So I’ve spent the past couple of days tooling around Pittsburgh recooperating after 8 straight days of cycling. Also, my bike needed serious attention after all of the abuse I’ve heaped on it for the past week. Steve and I went in search of the perfect bike shop, and shock of shocks, we found it in Iron City Bike. Instead of telling us it would take a week to look at our bikes, they started working on them right away, doing repairs that we didn’t even know we had. On top of that, they were very reasonably priced for the work they did. The experience reminded me that not all bike shops are created equal.
On Thursday, I cleaned pretty much everything that I currently have in my possession. Washed clothes, cleaned and patched my panniers, washed my tent, cleaned my shoes. Thankfully, I no longer smell like garbage. It has been so nice to return to a civilized lifestyle, if only fleetingly. Steve’s friend Mike and his girlfriend Brandy were extremely generous to offer up a place to stay for a couple of days.
I also got to see a bit of Downtown Pittsburgh as well as the surrounding environs. There was some nice architecture and I quite enjoyed the numerous bridges across the three rivers. I’ve got some pictures that I will post later, but the computer that I am on in East Palestine, OH (YES, THAT’S RIGHT, OHIO!) won’t give me access to the USB port.
On a somewhat less jubilant note, Steve has had to abandon the trip for a little while at least as he has other matters to attend to elsewhere that require his attention. So, I’m currently riding solo, which takes some getting used to. It will be a good chance to rely completely on my decision-making process, which can be alternately frustrating and empowering. Anway, I’m hoping that we will be able to meet back up in Chicago and continue the journey westward.
As ever, more later.
