Pennsylvania Here I Come

Whitecaps on Lake Erie.

 
September 9, 2010

We started our day at the Sunrise Café in Geneva-on-the-Lake. It was the liveliest breakfast so far on the trip. The pancakes were awesome and the company great. We were serenaded by a local woman who came in daily and sang her good morning song. What a great place to jump-start our day

At 7:30 a.m. I headed out on SR 531 into a brisk, windy, fifty-degree day. Lake Erie was covered with whitecaps as the wind blew out of the west. Houses surrounded me on both sides of the road. Many businesses along the lake were seasonal and would close soon. I entered the city of Astabula and rode by a church sign that read, “This Church is Prayer Conditioned.” I cycled over a lift bridge that had a marina on one side and a big coal shuttle on the other side. The shuttle transported coal to railroad cars across the water.

When I left Ashtabula, the area became very industrialized with coal-operated power plants. I arrived in North Kingsville and was once again cycling by cottages along the lake. A spacious park covered with geese was a great place to cycle by and not walk through. In the town of Conneaut, I turned east onto US 20. The sun was now out in full force and warming up the area.

At the end of the Lake Erie Coastal Trail, I crossed into Pennsylvania, our eleventh state. I was now riding on SR 5 called the Seaway Trail or Pennsylvania Bicycle Z Route. I saw my first cornfield of the day. I passed North Springfield and rode by a big nursery lined with rows of small green shrubs and pine trees. I pedaled by fragrant vineyards.

Farmer’s markets with fruits and vegetables were becoming more commonplace. Pumpkins, squash, tomatoes, peppers, peaches, corn, plums and grapes filled baskets that lined the stands. Hearty mums in purple, golden yellow, white, orange, pink and burgundy hues were ready to be planted. They added a splash of color to the fall leaf display.

Yes, fall is in the air. I am starting to see the beautiful changes in the color of the leaves, the crisp feel of the breeze, and the wonderful fresh fall fruits and vegetable. It is a wonderful time of year to be cycling. It is a wonderful time of year to be thankful for the bounty of fall’s harvest.

God Bless,
Kathy
James 1:17

Kathy is welcomed by Pennsylvania.

A nursery full of young shrubs.

Winds from the west blow across Lake Erie.

A vineyard near Lake City, Pennsylvania

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