September 16: Greensburg to Bedford

We awoke to a hearty breakfast provided by Pat, and set off to meet Jeff (our Pittsburgh/Greensburg cyclist) who had agreed to ride some of today’s route also. Unfortunately before we left, the weatherman announced a ‘80% chance of thunderstorms’. This weatherman is good at his job.

Today was a washout. We got soaked through. Absolutely drenched. Drowned. Get the picture? Just to add to the torture, the hills we encountered after Jeff turned back for Pittsburgh were the toughest we’d encountered since the Rockies. There were relentless ups and downs. But the rain was so heavy that we had to tiptoe down anything steep. The result: all the work for none of the reward!

One uplifting part to the day occurred when we stopped for lunch at the top of our first big hill at Jennerstown. In a tiny cafe the drowned rats got talking to a family at only other table in the place. We explained our story and when we went to order, the family had kindly paid for our meals. It’s just another example of the humbling hospitality we’re receiving as we progress.

We eventually rolled into Bedford close to 630pm with the rain having subsided somewhat. We found Judy’s Motel together with it’s owner – the grumpiest man we have encountered to date. After a quick interview with Elizibeth from the Bedford Gazette we got our eat on at Eddie’s Steakhouse – a local recommendation. Very disappointed with our meals there – defo didn’t live up to it’s reputation. Ye shouldn’t have to take a trip to Subway after your dinner!