Day 46 - August 7th - layover day in Gettysburg

(photos: Janet, a temporary resident of the Saloon, shows us her gams; a fine picnic dinner for the Golden Girls of the Big Ride)

Loved sleeping in the cabin, ensconced on an upper bunk. Woke up a bit after six. It was nice to know that I could take my time getting up and finding some breakfast. My roommates eased out of their respective sacks during the next hour. Morning hunger necessitated that I ride into town in search of breakfast. I had noticed the Season Bakery and Cafe on the local map, not too far from the library. It took just a few minutes to ride the rolling 2 miles to the center of town. Found the cafe, and locked my bike under the shade of a sidewalk tree. The cafe was quite warm inside due to active bakery ovens: a good sign. Bhe emphasis of the menu was directed more toward bakery items than a protein-packed breakfast. So I ordered a double shot latte, a ball of fresh mozzarella cheese (from their sparse deli case) and a cinnamon roll. Rosie joined me and ordered a cappuccino - a rare find. We then walked around the corner to the Adams County Library. Locked up our bikes and went inside .

At the circulation desk, the librarian on duty carefully explained the process of signing up for computer use. She mentioned that "if we didn't need our entire hour", we could come back later in the day to use the time. I decided to jump in at that point and explain our situation: we are part of a group of cyclists who are riding across the country. We need access to computers in order to update our journals and that it might take MORE than an hour. "Oh dear:". But this librarian didn't feel limited by the normal confines of computer use: she checked with a colleague who confirmed that their back room computer lab was not currently occupied. She quietly escorted us to the room and turned on two computers for us to use as long as we needed! Fan-tastic! We worked diligently at our respective stations until nearly 1pm. Rosie then went off to meet up with Patti and some of her out-of-town visitors, and I went in search of a light lunch. Ran into Ash and Pauline while I was outside of The Spot, munching on a bagel. Rode my bike through parts of the center of town, and also out through Cemetery Ridge. Took in views and read posted signs with information about the War.

I had been watching the darkening sky, wondering if we were due for an afternoon thunderstorm. Sure enough, on my ride back to camp, the wind suddenly picked up, nearly blowing me sideways. This was my warning: find cover. I raced back down Taneytown Rd and made it to the camp office just as oversized drops of rain began pelting the area. I sought refuge there, at the entrance, and just waited for the storm to pass. Within 20 minutes, I could continue back to our cabin, where others were inside either resting or working on their laptops.

That evening, we had a wonderful picnic dinner outside of our cozy abode. Other Riders wandered over to witness what a good time looks like, and they stayed on 'til after dark.

There have been layover days spent in communities where I felt that I SHOULD be siteseeing or making an effort to learn more about the area. But it's as though my capacity to absorb new info was hampered by low energy or simply the need to rest. Gettysburg was the most significant example of this. There were Riders who spent the whole day in camp, and others who were compelled to take tours. I followed my natural instincts and took in what I could, and tride to accept my limits.