Day 2 - Tackling the Hills of Maryland, Delaware and Pennsylvania

Fox Chasers with MS Great 8 Cyclists

Given the heat and humidity of the prior day, we decided to start as the sun was rising at 6.30 am. This meant being in the hotel lobby at 5.45 to check out and eat breakfast. We were rewarded with some of the most spectacular scenery through the countryside. We climbed a total of 6,750 feet which is significant to most bikers.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at a park in Centreville, Delaware. This is a 19th century Delaware village listed in the National Register of Historic Places and surrounded by superb Country Estates. Centreville is located near the northwestern "arc" border that divides Delaware from Pennsylvania. The rolling hills, wooded terrain and steep slopes characterize a departure from Delaware's otherwise flat terrain.

We proceeded through Ridley Park in Pennsylvania. Near the end of the day, we rode through the hills of Lower Merion and I shared with the other riders that this is where I do my training rides. Finally we rode into Plymouth Meeting with me leading the way as this was my home territory.

We were then treated to a great dinner hosted by Tom and Kim, good friends of Betsy Wolford, one of our riders. Their team for the MS City to Shore ride are the Fox Chasers and many of the team members were present. This was a great an opportunity to talk about The MS Great 8 Foundation and the mission of our ride through 8 States in 8 days to create awareness of MS and increase our fundraising efforts. Mike spoke about how he has personally dealt with MS over the past 12 years where bike riding has been a big part of it. Cat then spoke about being a primary care giver for her brother. I then spoke about my daughter, who was diagnosed with MS at age 20 and her boyfriend. They founded Screens ‘N’ Spokes where screen prints have created pro bono by over 20 artists and then sold for the benefit of the National MS Society. http://screensnspokes.blogspot.com/ and http://www.etsy.com/shop/screensnspokes