Groundhogs, Underground Fires and home cooking...

MikeO

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Dereham, Norfolk, today...
28th October

I wake early and, as I get dressed, notice that I’ve gone laundry critical – I’m wearing my last clean T shirt – luckily I’m planning to stay with Todd & Keri (Phaedrus 42 from ADVRider) tonight…

It’s a beautiful, but very cold, morning – there’s a leaf pattern of frost on the Adv’s saddle as I pack the bike up. I’m on the road, with all my heated clothing switched on, by 1000, heading south towards Punxsutawney…

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I’ve planned a route on the small back roads which have proved so pleasant over the last couple of days – today is no exception, but I’m careful when I enter sheltered or shaded areas – it’s still cold enough to find some ice about…

Some of the village names in Pennsylvania are great…

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…although I’m destined to see the best one tomorrow. As I keep heading towards Punxsutawney, the sun starts heating the heavy dew on the fields, leaving them steaming…

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…and it’s not long before I can turn the electric heat off and relax about the potential state of the road.

I come into the town, which is home, each February, to Groundhog Day. ‘Punxsutawney Phil’, a groundhog (large rodent, looking a little like a guinea pig), emerges from his cage each February and, if he can see his shadow, it is predicted that there will be a further 6 weeks of winter – if not then Spring will be early. The town advertises itself as ‘Weather Capital of the World’ and they have their own Groundhog website.

I decided to visit, thinking it would be a good photo opportunity – the town was the setting for the 1993 Bill Murray movie, a favourite of mine, and I look forward to taking pictures of the bike next to ‘Gobbler’s Knob’. Except…

…except I don’t recognise a thing – it all looks completely different. It’s a pleasant enough Pennsylvanian town…

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…it even has a Punxsutawney Phil Gift Shop…

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…but nothing rings a bell :confused:

I ask a local, who tells me that the film was made in Woodstock, Illinois…:yelrotflm

Ah, well…

I start off again, heading towards the town of Centralia and thence to Lancaster, where I’m due to visit Todd & Keri at 1700ish. Sticking to the fun little back roads…

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…I make good time, and manage to ride right past Centralia without seeing it…

Centralia is the site of a fire. It’s unusual in that it’s an underground coal seam that is ablaze.

It’s been burning for 30 years so far.

When I realise I’ve overshot, I turn the bike around and have a closer look. The main dual carriageway is abruptly detoured off to the right, with the old road sealed off with a bank of earth…

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…and some scarily worded signs…

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…so I ride the Adv over the earth and track up the old road. I soon find why this section is closed…

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…as steam gently wafts from substantial rents in the road surface. I try to find the rest of the town – apparently there’s a network of streets, with some (now abandoned) houses still standing, but the only sign that this was once a town are the three well maintained cemeteries…

Everywhere I ride up the gravel and cinder tracks, smoke and steam issues from beneath the earth – it’s a pretty depressing place…

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I’m now running a little late, so set Bettie the task of getting me to Todd & Keri’s house by the most direct route. All is well until I arrive in Lebanon, a few miles north of Lancaster, where I’m caught in terrible traffic, not helped in the least by a series of traffic lights, seemingly at every block, which are entirely uncoordinated…

I arrive at Todd & Keri’s place 45 minutes late. We spend a very pleasant evening chatting and (thankfully :D) getting my laundry done. Keri cooks a spectacularly good meal – chicken pot pie – with Todd turning his hand to the culinary delight of roast potatoes, in honour of having a Brit under his roof – top stuff!

After a couple of beers, I retire to the spare room – tomorrow Todd’s going to show me the local area. A good day… :thumb

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1947 Plymouth - $5500 – any takers?
 


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