Gettysburg; A new start for a nation, the end for me!

Gettysburg turned out to be quite a pleasant little town, far smaller than I was expecting and if you managed to ignore the huge, totally out of place, hotel complex that some idiot planner has allowed smack, bang in the middle of the town, very picturesque! Most of the buildings looked as though they dated right back to the civil war era of the late 1800’s (other than that hideous hotel of course!). The battle field itself covers a vast area of what is now a park containing a vast number of memorials, commemorating every battalion and regiment that fought in the battle of Gettysburg. I found the Abraham Lincoln memorial with the Gettysburg Address outside the library. It was quite moving to stand in the actual place where the address  was originally given and read it through. Whilst I had, of course, heard of it, I’d never before read it in its entirety. I guess Gettysburg is actually the real birthplace of the United States of America!

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Abraham Lincoln
November 19, 1863

As I read through the momentous speech, I couldn’t help but ponder that mankind has learnt little in the intervening one and half centuries! As I said after my ride up the Alaska Highway; it still seems that Governments can find any amount of money when it come to the purchase of weapons and the waging of war; such a pity they can’t do the same for more peaceful causes!

It was as I wandered around Gettysburg that I realised my odyssey was over. I was sighseeingd out; I was travellingd out; I was campingd out; Quite simply, it was time to go home. I still had a couple of weeks left to complete my journey back to Halifax and to catch my plane home, but if I could somehow have snapped my fingers and been back in Wales there and then, I would have done so. It was strange because it was not a feeling of depression, weariness or even homesickness, I just knew in my mind that it was time!

The Water Gap Trolley

After a few texts back and for the with my new surrogate granddaughter, Dawn, we arranged to meet for lunch at Delaware Water Gap a small but interesting little town, nowhere even close to the State of Delaware, but straddling the Delaware river and joining Pennsylvania to New Jersey; it was the closest point my route ran to Dawn’s home town of Warrington, Pennsylvania. The town was also situated on the Appalachian Trail on which Dawn had spent 3 months backpacking earlier in the year. We talked non-stop as we ate lunch in the small café, about our individual journeys and also of our few days of travelling together. It was very obvious that given the means, Dawn would love to carry on travelling, but with the universal problem of University debts to pay off, she was equally determined to find work quickly where she could use her degree in Mechanical Engineering to good effect. From our time together I felt Dawn to be something of an enigma in that on the one hand, she comes across as a very confident and competent young lady, whilst on the other hand she has an innocence and vulnerability that I found endearing and I found the parent in me wanting to protect her! I hope that she manages to find an equitable balance to her dilemma!

As we parted we headed off in opposite directions,, with Dawn heading south-east for home and me north-east also in a way, heading home! I didn’t get to far before looking for a palce to stay and ended up in my most expensive campground of the trip! I’d wasted a lot of time trying to find the place, which was well hidden around some back lane near to Middletown, New York, so by the time I discovered the price it was too late to look for somewhere else and I was far too tired to bother anyway. So I handed over $40 to stay in what was at best a mediocre campground, but at least the showers were hot and free! Next morning I left early as I was now only about 300 miles from the port of Portland, Maine for the ferry across to Yarmouth Nova Scotia and the weather was turning distinctly autumnal, indeed there was talk of a hurricane heading my way which was a little worrying.

It was a pleasant ride as I worked my way across New York, Vermont and New Hampshire towards main. I crossed the Vermont ski area (fortunately now lacking the white stuff!). The trees were looking magnificent in their autumn cloaks of gold, red, russet and green. I was told that it would another two weeks before they were at there best, when the hill sides would turn brilliant red, but to be honest, I rather liked the mixture of colours I was seeing, loving the contrasts and the range of hues. Campgrounds were few and far between in this area and National forests or other such places to free camp just about non-existent. It’s strange, but I had imagined a far more “open” aspect to the US than I had found; In my view, it’s actually far easier to free camp in Europe. And so it was that I ended up at the Aires Lake campground with yet another hefty tariff. However, I somehow managed to charm the dear old lady that ran the place into letting me stay for just $15 instead of the $35 she started out at. It was just as well because the rain started almost as started putting up my tent! By 6pm I was in my little haven with all other kit safely stowed away on the bike which was itself wrapped in its all enveloping, though not too waterproof cover. And boy did it rain! This was no rain that fell lightly from heaven upon the place beneath; no, this was the full fury of the angry gods being unleashed as if to wash away the sins of an ungodly world! It was one of those time when I was glad that I was in my expensive, strong, well designed tent, rather than a £20 jobby from Tesco’s. However, overnight it lashed down so hard that the water had splashed mud about a foot up the side of the inner tent, such was it’s force! Never before has that happened and I have endured a good few storms in the UK and Europe in it.

When I awoke it was still raining heavily so I lay and waited, and waited, and waited! By about 10.30 the torent had slowed to, well, less of a torrent. If I’d had any sense I’d have stayed put, although with hindsight, amazingly I made the right decision. I packed up everything in the tent into my roll top, waterproof bag, and then dressed in shorts, teeshirt and sandles, took it and all my biking gear into the shower block. It was then back out into the rain to take down and Pack my tent. Of course, the rain found just a little more vigour to ensure a thorough soaking of both outer and inner tent, to say nothing of me! I could have had a swim in the lake whilst I was at it as I certainly wouldn’t have been any wetter. I got everything packed onto the bike and then went for a nice hot shower and got into my bike gear. I then sat under a small shelter and waited another hour or so for another pause in the deluge before setting off. I only had a littler over 50 miles left to Portland so with my two water proof jackets on, my not so waterproof trousers and my Gortex Altberg boots (with the soles now hanging off) I set off as as the rain slowed; I managed about 20 miles before I caught it up! It was certainly the worst rain I’d had to ride in on this trip, but with only about 30 m iles to the ferry port I pushed on. The two rain jackets did little to stop the flow, my trousers left me sitting in a puddle and my boots filled up nicely. I arrived at the ferry terminal, which I found simply by following the waterside road, at about noon; it was going to be a long cold wait for the 8pm ferry!

Having booked my ticket, thoughts turned to food as I hadn’t eaten anything since lunch yesterday! There were loads of restaurants and cafes lining the waterfront and I chose a small place advertising their speciality as various Chowders. I chose well! Chilli seafood chowder hit the spot superbly well, washed down with a couple of cups of hot strong coffee, I felt almost human again, and certainly nice and warm on the inside if not so much on the outer layers !!!! As is so often the case, I got into conversation with a lovely couple from a cruise liner that was in port; so happily sat and past about 2 hours in the café which left me feeling much happier. From what I saw of it Portland is a town that really deserves more time than just passing through to catch the ferry. It appears to be quite a wealthy place, possibly due the cruise liners which call on a regular basis, but as the rain had by now stopped, I enjoyed a short stroll around the harbour side area before returning to the terminal. Another biker arrived on a Suzuki Dragstar from the New York area so 8pm soon came around. Rick hadn’t booked a cabin whereas in view of my general sogginess, had; so I offered to share with him as I had 3 spare bunks and he in turn offered to provide the beers! Sounded a reasonable arrangement to me!

Showered and in dry clothes, I joined Rick in the bar to enjoy the first cold beer since parting with Jim and Caroline a week or so back, and boy did it taste good. So good in fact that a second followed rather quickly in it’s wake, but as I took my first sip I suddenly felt rather unsteady. I though perhaps I was somewhat dehydrated and it had caused the beer to go straight to my head, I really did feel very odd!. Then I realized that the boat had left shore and we were already swaying quite markedly in the swell; it was going to be a rough crossing!  Coincidentally, our evening’s entertainment in the bar was another Rick, Rick Watson, siging and playing acoustic guitar. He sounded remarkably like Gordon Lightfoot and made for an extremely pleasant evening. Rough crossing or not I slept soundly until the PA announced our imminent arrival at Yarmouth. We had a quick coffee in the bar before saying our goodbyes and heading off, Rick going north and me, after a quick visit to the Visitor Centre, heading around the southern loop to Halifax

I’d barely settled into the ride when the rain caught up with me yet again; and it just got heavier and heavier as I rode on. I had 180 miles to do to Halifax where I planned to go straight to the office I had visited to pay for the inbound bike, hoping to sort the export of it straight away. It wasn’t to be! After almost flooding the place with the rain running from just about every part of me, I was told that I had to contact Dean Hansen. This I did by phone only to be told to email all the details to him… Somewhat subdued I contacted David, with whom I had been in touch on the way across to inform him of my arrival in Halifax. We arranged to meet at his family’s campground near Peggy’s Cove, so I endured another hour in the wet and wind to arrive at the Wayside Campground feeling moiré dead than alive. I’m sure I was by then on the edge of hyperthermia, having been in my wet bike gear for almost two days, save for the 10 hours on the ferry.

David's Trailer; My home for the moment!

David arrived a short while behind me, meanwhile his lovely sister, Debbie, had revived me with a mug of steaming hot coffee. Once ensconced in David’s trailer it didn’t take long for me to transform it into a cross between a Chinese laundry and a bomb site!. Then I just crawled into my sleeping bag, which thankfully was still dry, and slept the sleep of the dead!  That was on Thursday. Friday and Saturday the rain just continued to fall. I picked up on-line that I’d escaped from Portland in the  nick of time as it had flooded shortly after I left; no I didn’t leave a tap on!!!  On Friday I got the email away to the bike shipping company only to be told it would be sorted on Monday. On Sunday the weather had a miraculous change to dry and sunny, although there was ice on the bike when I went out to it at about 9am. Once the morning was aired I took myself off for some shopping as I was now on survival rations of rice, pasta or rice! It really was a beautiful day and the view along the road to the shops were stunning. Very much like the rugged coastlines of the Hebridean Islands, but without the winds that so often blow up in that part of the world

An early morning visitor to the trailer...

I ended up back at Peggy’s Cove by the lighthouse, which was where David had taken me when I first arrived so I felt it right that I should complete my meanderings at the same spot. I had thought that this late in the year it would be a lot quieter, but I was wrong! It was still teaming with visitors. I took some more photos, had a couple of conversations, firstly with two bikers, one of whom was riding an Enfield and then with a couple who had emigrated a few years ago from the UK and now lived just the other side of Halifax. Then I sat on the rocks overlooking the sea and ate the sushi that I had bought for lunch. I felt that it rounded of my trip rather well. Now all that remains is to hear from the shippers as to when I can drop off the bike, rearrange my air ticket and get David to drop me off at the airport. To continue with the theme; All my bags are packed I’m ready to go; I’m standing here outside your door………..