The day started off cool enough as we departed the hotel.

We checked in at Triple S H-D on our way out of town.

The road goes through the downtowns of Fairmont, Waynesboro, and Morgantown in WV and Washington, PA. The pavement is in very rough shape with pothole patches that will rattle your teeth. We ran into a short construction delay.

The towns, as well as the roads, are in decay. Some towns are trying to hang on with a Dollar Store, Circle K, and a beauty salon, but that’s really not working for them.

We had to stop at Eat ‘N Park for coffee and a cinnamon roll — a Pittsburgh tradition.

We rode through the South Hills, west of Mt. Washington, and crossed the West End Bridge with a view of downtown.

We rode up through Perrysville…

past our old stomping grounds in McCandless, Ingomar, and Wexford. Along the way, Beth pointed out things that are still there. Pittsburgh is known for things that used to be there, and we passed a few of them, such as West View Amusement Park. 

We had lunch in a park in Zelienople. There were some nicely restored homes across the street.

We stopped for gas at the Country Fair in Meadville.

US19 was closed for bridge replacement a few miles north of the Country Fair. One man told us how we could get around to the other side of the construction without taking the I-79 detour. I was able to figure out his route and we were able to follow a few miles we would have missed had we taken the detour.

Late afternoon we finally made it to the northern terminus of the highway in Erie, PA.

We made our way south on PA-8 and picked up I-90E and the New York Thruway. We stopped for dinner at the Angola rest area.

This rest area building is in the median. A bridge spans the highway.

We stayed with a Bunk-a-Biker host in western New York, enjoying a delightful conversation with her 91-year-old mom.

After spending another hot, 12-hour day, we were content to sit on the glider and enjoy the breeze.

Tomorrow we’ll visit family on Sharbot Lake in Ontario.