ACA took me down a quieter residential streets with magnificent, tall oaks. Here and west of Cleveland the trees are dense, tall, and beautiful. Their size and the nearby powerlines means that a lot of trimming and maintenance is needed. Almost every block has a tree maintenance truck and/or a power utility truck trimming branches. But it seems to me to be worth it: These trees are beautiful and the streets are much cooler than elsewhere.
As I approached North East (strange name for a town but an old one) there were increasing numbers of vineyards. This is a high grape producing region for Welch's jam and for some wineries. The views across the vineyards to the lake remind me of California.
North East has some beautiful old buildings but a small downtown with a single restaurant that is popular with visitors. I asked for a local white wine and it was very sweet. Even with lake breezes these not ideal for grapes for wine production.
Tomorrow I move closer to Buffalo and set myself up for a long day through Niagara Falls and Canada. I've never seen the falls and the big route passes directly adjacent to them. Includes US->Canada and Canada->US border crossings which I understand are separate for bikes and pedestrians, away from the car lines.
I left before dawn to avoid some afternoon heat and it was nice for the first few hours. It was light enough to see and be seen, and sunrise over the lake was beautiful. The route was mostly on rural roads, quiet and first but increasingly crowded as the morning progressed. It is amazing to me, even after 54 days, how many cars there are in this country.
The biggest city for the day was Erie after passing in to the corner of Pennsylvania. ACA took me down a quieter residential streets with magnificent, tall oaks. Here and west of Cleveland the trees are dense, tall, and beautiful. Their size and the nearby powerlines means that a lot of trimming and maintenance is needed. Almost every block has a tree maintenance truck and/or a power utility truck trimming branches. But it seems to me to be worth it: These trees are beautiful and the streets are much cooler than elsewhere.
As I approached North East (strange name for a town but an old one) there were increasing numbers of vineyards. This is a high grape producing region for Welch's jam and for some wineries. The views across the vineyards to the lake remind me of California.
North East has some beautiful old buildings but a small downtown with a single restaurant that is popular with visitors. I asked for a local white wine and it was very sweet. Even with lake breezes these not ideal for grapes for wine production.
Tomorrow I move closer to Buffalo and set myself up for a long day through Niagara Falls and Canada. I've never seen the falls and the big route passes directly adjacent to them. Includes US->Canada and Canada->US border crossings which I understand are separate for bikes and pedestrians, away from the car lines.
Pre-dawn light over Lake Erie.
Ashtebula, formerly a Superfund site, has a wonderful, small downtown.
Vineyards with Lake Erie in the background. Most of the grapes are used by Welch's to make juice and jelly.
Beautiful approach to North East.
My B&B
