Day 12 - Wednesday 9/29

Miles: 81.6
Final Destination: Worton, MD
I'm back after a 2-day pastor's conference in Lancaster, PA. Again, thanks to Scott Jenkins for shuttling me and for the great whirlwind tour of Philly (pictured)) and to Mac and Lisa Gordon (pictured) for hosting me in their wonderful home. It was GREAT to be with friends after many days of solitude.
The Conference was a good one. Met many new people and told the bike trip story about 100 times. Met with much the same reaction as most people..."they can't believe I'm doing this, the Why's, Is there a purpose?, etc. However, there was one woman who was an avid biker and wanted to join me! She thought it was a good idea for her and her husband in the furure...he didn't.
Took an Amish tour and went to a working farm, a couple of shops where they sold knick knacks and was shuttled around in a bus as a guide pointed out things and told of their lifestyle. So very interesting, could go on about it forever, but I won't. Sufficient to say that the 'simple' life is both intriguing and hard.
At one of the shops they were selling homemade soft pretzels. The man in front of me bought out all the ones hanging so they had to make fresh ones for the rest of us. OK, God will have these in heaven! Soft, slightly salty and drenched in homechurned butter. I almmost want to pedal back and get another one...almost.
Got on the road early. Lancaster was beautiful, rolling hills, farms one after the other (pictures). The only thing was the incessant smell of...manure. Hours and hours of it. I am told that you get used to it, but not in a day or two as I learned.
The hills of Lancaster gave way to flats of Maryland (By-the-way, I entered my 8th state, MD, right at "Blake" Street! (pictured)). I had lunch with a good friend that comes up to SWH in the summer (Bruce Marker, pictured). It was wonderful to sit and chat over a bowl 'carbs'!
Got back on the road and headed south on the Delmarva penisula. Went over a fairly scary bridge, but other than that it was corn and soy fields. Many historical sites as well; didn't know that this area was so historical.
Ended up at a great and longtime friend of the family's house, Beryl (pictured) a couple of hours earlier than expected. (because of the flats I'm sure!).
There is a Tropical depression making its way into the area tonight and tomorrow, so I might "hole up" tomorrow and make up some time the next day, we'll see. I don't relish the thought of biking in high wind and heavy rain.
Til tomorrow...
Pictured:
Bike "tied up" to an Amish horse and buggy post; also an Amish farmhouse with black laundry hanging on the line; "Ages-gone-by" an abandoned old rotting farmhouse on the Delmarva penisula.