Teton Pass

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

The Sweet Smell of Amish Country

The ride to Gambier was ripe with the lovely smells of Amish country. Cheese, yogurt, and horses. On this 90 degree day, we rode through a touristy stretch of rode that really sent us all on quite a detour. I ended up spending two hours eating peanut brittle, touring a cheese factory, and learning about the Amish culture at a mural museum.


After I had a stomach full of dairy, I was ready to go, but my fellow riders still hadn't had enough. This was the first time on the trip where I felt the desire to take off and ride on my own. I left Amish country and headed south towards the lunch stop. With my odometer broken (thank you Patrick) I had no idea how far i was riding or how fast i was going. There was no one behind me to make me feel as though I wasn't going fast enough and there was no one in front of me that I needed to keep up with. It was amazing. I rode alone, took pictures, wondered if i was lost, and finally about an hour later, I saw some fellow riders. We met up right before a huge hill. The temperature outside felt like it was about 100 degrees but I felt great. I took a huge gulp out of my camel pack, switched gears and pedaled up what seemed like a mountain. Once I got to the top the coast down was amazing, and Patrick was awaiting us all with a perfect lunch spot. Chalked arrows led us to a covered bridge, a nice shady spot to enjoy a pb&j and some Gatorade.



We left lunch only to be spoiled with more joys. Not only did we get Amish cheese and an amazing lunch spot but we also got to ride the last 15 miles down a beautiful bike path. Our destination was Kenyon College, where we would be sleeping in beds!!! The path was surrounded by perfectly groomed farmland, ponds, bridges, cattle, and ended at the old train station.







This day was amazing. Laying in my SINGLE room that night, in a real BED, I couldnt really ask for more.

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