Distance: 43.9 mi, Climbing: 2,953 ft
Completed: 310.0 mi, 17,089 ft
Today felt like a true turning point—Rich and I officially joined the Adventure Cycling Association Chicago to New York route. That came with an immediate tradeoff: fewer cars (a huge win), but also far fewer services. Translation: plan ahead. There was exactly one food stop around mile 10–and nothing else.
We didn’t ease into the day. To start, we hit a thirteen-mile climb through a state park forest. It wasn’t brutally steep, but it never let up. No breaks, no coasting—just over two straight hours of steady climbing. The kind that forces you into a rhythm and keeps you there.
On the way up, we made a quick stop at Sand Bridge State Park. While there, Ranger Mike pulled up—he had seen us out on the road and wanted to hear about the trip. Turns out, he’s done some cycling adventures of his own, and we swapped stories for a bit. One of those unexpected moments that makes a long day feel a little more connected.
When we finally reached the top, it felt like we had earned a reward—but the road had other plans.
The next fifteen miles rolled through open farmland—beautiful, wide, and completely exposed. That meant wind. Strong wind. Gusts up to 30 mph, hitting us head-on and from the side. We haven’t talked much about the wind so far, but we’ve been riding into it almost every day. Today, though, it demanded attention. Every pedal stroke felt earned.
One final hard climb stood between us and the end of the day—a reminder that nothing was coming easy.
Along the way, we rode through Amish country. Out of respect, we didn’t take photos, but the images will stay with us: a horse pulling a carriage and cart carrying a family of around eight, moving steadily along the road. Simple, quiet, and powerful in its own way.
Nittany is a very small town, so we were lucky to find an AirBnB just a mile off the route. We had a long bicycling day and arrived late, but what a beautiful location. We were in farm land. There were cows on one side of the house, a large farm on the other, and chickens wandering the property. AirBnBs can be a bit of a challenge bicycle touring. We did not plan ahead and bring food with us so there was nothing to eat. Once we figured out the wifi, we discovered that Uber Eats and GrubHub do not have drivers in the middle of nowhere. Obvious, in retrospect. Fortunately, there was one restaurant in Nittany – a pizza place – and they delivered. Our pie arrived around 9:30 PM, and we were very hungry. The good thing about pizza is that it works perfectly for breakfast, too!
Nothing about today was easy—but that’s exactly what makes it so wonderful.
Hello Rich and Joanna!! Wooo! amazing adventure! lots of luck – keeping a browser tab open to read from time to time! All the best
Thanks, Jim! We are definitely enjoying this adventure! Thank you for keeping track of us. We appreciate it.