Bicycling from Washington DC
Through:
Maryland, West Virginia,
Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Delaware & Virginia
2007 - August - September
August 18, 2007
Harpers Ferry WV to Gettysburg PA
Distance: 60.6 miles
Elevation climbed: 3,025 ft
Today we traveled all day on paved roads. We had our choice of two different routes, one harder than the other. We choose the easiest one and left the motel. After 4 miles we turned off the major roads. George and Jane stopped as soon as they made the turn because their front tire was soft. George tried to pump up the tire but he could not get more than 70 psi in the tire. He borrowed my bicycle tire pump and still could not get more than 70 psi in the tire. He had his first flat tire of the day. Before the day was over George and Jane would have a total of 4 flat tires. The problem was bad rim tape in both the front and back tire and a tack weed (sometimes called a goats head) in the front tire.
Due to the first flat tire George and Jane had we went less than 5 miles in the first hour. We continued on our way thinking that George and Jane had the first flat tire fixed. We were on a road that when up and down steep grades but after two or three miles we came to a major highway (highway 67) which had clean 8 foot wide shoulders. For the next 35 miles most of the roads we were on had good shoulders and most of the climbs were less than 4% grades. On a lot of the climbs we traveled at 6 to 10 miles per hour, felt like most of the time we cycled uphill. We ate lunch in Boonsboro and a snack in Waynesboro, PA.
Out of Waynesboro we traveled on what appeared to be a level road but was actually going uphill. After ½ mile we reached the bottom of a major hill. We started up and after a short distance our tired legs from all the hills we had already climbed to get to this hill. This hill was steep, at least 6% grade and it was long. It had a shoulder which was partially used by a rumble strip. We walked most of the way up that hill. For most of the rest of the day we went downhill. We arrived in Gettysburg, PA at 5:30 PM. George and Jane arrived after 8:00 PM just minutes before dark.
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