Columbia, PA   June 1

I didn’t know it last night when I bedded down in the bushes but I was sleeping along Maryland’s Horses and Hounds Scenic Byway. This is the land of sizeable horse and gentlemen farms stretching over rolling hills. The unmistakable sign of one gentleman’s farm near Corbett was the day’s newspapers scattered about his mailbox at the end of a long entrance lane—The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post and Baltimore Sun.

The day was threateningly overcast but comfortable. I went up and down all day long; it seemed like more ups, but the scenery was beautiful.

And then I rode into Pennsylvania at Delta and was immediately greeted by this sight. A few miles on I stopped at a roadside stand. Young Emanuel Beiler ran out of the house to greet me in black bib overhauls, blue shirt and frayed straw hat. The “chemical free,” deep red strawberries had caught my eye. “We grow them and pick them,” he said. “My brother grows the cauliflower over there on his farm.” After tasting how absolutely sweet and purely strawberry one tasted, I succumbed and poured a container of them into a plastic bag for easier carrying. Emanuel wouldn’t allow me to take his picture.

Then it was down along the western bank of the Susquehanna River before crossing the water into Columbia, my target for the day.

“Oh, my, yes, we must find you a place to stay quickly,” said the lady at the tourist bureau. I thanked her but said there was no need for haste. “Oh yes,” she said. “A big storm is supposed to hit us about 4 p.m. The electric company just called us to warn us and they have never done that. They’ve located extra crews around to make repairs.”

She kindly located a room for me at The Inn at Bully’s about five blocks away in the center of Columbia. As I rode through the final block the rain began to fall. It was a few minutes after 4 p.m.

Bully’s was a fortuitous accommodation—upstairs 11 wonderfully renovated rooms, each with a bath. The common room had large comfortable furniture, a big flat-screen TV and was chocked full of chocolates, candy, coffee and bottled water.

As I situated myself in my room the local TV stations were showing radar of the storms and issuing tornado warnings. The storms tracked my route exactly during the day. Outside the rain pounded down and the wind blew.

After cleaning up I went downstairs to Bully’s Restaurant & Pub. Guests upstairs get a 15% discount on the downstairs offerings. The building’s original bar and bar back from 1903 have been preserved in their deep dark walnut. It was a delightfully cozy and homey atmosphere, enhanced all the more by the more than 200 beers that proprietor David Zahm stocks.

To help customers decide on a beer, Zahm has created a guide to beers. In the back he has a page entitled “Beer for Beginners.” The list is of Bud, Pabst Blue Ribbon, Miller’s and the like.

Filled with a couple of beers and some excellent food I’ve retired upstairs to store those carbs for tomorrow’s ride.

To understand why I'm riding and raising money, please go to the first post--April 26.
To make a donation to the ALSA, please go to: http://web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride