We were going to go to visit our daughter in PA in early August, so I checked the distance from her house to Wappingers Falls. It was 2.5 hours away and I was willing to drive that far to look at the bike. I told the owner my plan, and asked that he notify me if he sold it.
Lo and behold, a month passed, he didn't sell the bike, and we went to PA. Last Tuesday, we drove to Bikeway Bikes in Wappingers Falls to look at the bike. It was in excellent condition. The owner told me he bought it in about 2017 hoping to ride across the country, but that never happened. He only occasionally used it for recreational riding with his wife. He even threw in some bike parts from his "parts bin" to sweeten the deal.
Before this trip, I had only ridden the bike 3 times for a total of 80 miles, and all the rides were unloaded. I saw a break in the extreme heat for a couple of days, and decided it was a perfect time to try it out fully loaded with gear. As soon as I pulled out of the driveway I knew it was a good quality touring bike. It was very stable and handled like a dream.
A gentle breeze out of the North provided just a hint of fall to the air. The weather was perfect.
The route I took is a regular route I take when I bike to/from Kansas with a short deviation on my first day.
A few pics below of the scenery in south central Tennessee.
I made it to the free bicycle only campsite near the Natchez Trace and had to get a pic of Gunnar at the sign.
Pic below of my campsite, which is near the Gordon House rest stop on the Natchez Trace.
The Gordon House (pic below) is one of the few remaining buildings on the old Trace and was the house of ferry operator John Gordon.
Pic below of me pulling into my driveway at the end of this trip. I'm very pleased with the bike.
Total miles Day 1: 86.1
Total miles Day 2: 80.0
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