Day 150-153: Philadelphia, Lancaster, Baltimore

Day 150: Philadelphia, PA

Day 151: Philadelphia, PA

Day 152: Philadelphia to Lancaster, PA, 82 miles

Day 153: Lancaster to Baltimore, MD, 78 miles

Day 150-151: 8/09/14-8/10/14

Melino came in late Friday night and we hung out around Charlie's apartment, who thankfully let us crash in his place for the night even though he was out of town.

Saturday morning we woke up and were joined by G and after a quick stop at the Whole Foods Market for some delicious breakfast treats and as many free samples of the bundt cake that we thought we could get away with we drove down to South Street to walk around and check out some of the cool/random shops that are on that street.

All that walking got us hungry and who could blame us? It had been nearly 150 minutes since we last had substinance. So we decided to stop in at Jim's Steaks for some good old fashioned cheese steaks and beers. These bad boys were delicious too.

From lunch we started making our way towards PPL Stadium in Chester, PA for the 3rd Annual F&M and CTC Ten Day which was being held at the Philadephia Union Game. As G is one of the organizers we got there early to help set up and get the tailgate and events set up.

By 4:30 p.m. the event was in motion, the 3 kegs were tapped, the food trays were hot and we had more than 100 people all out together in support of the CTC Ten Foundation. The tailgate was a great success and it was a blast seeing a lot of the guys from the team, many of whom I hadn't seen in more than a year. From the tailgate we all ventured into the game, some of us a little later than the others.... The beer and food was too much of a pull for some of us who have extreme hunger at all times of the day no matter how much they eat or drink... I won't name any names here. Okay, fine. It was me. Us stragglers at least got to see the end of the game and the Philadelphia Union team beat the Montreal Impact 2 to 1.

After the game we drove back into Philly and hit up the Independence Beer Garden which was gigantic and awesome for a while and then back to Charlie's where we fit six of us into his one bedroom apartment. It looked like a war zone in there with bodies everywhere, but we made it work.

Sunday morning we made a run to a local restaurant for breakfast sandwiches and coffee and then most of the crew started to head off in their own directions, towards train stations, busses and vehicles en route to homes, another fun filled weekend coming to a close as the new work week Monday loomed in the too soon future.

I on the other hand, stayed right in Philly for another night hanging out with Charlie and Hassler. We did some more walking around in Philly, got some amazing shakes at Goodstuff Eatery, then hung out around their apartments watching movies and eating Chinese food for dinner. Not a bad Sunday if I do say so myself.

Day 152: 8/11/14

Monday morning I decided to punch the clock just like everyone else and got back on the bike to do some more riding. Got out of Philly on the Schuylkill River Trail and then pushed West on PA-23 en route to Lancaster.

About 50 miles into the ride I stopped at an Arby's for lunch and as I walked in the door a guy came up to me and asked, "Where you riding to?" I told him Key West. He looked at me for a few seconds not saying anything and then said well put that wallet away because I'm buying your lunch. He walked me up to the counter and told me I could order one of everything if I wanted then proceeded to tell all of the people working behind the counter about what I was doing. I decided to forego the everything on the menu option (as much as I may have wanted to try to do it) and got a nice delicious combo meal paid for by this fine fellow. It's funny how excited certain people can get when they hear about a trip like this...

After a nice long lunch break, I got back to riding and finished into Lancaster. I rode through town to Franklin and Marshall College, my alma mater, and took a nice leisurely ride through the campus (I'd almost forgotten how beautiful of a campus it is...). After my stroll down memory lane I rode down to Rosa Rosa Pizza where I endulged in a slice of spaghetti pizza before heading to Fish's apartment just a mile away from campus.

We hit up another undergrad staple in our lives for dinner.. Antonio's Pizzeria for a Chicken Parm and the infamous "Tow Truck" Sandwich (basically just a buffalo chicken sandwich) and had a few beers before crashing. I had biked 82 miles. Fish had worked a full day, then ran 8 miles (he's training for a marathon...) so we were both naturally pretty tired.

Day 153: 8/12/14

Left Lancaster when Fish headed to work at a little before 8:00 a.m. and the rain had already begun. It started out as a sprinkle and throughout the day it continued to get heavier and heavier. Some of the longest and hardest rain I've ridden through.

I stopped for lunch after crossing into Maryland at a Subway and switched into dry clothing.. I'm not sure if it was even worth it because within minutes of getting back onto the road I was soaking wet again.

I finished the day into Baltimore and am staying with G at his apartment in the city. We just made some "goood" vodka fruit smoothies and a chicken and steak stir fry and are going to hit up a little ice cream later tonight. Tomorrow I'll push on down the road and hopefully will have a little bit better weather.