September 11th

Today is Tuesday, September 11th. It's hard to believe that 9/11 occurred 11 years ago. My families' thoughts and prayers will be with all those who lost loved ones on that day. We will continue to pray for all the Military personnel who put their lives on the line every day!
I left Hancock, MD today at 9:40 am headed towards Shepherdstown, West Virginia, about 57 miles away. As I start out every morning my legs feel very heavy, and it takes a good 10 miles to get them functioning well. I kept a pretty good pace and arrived in Shepherdstown at about 3:05 pm. The trail took a detour, as part of the C&O Canal was closed for repairs. The detour route was well-marked and took me on country roads for about 6 miles. Biking the roads was somewhat different than biking the paths, as the bike paths are fairly level compared to the roads, where I encountered some significant hills. Going up those hills gave me a great workout. Traveling down them was great fun, as I got up to speeds of 30 mph, and of course made great time. When I arrived at Shepherdstown, I decided to push on to Harper's Ferry as it was still early and I felt strong enough to keep going. As I approached Harper's Ferry, I missed the location where I was to meet Sonia and traveled about 1.5 miles further, past Harper's Ferry. I had to turn around and bike 1.5 miles back. Upon finding the location, I had to carry my bike up about 40 steep steps,and then bike over a bridge to get into Harper's Ferry to finally meet up with Sonia. The mileage I biked for the day was 70 miles, with a total mileage since leaving Pittsburgh of 278.
The first thing I did upon arriving was to get a large Coke with lots of ice. I can' t describe to you how good that tasted, as well as the surge in energy from that wonderful sugar. My normal diet has been to eat a light breakfast and then to stop occasionally, for only about 7-9 minutes, and eat a light snack and drink some water. The key has been to keep the breaks to a minimum amount of time, otherwise your legs stiffen up and your ride becomes much harder. At times I have needed instant energy and I have snacked on Skittles. Now I know what you are thinking-Skittles? How about fruit, such as apples or bananas? Well, I am pretty sure Skittles have some fruit in them - at least until today when I read the ingredients. Guess what? NO FRUIT. I was shocked, and will be switching my diet tomorrow to apples and bananas.
Sonia and I checked into a B&B in Shepherdstown. I took a quick shower and had dinner at the Bavarian Inn, enjoying good German food. I find that with so much exercise I am not really that tired at night.
Well, it's time to say "Goodnight" as I attempt to hit the sack. I am currently watching the Orioles play and they are leading 7-1. This is a great time to be a Baltimore sports fan!
Rick