Beer Break and Buttermilk Biscuits

When I started this trip I had the crazy idea that maybe I wouldn't drink wine or beer while I was out here. That was just about the stupidest thing I've ever said. Biking and beer just go well together. Maybe not at the same exact time, but after three or four days of riding you need to look forward to something. Last night I went to BrewArt in Baltimore, MD as had a couple beers along with an oyster pot pie. The beer was great, the food was so-so.

Speaking of food, one thing I love about being South of the Mason-Dixon is the buttermilk biscuits. Biscuits have to be the perfect pairing for eggs and breakfast sandwiches. Why anybody would choose toast when biscuits are an option is beyond me.

Yesterday I rode about 110 miles to push through to Baltimore. My route took me from Mt Hope, PA (beege), through Manheim, Marietta, across the Susquehanna (riding in and out of that valley was terrible), Airville, and finally into MD. It was supposed to rain overnight (and it I'd) so I took the Chesepeake Bay route on my map and headed into Baltimore. I need to find out the total elevation climbed for the trip too because I climb more miles in an hour then most months of riding back home. I think that if you add up all the miles from the last four days then the total would be pretty close to riding 4 Century rides in four days through hilly terrain with a trailer. My legs are feeling every bit of that.

Yesterday I ate some fresh picked strawberries from an Amish farm in the middle of nowhere. The mother, her two daughters and her son where all put there helping. I ate a quart in one sitting, then went digging through my bag for more food.

I got really tired of stopping every hour to eat food so I decided to load up in the morning. This was a bad idea. The only thing worse then not eating enough is eating too much. For the next two hours I could feel all that food just sitting in my stomach like an anchor.

Alright, so that brings me to Baltimore where I am right now. It's wet and raining outside so I'm in no mood to run right out there and put in another 100 miles. I think I'll go back to the hostel, pack up with all my clothing in ziplock bags, put on the rainfear and head out before 11 am. Oh, I stayed in a Hostel last night for $32. What a bargain. I met a guy from Brazil who teaches English and the staff gave me the quick and dirty on where to get a good beer and some food. Everytime I come to Baltimore I'm more impressed.

It's really amazing how quickly you can get yourself back to appreciating simple, small, seemingly insignificant activities. It's sort of cliché to say that we don't appreciate the simple things in life but life isn't usually that simple so why would you. It's very easy to buy an expensive dinner or entertain ourselves by spending a lot of money, but this is certainly not as gratifying as slowing down to realize how much we're missing because we need to stay busy 24-7. Most of the people I meet who are bike touring have figured out how to work a little to live a lot. They live modestly and enjoy two or three months of free time for travelling every year. Not a bad life if you can get it.
Until next time, may the showers be hot and the biscuits be plentiful.