Statistics: 119km. 74 miles, about 30 degrees, 86 degrees Fahrenheit,  slight headwind. Water consumption again more than 7 liters. Food, again everything I run across which appears edible.
 
Small Disasters
The day did not start so well.  As I was trying to pull up today's map on my Navi, I noticed that today's date was not stored onto the memory card.  I have created a separate memory card for today for the State of Ohio. Unfortunately, I had not double checked this.  I had planned on going over everything while still at home, but the intention got lost with all the other preparation for this trip.  That meant I now had to do everything manual on my Navi. By the time I was finished with uploading todays route, it was already 11 AM and there were warnings of severe thunder storms.   The rest of the day ended up working out just fine,  except I arrived in Aurora, Ohio with delay.   To be on the save side, I asked Sylvia if she can help me in finding a hotel for the night. Considering the time frame and weather condition, I was in no mood to be camping tonight.

Aldi in USA
In Greenville I discovered an Aldi grocery store. The layout of the store is the just like the Aldi stores we have at home. Advertisements are at the entrance, overall the store is a lot bigger.  There is a bench to sit on at the entrance.  You can  tell that people love to shop here. One gallon of water (3.79 liters) costs just 79 cents. At the gas stations on the road, I was paying $1.50 for only half of a liter. What I noticed that is entirely absent at Aldi USA, is that there was no bicycle racks/stands in front of the store.  But then again, this applies to all other supermarkets here as well.  Riding your bicycle to the store does not occur to anybody here and a bicycle stand would likely end up being a tripping hazard.

My border crossing into Ohio
As I stood in front of the "Welcome to Ohio" sign, I wondered how I can get a photo of me and the sign, along came Ken Gunmaker. He stopped his truck and asked if he could help, and he took a photo of me and the sign.  We ended up chatting for a bit and he took photos for himself to take home with.  Ken mentioned he wants to follow my blog.   A few kilometers later I ended up talking with Howard as I was riding past his yard.  He asked me what I intend to and was so excited
that he hooked me up with energy bars and bottles of water.  We ended up chatting for quite a while.  When a car drove by with Pennsylvania license plates, he mentioned with amusement that they are from the East. "but now Manfred you are in the mid West". I thought that was very funny, a little bit like things are at home.

Everywhere I went and took a break, total strangers came up to me wishing me good luck and wanting to shake my hand. People are getting really excited when they hear about my adventure.  On my way to Aurora suddenly a man stood on the roadside in front of a small grocery store with two cold bottles of water in his hand, which he wanted to give me. He told me he had just passed me by car and was thinking "this man needs something to drink". So him and his wife shopped for water and waited for me.  This moment really touched me and I was wondering if we at home would do the same.

Pictures of the day
I usually do not comment on the photos of today, but the photos alone often don't describe the whole picture. For example the photo of the locomotive does not accurately display it true size.  A locomotive of this size would shatter into pieces if driving through our tunnels at home.  I guess the height of it is over 4 meters. I will do the yes mostly not comment, but admit that the sense then often not obvious. The steam train coming in the picture not as over as it is. The are of the size so powerful that they would be shattered in a German tunnel. I guess the are with their bodies well over 4 meters (over 13 feet).  I should have taken a photo with me next to it to give a sense of it's size for comparison.   The people in Ohio take care of their lawns just like the folks do in Pennsylvania. The landscape has flattened out but there are still hills with ups and downs.

A comment re eating and American craziness.

By the time I showered all the restaurants were closed. I was able to find a few fast food places but only their drive inn window was open.  So I walked up to a drive in window.  I think at first they thought that I am here to rob them. Again, I was the only one who walked up the the window to order. Unfortunately, I had walked passed the sign with the menu items which was 100 feet before the drive through window.   I didn't want to walk back to the beginning of the drive through because there were 30 cars in line. Either they eat their food in the car or they take it home to eat. This seems so strange to me.

Comments
Thank you for your many comments you leave for me. I read them all. But unfortunately, I cannot answer them all for time reasons.  By the time I get to my destination, set u tent, shower, wash clothes, there is no time left.  Please forgive me for not replying to your comments.

Statistics: 147km, 91 miles, about 30 degrees, approximately 86 F, slight headwind. Water consumption again more than 7 liters. Food, everything when the opportunity presents it self which is way to little. The food part of my trip does not seem to work out. It's either fast food or the places I came across are not open yet or already closed.
 
The last day of riding in Pennsylvania.
This State ones again presented it self with all its attributes. Awesome weather and fantastic scenery.  However, more mountains of all types. It was a constant up and down. It felt like riding over a giant hand held fan, transversing over hills and valleys. And if you then divide the trip into the regions such as Pocono-, Wyoming, Allegheny Mountains, then you get an idea about today's trip.The first week was physically so challenging that I felt I had nothing left to give. I knew I was going to be  traveling across mountainous terrain, but I had completely underestimated what it would take. Today started very flat and until about 2pm. I planned on traveling 109 km (67 mi) today and had already completed 85 km (52 mi).  I was looking forward to a lazy afternoon, but then everything changed. First the batteries ran low my Navi (navigational device).  Usually this is not a problem at all and I would trade out the battery with a spare. But somehow, the data one my Navi changed completely to where it lead me over massive stretches of road and terrain  that I would have never  chose to be on.  By the time I noticed that something was not right I had already taken a detour of about 15 km (9.3 mi).  And it kept on going wrong.  Approximately 500m  (1640 ft) from the campsite I had planned on spending  the night, I took a wrong turn. Having asked the wrong people for directions, I ended up taking a detour of an additional 25km (15.5 mi), almost all the way around Lake Wilhelm reservoir. By the time I arrived at Vacationland campground, it was already 8pm and it gets dark in the mountains around 8:45pm.  The snack bar was already closed. 

In order to give my body at least some carbohydrates, I bought a bag of pretzels, a large ice creme and a liter bottle of Gatorade.  I did not even come close to my daily requirement of 8000 calories.  I will need to make some changes about food consumption. 

The Best Breakfast
Because I did not get the opportunity to purchase any food last night, I left this morning without any breakfast and began scouting for a place at the nearby village of Youngsville. This is where I ended up at Lawson`s All American Diner. From the outside it was very inconspicuous. But what a great experiences I had there.  No fast food!  Everything was freshly prepared and cooked. A lot of locals eat breakfast here every morning. This is where they can chat among themselves and the food is very good.  The food is being prepared by Renee, a very friendly and motherly type of woman. The food is being served by Cassandra who is also a very friendly lady.  I immediately felt really comfortable plus it tasted absolutely great. All at prices which the general population can afford.  I am absolutely recommending this place. I should be eating like this every morning.

Vacationland Campground
is one of a very large size.  Here you can find everything that you can imagine you might need while camping. However, with my luck, I arrived very late and it was not the weekend. Prices and personnel however were okay.

So, while I have been writing this blog, I did laundry which has now dried.  I am completely exhausted. Although I am on vacation, because I am a committed CCC I will need to get up early in  the morning  and will be heading to Ohio.  I won't be missing the mountains for a while.

Statistics: 116km, 72 miles, about 30 degrees or 86 degree Fahrenheit, slight headwind. Water consumption ones again more than 7 liters. Food, everything I can come across and that I feel I bee able to keep down which apparently is not enough. Weight loss is already visible. My wife and the cafeteria at work will end up having to fatten me up again when I get back.

Highway 6 and Highway 59
In Smethport, I decided to leave Highway 6 behind and travel along on Highway 59 which I ended up cursing furiously over the first 15 km, 9.3 miles. The condition of this highway was very bad, it had no shoulder and I ended up riding a steep mountain up to 2300 feet elevation. But then it got better. Traffic became less and less. The surface of the road gotten better and there was a shoulder for me to ride on again. The next 60km or 37 miles kept at a steady elevation of approximately 600 meters , the equivalent of 1968 feet. There elevation did not fluctuate by much, perhaps 50 to 100 meters or 160 to 328 feet which was totally fine. The breathtaking landscape and peat bogs of the high country were my compensation for the physical challenge I endured. Large parts of this days route ran through the Allegheny National Forest Park. The air was filled with a spicy scent and when a thunderstorm was building up, the temperature was no longer as hot. The best part of today was when I was leaving Highway 59 and were cycling down hill on a very easy to ride road for the next 10 km.

Todays trip was a challenge, again. I had planned on leaving at 9 am because I wanted to wait until my dew covered tent had dried, which it did not. While I was able to ride 20 km or 12 miles in the first hour, by the time it was 1 pm I had only completed 45 km or 28 miles in total, which was very frustrating for me.

I am uploading today's photos before I am uploading today's blog as I am sitting here again at Mickey D. When this trip is over I will have no reason to visit Mc D again. I have to admit that I even went ahead and purchased their app for 99 cents. The app is not free here and I will need it during my stay in t he USA. I found out it's even good to use in Canada, though I have no plans going to Canada. When you are looking at the photos with roads on them, try to zoom in to get an idea about the constant up and down. One should really drive this road in a convertable car, but unfortunately, I don't have one, I only have my bike.

News for the English speaking followers of my blog
My sister has agreed to translate the blog from German into English, because she felt that the Google translator does a poor job in translating and that some parts such as a subtle sense of humor (or not) were lost in the translation and very often, the translation just didn't make sense. Thanks Manu. Werner Dippold is a friend back home who puts it all together. I am hoping that my little group of followers in the USA have a little more fun following my blog.

Buckaloons Recreation Area
A side note about the Buckaloons Recreation Camping Area. It is managed by the US Forest Service and without Office. Upon arrival, you will find a price list, envelopes and a pen. You insert your money into the envelope and put the envelope into a mail box and you are done. The infrastructure is the latest status and tip notch. And all this beautiful nature reserve for only $23. Nothing to complain about. However, no Wi-Fi. This is were my rechargeable calling card comes in handy again. Having been in mountainous area, I now have had no internet for 2 day.

Statistics: 107 Km, 66.5 miles, about 30 degrees, over 86 degrees F, mild to strong headwind. Water consumption more than my Golf Diesel car consumes per 100km (62 mi per litter). Food: everything I can get my hands on that appears edible for consumption.

Highway 6
The ride today was again uneventful. But I was challenged by 2 mountains to be taken serious.  The first one I encountered as soon as I left the campground. Again, a route I had planned while laying on the couch where I did not take the elevation into consideration. It was so steep that I ended up having to push the bike uphill for the first km and that was with a break in-between. That went on for about 20 minutes until the terrain flattened out, but then the head wind picked up. Just when I thought that this was it the real challenge began.

I should have been suspicious when I stopped for coffee in the afternoon at a little gift shop where the store's owner asked me which direction I am heading.  After I explained my route to her, she rolled her eyes and I got this very  sympathetically look from her. About 15 minutes later I knew why.  The next ascent was 5 km (3 miles) long and took me about 30 minutes until I reached an altitude of 745 meters or 2444 feet. I felt so proud every time I was greeted by the Harley riders from the oncoming traffic. I don't know whether their greeting was that of sympathy or respect. 

I kept on riding along Highway 6 at a niece pace. There was very little traffic which made the trip enjoyable again. The landscape was really nice, a mixture of Franconian Switzerland, Bavarian Forest and Rhön. All very lush and green which is the cue for the next paragraph.
 
Hobby of the local male population
Every body here, and I mean everybody, has a top notch lawn. I only know one person at home whose lawn is that immaculate. I won't mention the name but the person I am thinking about knows who I am referring to. (Gell M.)

I must mention that the size of the properties around here  do warrant the purchase of a sit down lawn mower.  Today is the weekend and everybody was out riding their lawn mowers holding a cup of coffee or a can of beer, all waiving at me. Apparently lawn robots are not in fashion around here yet. It is to visible that the men are living their manly dream and are thoroughly enjoying themselves. Incidentally, I am not discriminating against women but I have not seen one  single woman mowing grass.  (Maybe the women here are not into drinking beer).

My Butt
I was a bit concerned about how my butt would handle the trip and during the planing stage of my trip, I thought I better pack some baby oil and cortisone creme. None of which I had to use yet.  Apparently, my investment of a Brooks saddle has paid off. I have not experienced any of the problems I always had when using saddles made of synthetic material in the past.

Highway Shoulders
I have encountered more and more dead critters then the ones mentioned a few days ago. I won't get into the gory details, but it is really disgusting. At home we ride along on little roadways made for bicycle traffic or ride little country roads and one doesn't see anything. But here, without exaggeration, every 500 meters or 1640 feet, there is a dead animal on the road side. Either there are more animals living here or the dead critters get picked up at home. I just never thought about it or noticed it before.

Allegheny River Campground
Is a very nice facility right located right next to the river, with swimming pool, beautiful manicured lawns (which of course also have a ride on lawn mower) Mini Golf. In short, a very well maintained and reasonably priced facility. I can really recommend this place, especially since it is not located on the top of a mountain. Oh, and I almost forgot, the best internet reception and bandwidth that I have ever had since coming to the USA.  Everybody gets their own key for for  internet access which is the absolute exception.
 
This is it. There is nothing more to tell about today.

Distance 124 km (77 miles), extremely mountainous, temperature >30 degrees
(above 86 degrees F).

Highway 6
After a very cold night in the tent, I set off at 8:30 am. The entire route through the Endless Mountains, I did not leave the Highway 6 as I was heading west.  Therefore, I did not experience anything exciting today. However, what I did experience was my personal physical limits.  Immediately after the start came the first mountain which went uphill for several kilometers.

The ascent on the highway was not quite as steep as the ones I previously encountered on the side roads.  However, the uphill stretches were long and steady. With all the gear I am carrying, I was mainly only able to ride in in 1st gear which meant I was only completing about 4-5 km per hour (3 miles). Having ridden for 3 hours without stopping, I only managed 36 km or approximately 23 miles. That is when I began to question if I will be able to reach the distance I set for today. After another hour, I passed a really cute BBQ place with a Western theme.  Unfortunately, the place was not open yet and would not open for another hour and I didn’t want to wait that long.

The highway itself is very nice to ride and seemingly was a favorite among the Harley bikers. Everybody who passed me did their very best to allow as much room as possible.  This goes for both, the private cars and the big trucks. This seems to work better here than at home.

In the afternoon I had the chance to by fresh fruit an energy bars and due to the heat, I was unable to eat more than to burgers with fries.   On the other hand,  I was able to drink like a camel.  Over 7 liters of water and gatorade.

A side note about shopping and the incredible waste of packaging and shopping bags. At the grocery store there was a woman in in the check out line in front of me who had a huge shopping cart full of food.  At the check out in the USA it is common for an employee of the store to assist with packing.  The woman's groceries were packed into - no exaggeration - over 20 small sized plastic bags, the size that at home we usually use for produce. Speechless! I kept on riding toward the campsite by. Ones again there was a hill and a driveway that was so steep that I almost had to get off and push. However, I didn't want to make an entrance while pushing my bike, so I kept on pedaling with my teeth clenched.

Bucktail Camping Resort
Choosing this campsite was a mistake for which I have myself to blame. It was very family-friendly which in the USA means lots of animation and entertainment such as little choo choo trains, carousel, children disco.  The parents and grand parents drive around in electric golf carts where every they are going.  They don't walk anywhere, not one foot while getting coffee or ice creme.  In the dark, all the rides were equipped with LED lights and everything looked similar to the Coca Cola Christmas trucks.   This is not what I would want to do on my vacation. Far from it, it would be a nightmare having to stay here and to top it off, it was actually quite expensive.

On the way to the campground I had passed a Comfort Inn Motel which probably would not have cost much more.

But had I stayed at the motel v. the campground, I would have missed out on being overly stimulated and I would have missed getting "smoke cured" by the campfire. Long story short, no comparison to yesterday's Slumber Valley campground.

Unless you are a nature lover, todays photos might bore you. I took photos of the scenery I saw ones I reached the top. I wanted to capture the images, because I have never ridden terrain like this, not even on my race bike without luggage. Because todays campsite does not have internet, at least not for its guest, I will send of the blog tomorrow while visiting one of my trusted fast food temples.

Statistics: Best weather conditions, about 30 degrees celsius or 86 F, rode 65 kilometers or 40 miles

After a phenomenal breakfast, which was priced at $ 51 in the Host Inn inclusive, I set off with a full belly.  Again, the usual mountains, but now I'm getting it. Before breakfast I did yoga at my hotel room for 20 minutes.  Due to the physical challenges on my body, the muscles were totally acidified and yoga helped stretch and relax the muscles.  I knew yoga would come in handy and will be important for me.

Emergency bridge and the women of the day
Ones again, I found myself on back roads which I had selected and planned right from the couch at home. The scenery was particularly lovely and physically very challenging.  The usual roadworks and closures no longer bothered me, because I have always found a way to get through them in the past.
About an hour before the incident I am about to write about, having already pedaled about 4 km, or 2.5 miles uphill, when suddenly I came across a road sign that said that this road is closed as of June 17th.  This worried me because there was no telling if the road was closed as of the end of the day or perhaps already ones I get around the next corner.  Well the road did not come to an end until I rode another 30 minutes all up hill. But for right now I was still good.

However, shortly afterwards the road ended - almost.  In this case no more road, no bridge, just narrow steel beams, a skeleton bridge. If I would have turned around, it would have meant to again ride 10 km uphill (6.2 miles). Check out the photos of today.  I would have never dared walking across the narrow steel /support beams without any luggage, and certainly not with luggage and carrying my bike. I looked around and I noticed a tree trunk laying across the creek.  I thought to myself, this is where I am able and going to cross the creek. The problems was that I was about to enter private land which can be a dangerous and stupid thing to do in the USA. I dismantled all the bags from the bike and carried them over the tree across the creek. When I was about to head back to bring the bike, the property owner Colleen came.  I apologized for entering her land.  She said that this was not a problem at all. I had shared with her my intentions about my long trip which she thought was amazing.  She then highly recommended a book which I should read when I get back home which she showed me.  On that note, I took a photo of Colleen with the book. A bit later, I had carried everything to the other side of the creek and was loading up my bags, she came back with her daughter Caroline, who apparently really wanted to meet me.  So the mom took a photo of both of us, and this is how I actually ended up being in one oft he photos myself. Caroline told me that she would very much like to get to know Germany. Apparently they already been practicing, as she shared her age with me in German.  When I told her that my youngest daughter who is almost as old as she, is presently living in New Zealand, she was speechless.   I suspect that mother and daughter have a few discussions ahead of them.  Anyway, a nice encounter and maybe two new followers to my blog.

Easy afternoon
Frankly, the rest of the afternoon I just took it easy for a while. Because Burger King had a really fast Wi-Fi, I made some phone calls to my older daughter who is in California, I called my wife at home, updated my blog and uploaded some photos.
Around noon, it became clear to me that I would not reach my goal for the day due to the many mountains ahead. Instead I decided to stay at the Slumber Valley Campground, where I had planned on spending the previous night. Now I lost one day yesterday and one day today which should not be a problem as I gave myself 8 extra days for the trip, so approximately 1 extra day per week.  I have almost completed week one of my trip.

Those who know me do know that I am a big opponent of the fast food industry. You are probably wondering why all of a sudden I am constantly hanging around fast food restaurants. This is based on a recommendation I received from Dirk Rohrbach. Dirk does these long distance bicycle trips almost on a full time basis. I went to one of Dirk’s lectures and had a chance to chat with him in person afterward. A good reason to stop at fast food places is that as long as you order something, you can refill your beverages as often as you like. You usually find clean bathrooms and also important, good access to internet - FREE. Ones I am back home, I have access to all again and I won’t need to keep going. Physically I am feeling more and more fit and even the mountains do not bother me as much as they did before.  Perhaps this is due to my weight loss.

Arrival at Slumber Valley campground (Endless Mountains)

This camp ground spreads over a large area and is located in a beautiful country side.  As I was checking in there were already surprised looks because I arrived only by bicycle. When the two ladies Dana and Sam then heard that I am a "CCC", (which of course I did not mention) they were really excited and would not let me pay for the beverages I purchased.  This is kind of nice but also embarrassing, depends on how you look at it. I was treated so nice by these two very lovely ladies who might also be following my blog now.  Perhaps I should consider installing an app soon where I can make a little money on the side.

Okay, I will send today’s blog and photos to Werner Dippold and  then nighty night.

Departure from Mount Pocono
So much for packing the tent in dry condition.  While I was packing it began to rain again.  Particularly while camping, this is a bummer because there is no room in the tent to fold and pack everything neatly. I ended up having to pack the wet tent and by the time I was done packing, it was almost noon already.
And to get into the swing of things for today, just in order to leave the campground, the trip required a climb from 570 meters to 604 meters, the equivalent of 1870 to 2100 feet.

Rain ride through the Pocono Mountains and Wyoming Mountains
Why these mountains are named the Wyoming Mountains, I do not know and frankly, right now I don’t have internet to look it up, either. I had expected to cross Wyoming mountains about 3000 km into my trip (1864 miles).
The "little brothers of the Rockies”  gave me nothing to laugh about.  The terrain constantly fluctuated between elevation of 450 - 600 meters or 1476 - 1968 feet. If you zoom in on the photos showing images of the rainy roads, you can get an idea.  I was riding along in pouring down rain and quite often I had to merge from the shoulder onto the road because the shoulder had a lot of potholes from frost damage. I have to be honest here and admit that today was no fun!  I had no access to food or a hot cup of coffee.  The area was very deserted. Only now and then I came across a maintenance yard for the Department of Forestry or a “Gentlemen club” which was of no help at all.
Eventually, after having pedaled in the rain for 40 km or about 25 miles, I came to a dingy dirty truck stop where I had 2 greasy hamburgers, water and coffee. Here, I spontaneously decided that today I am going to be a wimp and decided on staying at the next budget motel.  After today’s trip, I was not in the mood to set up and sleep in a wet tent while I am soaking wet, cold and dirty. What followed was an amazing but also super dangerous descent for the next 10 km or 6.2 miles on a highway with pot holes on the shoulder at a speed of 60 km or at about 37 mph where I ended up in the big city of Wilkes-Barre in Wyoming Valley.

Motel Host Inn
After I had sent my wife back home a short message venting about my misery she got busy and after some investigation, she found a very nice hotel for me. Immediately I put the address in my navigator and followed the directions. After I got down to the very bottom of the hill, I noticed  that there was no motel.  I ended up having to turn around and back track the last 15 minutes on the very same road with a particular steep descent.  On the plus side, the motel ended up being really chic and the room was big and clean.  The motel came with usage for the pool and gym but that was not on my mind at all.  Directly on the opposite side of the road of my motel is a gigantic shopping center with many restaurants including one that was up my alley.  Even though the mall was only about 1 km away, there was no way to walk their on foot. There are no sidewalks, no pedestrian lights, nothing. It doesn’t seem to dawn on anybody to install sidewalks etc. I ended up walking to the mall anyhow, because I needed a different type of exercise.   To give people back  home an idea about the size of the mall’s parking lot.  It is about 6-8 times as large as the parking lot in Erlangen - West.  Back at the motel, I washed all my clothes and spread them across the hotel room along with the wet tent so everything can dry.

Tomorrow I'll decide whether I'll plan on catching up on on my travel, or if I will just lay off the gas a little. According to the weather forecast, the weather is supposed go get better.

Oh, with regards to the photos from yesterday, you can see a photo of an Aldi store.  That was such a familiar sight.   Unfortunately, just 5 minutes earlier, I just stocked up on fluids at a very expenses highway rest stop and so I was a bit disappointed. With regards to the quality of the photos I am posting, I would like to point out that I had to “work them” in order for the slow internet to be able to upload the data.

The ride itself
I wanted to catchup my blog with the last 2 days, therefore I started the trip with a bit of a delay at 10 am. First I had to back track and make up for the miles when I took a wrong turn the day prior. The first 20 km of the day, took me through a beautiful forest landscape. The terrain was easy and not very physically demanding.
I was in good spirits and anticipated for the rest of the day to continue just like this.  Unfortunately, far from it. The temperature kept on climbing and were 86 F plus.  The Harley-bikers who kept on passing me, where just wearing T-shirts.  Some of the hardships I was about to endure, I had brought on to myself, due to lack of knowing and ignorance.
I did not always want to ride on highways and therefore during by planing stage, I had looked for side roads which would take me parallel to the highway.  I did succeed in finding side roads. What I had not taken into consideration during my planing was to consider the altitude and topographic maps which would have shown a climb of 656 feet.

To give people at home from the Erlanger region an idea, it would mean riding your bike from the town of Hetzles to the summit of Hetzles. Not just on a mountain bike with an energy bar in your jersey but with 35 kg luggage, approx. 77 pounds.    I go once just to Hetzleser mountain of Hetzles up to the top, just not on a mountain bike and the granola bar in jersey but with 35kg luggage. This madness I then completed quickly and am then from noon, because of the heat, nice stayed on the highway. I put an end to this nonsense quickly and around noon, I ended up riding on the highway again. It had also gotten very hot by then.

Highway Shoulders
I am so glad that I listened to the team from my local bicycle shop “Fahrrad Freilauf” and that I agreed to have them put on heavy puncture-proof tires. Any dirt and debris that falls from the trucks gets blown onto the side exactly where I should and want to be riding.  Not only do I come across pebbles, screws, nails and broken glass but also a variety of critters which apparently were not escape the traffic quick enough.  They apparently didn’t read the numerous signs “do not cross”. I have come across marmot, rabbits, deer, raccoon, squirrel, coyote, chipmunks, several larger and now very flat snakes. Lots to see and smell.  While I am on this trip, I am positive I will end up being an expert by scent.

Border into Pennsylvania
In the early afternoon I reached the border of my 3rd State Pennsylvania, near Columbus where a bridge leads over the Delaware River. This was my very first bridge that I crossed by paddling myself.  Vehicles had to pay a fee to cross but  there was no cost for cyclists.  Unbeknownst to be, cyclists were not even allowed on the bridge. There was no sign pointing this out. I ended up explaining this to the CHP officer who stopped by ride after I crossed the bridge and got into Pennsylvania.  The officer then inquired whether I plan on driving back this way. I assured him that this was a one way trip for me and that I would not.  He ended up letting me go and wishing me a good trip.  The correct bridge to be used by cyclists and pedestrians was only a few hundred meters away as you can see from todays photos.

Mental Toughness being challenged
I was paddling along and was in good spirits. I emailed the campground "Mount Pocono” where I had planned on spending the night, that I was positive that I would be arriving at approximately 5 pm to which I received the response that that was not a problem.
Okay, this is where I have to take a short moment to vent. Ever since yesterday I feel emotions of aggression when I read street signs with the words such as: Mountain View, Mountain Drive, Panorama Drive, etc.
Those have now a whole new meaning for me.  If you would be driving a car, you would love to go there because you know you end up somewhere with a great view.  However, by bicycle, using your leg muscles and with 77 pounds of luggage, this is an entire different ballgame. 
By car you drive since love to go because of the great view but with the wheel and the luggage is a completely different number. One mountain followed another which I was only able to manage to climb while in the lowest gear. When ever I reached the top of the mountain, I was thinking that this was it, only to have to climb one more of even steeper grade. Right before I felt a panic attack coming on, I decided to take a break and take some breathing exercises (greetings and credit to the yoga group and Theodora our trainer). After that I felt my self calming down. I notified the campground that I would be arriving later and the torture continued of climbing more hills.
The final 10 km (6 miles) were nothing but an uphill climb and partly very steep.  The campsite is situated on  a mountain top nearly 600 meter high which is approximately 1968 feet.  The highway I was riding on is over 500 feet which is approximately 1640 feet.

Campground Mount Pocono
Upon my arrival, I was again treated very well. Debile and her colleague from the campsite gave me a warm welcome.  They could tell that I was pretty exhausted. They offered to to order a pizza for delivery. They placed a follow up call when the guy was late and eventually the pizza was delivered right to my tent.
I took a nice shower and did laundry. But the time I was done it was 10:30 pm.  Now after 7.5 hours of sleep I feel like new again - almost. This was the first time in 2 weeks that I had more than 6 hours of sleep, I usually had only gotten 5 hours or less of sleep. Because the campground store did not open until 9 am, Debbi delivered milk for cereal. Super service!!! As you can see from the photos, I am the “exotic specie” on this camp ground with my tent and bicycle. I suspect that for all these trucks who are pulling these trailers one is required to have a commercial Truck Driver license.
Incidentally, here driving in the country begins with nothing below 6 cylinder and 2 tons of car weight. 

It rained all night. The weather shifted and it has become cool. During the time my tent is drying, I am quickly updating by blog and thinking about where to go from here.  Since the wetter does not promise to change any time soon, I will ride on.  As a “CCC” I am committed.

Comments
Many thanks to those who have posted comments. I read them all. You comments make me happy and they encourage me and is so to speak they are my my applause. THANK YOU VERY MUCH!

About New York, I need to add something. On my way back to the hotel, either because of mental derangement or total fatigue, I exited the subway too soon in the beginning of Brooklyn. Since this mainline is constantly overloaded due to construction and rush hour I would have had to wait a lot longer and I decided to walk the rest as well. All in all, according to my app, I walked 46 km or 28.5 miles. As a result, I know Brooklyn very well know.

Tuesday, 06/14/2016
I got up again before 5 am in the morning since I wanted to go by bike to the ferry at Pier 11 in Manhattan. This time I rode my bike through Brooklyn and this time much faster. On my way through Brooklyn I rode through Prospect Park. This is a large park which is popular by athletes who are racing their bicycles at breathtaking speed. I have never been passed by others so many times. But they are all friendly. Some have even "laid off the gas", just to wish me luck. The back of my saddle back lets everybody know where I am ultimately heading to. Afterwards I was able to take a few photos in the morning light off the Brooklyn Bridge and I went on to Battery Park, located at the southern tip of Manhattan.

Ferry Ride to New Jersey
Instinctively, I knew not to take my time but to drive directly to the Pier 11 for the ferry which turned out was the right thing to do. The ferry I was about to catch was the last ferry to leave in the morning. Today, the captain decided to leave 20 minutes earlier than scheduled due to the fact of still having to get fuel and pick up a few more passengers at another pier. Had I missed this ferry, I would not have made it very far yesterday. These ferries are kind of speedboats and drive accordingly. My bike had to stay outside on deck. Fortunately, I have tied it to the railing, otherwise it would have flown overboard into the bay when we hit the first two waves. The ferry only has a railings along its side. Due to time constraints, the captain pushes the ferry just under power against the wall of the pier and the people are hopping it in out.

On this ferry , I have again met a very nice older couple from Switzerland, who had just visited their son and their daughter in law in Manhattan. These cute encounters make this trip a great experience.

Arrival in New Jersey
Despite the ferry going at high speed, it took 40 minutes until we arrived in Bedford (New Jersey). It immediately felt like one is in a different world. The Manhattan skyline was only barely still visible. The air was clean and smelled of fish and sea - and the great thing, no more noise. The first 20 Km (12.5 mi) I rode along the coast, which still showed partial damage from a hurricane from two or three years ago.

Then I rode into the interior country side. Thanks to all the detailed planning I had done ahead, I managed to navigate through all interstate crossings and intersections without any problems. At times, I was the only one which the police would allow to pass through constructions zones because I am a "CCC" which stands for coast to coast cyclist. Ones again the labeling of my saddle bag has turned out to be very beneficial as it saved my many kilometers of detours.

But then it started. One hill after another hill which consumed a huge amount of energy. At one point I had to get off and push the bike because due all the weight from my gear I was no longer able to pedal, not even while in the lowest gear. There were moments I doubted if I was conditioned for this. I used up a lot of calories and fluids. Despite having consumed 6 liters of fluids (about 1.6 gallons), I only had to go to the bathroom twice. Two magnesium tablets prevented worst deterioration. After I had once again reached the top of a mountain, there was a small fast food cart which saved me. I quickly ate two hot dogs, an ice-cold soda and an ice cream afterwards. I had a good conversation with the woman from the food cart. On the journey through these beautiful places (if only the mountains had not been there) I began to understand why the license plates in New Jersey post the slogan "The Garden State". It really felt to me, as if I was riding through a giant park.

Makeshift Navigation
Since the navigation, was not possible.

I was unable to use the internal memory of my navigation device without additional aids such as PC and so I opted for plan B. Because my old navigation gear was unable to store or hold these so many thumbtacks, I decided to break my day trips into individual stages which I was able to follow quite well.

And this is were in the late afternoon, probably again due to fatigue and exhaustion, a made a serious mistake. I accidentally used a part of a map or path that I had previously discarded. The result was that I rode a detour with several steep sections and I ended up at the wrong campsite where I arrived at 8 pm and noticed that it was closed. Having ridden for 146 km (90 mi) I was totally exhausted, I had nothing left to drink, not a hotel around in miles, dirty, I felt my body cramping up already began cramping. After a short deliberation, I decided to go back to the last village, so I could at least have a drink and buy food.

Police Officer John D`Onofrio
In the supermarket, I was approached by John about my trip. He could not believe my plan. When I told him in conversation of my distress, he offered to help immediately. He told me that a friend of his works at the campsite. John called his friend and we agreed to meet in "15 minutes" at the closed campsite. John helped transport my purchases with his pickup truck to the campsite. When his friend George came, he opened the shower room and showed me where the electrical outlets were. He did not want to charge me for the campsite because I am a "CCC" and it was an honor for him. Unbelievable!

But it got even better. I had mentioned to John my body's high demand for energy and food consumption. I had just set up my tent in the dark and was about to take a shower, when John came back again. This time with his wife, who wanted to meet me. They dropped of an entire meal consisting of a large Hamburger with french fries and extra salad so that I may get some food in my stomach. It almost brought tears to my eyes. I stood there in the dark, dirty and completely exhausted and then such a gesture. An amazing feeling.

Day 3
We agreed to meet the next day at 6:00 AM for breakfast at Mc Donald nearly 3 kilometers away. Because of some interfering hills and due to under estimating the time I need to pack up my gear I arrived 15 minutes late at McDonald's. I called John ahead with a very bad conscience and apologized. He came 5 minutes later in his patrol car and full uniform. We chatted for about 1 hour and his colleague joined us. Over and despite my protest, John insisted on paying for my entire breakfast. His colleague joined us and he brought two police patches to memorize the occasion.
An amazing act of kindness. Here at this spot, ones more I would like to say "Thank you John". You were my knight in shining armor. Not only are you a good man but also a model policeman who makes his profession proud.

Because here at Mc Donald, I finally have internet and sufficient bandwidth which allows me to get the data into the grid. So I take advantage of having internet and want to write down everything before I take off with a bit of a delay.

My colleague Werner Dippold has also offered to take over the data in my block which I send to him via email. I gladly accept your offer Werner, and I thank you. Today's photos I will send you tomorrow, otherwise I have to unpack everything again.

A quick two sentences for Katarina Keck. Please kindly review my writing and help correct my spelling. I type it all down as quickly as possible and do not have time and desire to go over it more than ones. I hope you won't hold it against me and will still want to sit next to me when I get back. :-)

The last two days at home
Unbeknownst to me, my lovely wife invited friends to come by for a little going away party. I am so naive and had no idea. When I got home on Friday, the first guests had already arrived.  I felt a little lump building up in my throat from emotions. What a nice surprise. The weather was great and we were all able to sit outside in the garden.   This Saturday was used for final facility managements tasks and checking all equipment and go over my packing list.

Though it was just for a few hours, I thoroughly enjoyed spending the last night in my own bed.  It was a strange feeling knowing that it will be a very long time before I will sleep in it again.  Now, just a few moments before leaving, the tension and excitement rises.  Bicycle loaded, saying goodbye to my mother who had tears in her eyes.  Our lovely friend Susi gave us a ride to Munich Airport.
 
Munich Airport.
Contrary to information I previously received from the airport's information service, unfortunately I was not able to wrap the bicycle in foil. I had prepared cardboard cutouts which I attached to the  tire's spokes with cable ties I had brought from home. Lufthansa, just like all the other airlines charges 100 Euros for large item luggage.  The advantage with Lufthansa is, LH takes the bike as is without having to dismantle the handle bar and food pedals.  I'm curious  as to what condition I will find my bike in when I get to New York. again. Then the bike disappeared to the special area for large items, my wife Sylvia, our friend Susi and I enjoyed a coup of coffee and said our goodbyes.  To make it easier on everybody, we quickly said goodbye and I walked toward the check-in.

Due to me having packed a number of electronic devices, I was subjected to a random test for explosive residue, which was negative of course. Everything else went smoothly, except that we started with 30-minute delay. But what are 30 minutes of a 3 months vacation. Actually, I was not going to write anything about the flight but feel the need  to get this off my chest.  We were flying in a super modern airbus AXXX and despite 7 attempts to reboot the internet, much to the dismay of many passengers, they could not get the internet for work.  I was still one of the most relaxed passengers.

Arrival in New York
Going through customs was a nerve racking ordeal.  I entered the USA under the ESTA program. What this means is I ended up in the long line. While I was in line for 2 hours, my luggage made nice laps on the luggage carousel. When I went to the pick up desk for large items, nobody seemed to be in charge and knew what was going on.  A nice security guard suggested to look around in the hall where his colleagues usually park large items. And that is exactly where I found my bike.

There was by super bike, unlocked and unsecured in the corner of hall 1 at JFK airport and nobody showed any interest in it (which was good). It stood there

Drive to the hotel
I took the terminal train from JFK airport to Howard Beach station which was the end of the line and I had to continue via bicycle from hereon out.   Unfortunately, my navigation device (navi) was not able to read the route I had stored. Theory and practice previously worked very well at home, but failed me now.  Because I had spent a lot of time planing the route from the airport to the hotel, I was able to memorize the entire route which I now stored in my navi.  I will need to come up with a solution for day 2.  I know realized some short comings with my planing stage. I was going to need to find an internet cafe in order to be able to upload data.

The ride through New York was very noisy but also very interesting.  In New York I also experienced by first large brush fire at a nature reserve in the vicinity of NY airport.  I believe there were more fire engines on this scene  than all fire engines from the cities of Nuremberg, Furth and Erlangen combined!  What I did not anticipate about New York was the extremely strong wind which at times nearly pushed me off my bike. But otherwise awesome summer weather at temperatures over 30 degree celsius (over 86 degree Fahrenheit).

The motel which I booked via Booking.Com Motel was actually not a real motel. It ended up being a converted private house with  tiny rooms and shower and bathroom facilities in the hallway to be shared with others.  And while internet was advertised, there was no real wireless connection.  I measured and it was below 1 Mbit.  Which means I had to wait to upload photos and blog, and I didn't feel like using my prepaid data card. I will need to resolve my technical issues or I am going to have problems.

After a short night, I  repacked my equipment again, walked to the nearest subway station and bough a ticket to Manhattan. Heck no, that plan did not work out. The subway system going in my direction, had major disruption in service which was announced was going to last for a longer period of time.  So I decided that I would walk from Brooklyn to Manhattan.    I am writing this blog at an Apple Store after I walked for 16 miles and a short subway ride to Central Park. After all, I have now seen all ofr Brooklyn and large parts of Manhattan. I will upload some photos and take advantage of having internet. The bandwidth is here phenomenal. Then I plan on making a side trip to the Central Park and Times Square and I think this will be all for today.

Tomorrow morning I will start the real trip about 6 AM. As soon as I have WLAN I will move on.  I am becoming a champion at improvising.

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