Mid-Atlantic Backcountry Discovery Route: Day 3
I was so psyched to start riding on the third day of the trip. Our plan was to ride from Millmont, finish out the MABDR in Pennsylvania, and then follow it into Maryland. It ended up our longest day of the trip—230 miles over 11 hours.
The morning riding was fun as we cruised along dirt and gravel roads through mountains and woods. The riding was super-fast too, at times hitting 65 mph. (JK Ma, if you’re reading this). Everything was going great and I got an awesome video of me and Jim riding.
Then around mid-day it started raining. It rained for two solid hours. Because my rain jacket and pants were packed near the bottom of my Reckless 40 Side Dry Bag, I initially resisted getting them out. This was a mistake. By the time I stopped to dig them out I was so wet I felt like I was swimming. For my next trip, I’m getting a pair of Gore-Tex riding pants that I can just wear 24-7 (these, by Klim, look sick). And I’ll definitely pack the jacket closer to the top!
The highlights of the day came after the rain stopped and the sun started to re-warm us. By evening we were charging again, driving country roads in Maryland that wound their way through small towns and farms. As we zipped by, the folks would wave from their porches, literally welcoming us into their idyllic communities. To top that off, Jim and I had burgers and beer while watching the lighting over the mountains.
Then we headed to our hotel, the first of the trip. The hotel, it turns out, was a little sketch—the fellow in the room next door told us he’d just gotten out of jail. But we just rolled our bikes into the room, strung our wet gear everywhere, and enjoyed some long overdue hot showers. Man did it felt great to sleep in a real bed.
By: Mickey Spades. If you found Mickey’s post useful, consider sending him a few bucks. (Venmo: @michael-spadea-4). And here are all the posts from all Mickey’s trip:
