"Dutch Bike Dutch" or Bust!

Two genius girls put together this tradition which was done for the 5th time this weekend... A group of 50 plus young adults met up near Lancaster, PA on Friday night, most coming from the DC area (some from other parts on the East Coast)...Many stayed the night in a local hotel while others toughed the cold night camping. Thankfully, I went with the hotel route and enjoyed a warm bed in preparation for some great cycling. Saturday morning we split up into numerous groups, some going 15, 20, and 30 miles, while a small handful of us chose the 60 miler. Randy, Travis, Courtney, Joy, Katie and I took off on the same route as most the others for about 10 miles before we split directions and the 6 of us adventured on some other roads to make for a longer ride.
The Amish country near Lancaster was beautiful! It was so refreshing to be out in the middle of open fields, surrounded by a people whose beliefs and culture is centered on simple basics. It was not uncommon to see locals on bikes, horses, in buggies, or on foot.

As our ride continued, we enjoyed more and more fields and plenty of trees covered in colorful leaves, a mark of a gorgeous Fall in the east. In time, we decided to split for various reasons, so Kim, Courtney and I continued the ride together, only to discover that we had been misled at a very important turning point, which resulted in climbing 4-6 miles of hills and adding approximately 10 miles to our ride.
(Left- Travis, Katie, Me and Courtney)

The last 30 miles was completed with Katie... a stalwart cyclist. Beautiful surroundings made the ride enjoyable in all. I hope to go back out there in the spring and/or summer to enjoy even more! What a blessing it is to have opportunities to explore other parts of this diverse country that we live in. We are so fortunate to have the freedoms we do the worship and exercise faith and agency as we desire.

Here are some pics that I took on my phone while on my bike... Enjoy, and let me know if you ever need a tour guide! :)