02 Aug TAT Day 2: Nazareth PA to just outside Shippensburg PA (330km/205mi)

Deer +4, tank bag cover -1, bear dog +1

We got off to a more respectable start this morning from our motel in Nazareth. I swear my helmet smelt like cigarette smoke but Sim says its probably just my imagination. Lots of lovely little back roads and our first taste of dirt relatively early on in the ride. As we were pootling along this little dirt road in some forest, Sim spotted a seemingly random parking lot and then a big white blaze on one of the trees. We weren’t expecting to come across the Appalachian trail so soon, so it was a fun little bonus to the day. 

No trail was harmed in the making of this picture

Our route took us down Old State Road near Inwood? There was a sign that said the road was closed, but we thought we would go and have a look anyway. We were rewarded with our first teeny tiny river crossing, but then we met a digger driver about halfway along repairing the road who told us it was impossible to continue further, so we had to turn back.

First little stream crossing

We had a few more little closed roads and detours, throughout the day, seems you guys have had a lot of rain. It bucketed down just before we reached Tower City. We waited out the worst of it under the awning of an abandoned shop in Tower City and had some snacks before we continued on. 

On one of the forest road sections I got super excited thinking I had spotted a bear on the side of the road. Sadly it was just a big black dog. Hopefully we will see some bear at some point in the trip. We also spotted another 4 deer and a bunch of vultures, one of which narrowly missed Sim as it lazily flew away from its roadkill lunch. Loads of tree rats and some sort of rodent with a fat tail crossing our path all day (we later found out it was a groundhog).

We finally hit the MABDR at Mt Holly Springs late in the afternoon. Paebr332 had kindly offered us a meal and a place to crash. It was our first time being hosted by a fellow ADVrider. Happy to report he didn’t murder us 🙂

Typical forest road

Overall it was a great day. Except for the part where I lost the waterproof cover for my tank bag. Not once, but twice. Never noticed it flying off either of the times. The first time I was lucky as we had to backtrack due to a road closure and I spotted it in the middle of the road much to my surprise, the second time, well its somewhere on the MABDR post Mt Holly springs I think.

My helmet also seems to have developed a whistle. I have ridden thousands of kilometers with this helmet in both its peak and un-peaked configuration and it has never made this noise before. Its doubly annoying because Sim can hear it though our coms. Weird.

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