Distance: 32.2 mi, Climbing: 2,047 ft
Completed: 211.8 mi, 11,662 ft
Joanna and I started today in Jim Thorpe. We stayed last night at the lovely Inn at Jim Thorpe. It was a nice change from the cookie-cutter Holiday Inn Expresses and Comfort Inns we have mostly been staying in. The town of Jim Thorpe calls itself the Switzerland of America. That may be an exaggeration, but it’s a lovely town and I wish we had a full day to enjoy it.
Today, the first fifteen miles were on the D&L Trail through Lehigh Gorge State Park. I had heard that this section of the D&L had the best scenery, but l was a little disappointed. I prefer the scenery on the D&L between Bethlehem and Jim Thorpe. It was still very pretty and a nice ride, but if I was only going to do one, I would do the southern section.
At mile 15, we left Lehigh Gorge State Park and the easy riding on flat trails behind. We were back in the hills. And the first hill was a doozy. I got off and walked the steepest section when the grade hit 15%. Then, I hopped back on the bike, and the hill continued at around 8% for a mile. My legs were getting used to the flats, and the first big hill felt like a bit of a shock. I slowly got my climbing legs back throughout the day.
The terrain over the next fifteen miles was reminiscent of the Pacific Northwest. Tall evergreens stood on the side of the road. We saw several tree farms, which presumably were growing evergreens for Christmas trees. While we were missing the flats of the D&L Trail, the scenery made up for it.
The last section as we rode into Hazleton was mostly rural highways with a big shoulder. I much prefer the quieter roads, but the shoulder kept us safe. That is the cost of staying in hotels every night. Most hotels are in heavily trafficked areas for obvious reasons. But, a real bed and a hot meal is totally worth it.
