SORRY FOR THE LACK OF PHOTOS..  I AM HAVING A PROBLEM DOWNLOADING THEM AND WILL DO SO AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

That Monday morning it was freezing cold. People had been warning me for over a week it was to drop to -17 Fahrenheit. My conversion scale tells me that’s -27 Celsius! And we are not even talking about the wind chill factor as I have my hands exposed holding onto Nirvana’s handlebars.
So what do I do? I figure I have a long day as I want to try to reach Galeton a little over 6okm away. I was super optimistic planning the route the night before. I will head out early… I have averaged nearly 50km or around 30 miles every day last week.. So what’s another 50km and then more with the early start!
I can never get an early start.. Its always my fault as it takes me a while to get going in the morning.
So there I am running down route 6 pushing Nirvana when an old timer called Greg shouts out..
” Hey bud are you collecting soda and beer cans from the side of the road? ”
I think he thinks I am a tramp pushing a supermarket trolley while collecting the cans to return for their deposits.
” I figured nobody would be out in this weather if they didn’t have to be. ” Said Greg and then added.
” You want a job for a couple of days I got some lumber that need moving but don’t have a lot of money. ”
” Actually I am running around the world! ”
Then the usual questions.. I get into his car for some warmth putting my 3 pairs of gloves over his heater.

Hey bud are you looking for a job!

I tell him about all the wonderful people I am meeting.. He says.
” People are wonderful everywhere in the world. It’s the governments of the world that is messing up the world. It doesn’t matter about language we are all the same and I guarantee if it were not for the governments of the world we would all be much happier.
I run on and half an hour later he comes back with a bag of gloves and some packages of hand warmers. I hand him back the gloves and am already using the hand warmers. They are shaped and look like tea bags but once shook up they give about 8 hours warmth when pushed in behind a glove.
I fell a bit short of Galeton so Tony come out to pick me up in his pickup truck. I finish for the day in a place called Rexford at mile marker 206. I am staying at his house tonight with his wife Jill.

Jill and Tony

 
Tony is a manager in the local lumber yard. They are not so busy now with the recession.
I hear about all the natural gas that’s being drilled in the state of Pennsylvania. Something like 8,000 wells. One of the biggest gas areas in the world. It’s very controversial. They are drilling for it in a horizontal manner putting explosives and chemicals down the wells. Apparently the rigs don’t have to tell anyone what chemicals are being poured down. they are answerable to nobody.. Even the fire brigade don’t even know when they go down to fight the few fires they have had. It seems there was a lobby by gas drilling companies to keep it that way and they are protected by law.
Meanwhile people have told me water has been contaminated on farms. Farmers have had to have have their cows slaughtered because their milk is also contaminated.
The onus is on the homeowner to prove their water was not contaminated before. They would have to pay about 1,000 dollars for such a test in advance of any problems and few paid that before having problems.
” But there is surely a benefit to the local economy? ”
I had been asking this question to many people over the last few days.
” Sure there are now jobs in an area which has been depressed for the last five years or so but now gas prices have risen and its now economically feasible to drill.”
” Anyone with a skill like a welder is working and being well paid. But many of the jobs and much of the money is going out of the state and there are huge amounts of Texans here.”
Almost immediately after crossing the state line yesterday I could smell natural gas. I have smelt it many times since. Surely this is not safe? Surely contaminated water is not safe. I find it amazing that gas exploration companies are not answerable to the federal government

Next morning Jill and Tony drop me back to where I left off and I run on from Rexford and stop in a service station in Galeton for coffee. They are opening a Subway snack bar soon. As I am going I am told I can have a free sandwich as he staff are being trained in by giving out the freebies. Nice one but the didn’t force me with the potato chips as the normally do! I stick it in the back pocket of a cycle top I wear. I run on and am greeted by many members of the town. It seems many have read about me online and phoned their friends to say I am on the way.
I am running up Denton Hill. It’s steep and wicked in places and goes on for miles.
A guy in a red jeep pulls up ahead. He gets out and offers his hand as I approach.
” I am Dave from the Potter County Tourist Board. ”
I note he is dressed in neat casuals and joke.
” Hi Dave, you going to run with me? ”
” Ha Ha not exactly but do you mind if I drive on ahead up the hill and take a photo? ”
” No problem Dave.. Go for it! ”
Five minutes later a red jeep drives back down the hill and I think its Dave’s. He has probably got a telephoto lens and took it from a distance.. Strange I thought.
So I sit on the guardrails and eat my sandwich. Half an hour later I am at the summit, altitude 2,424 feet.

I'm loving it!

Dave has his camera out. I think he must have been a journalist in a former life. They are all the same they go to the top of the steepest hills and wait for that knackered look on your face.
I always like to piss them off by cracking a big wide smile and say ” I’m Loving it! ” Just like I was in a fast food commercial and a million dollars depended on my emphatic line delivery.
” Sorry for the delay Dave I thought you were gone and I got a Subway.”

” That’s great Tony I will get the rest of the story from your website. ”
I am wondering why Potter County Tourist Board are interested in my world run.

” One more thing Tony… Just why did you pick Potter County? ”
” Well I look to see where I am… Then I look at Colorado…. I get a google map, press avoid highway…. And Bob’s your uncle! ”
” Eh! ”
I don’t think the tourist guru was happy with that one and continued.
” Tell me one more thing…”

And he asked what many people have been asking over the last couple of weeks.

” Why are you not heading south instead of west? ”
“Well its not that simple when you are running! Just over a week ago I had a big mountain range to the south and then there is the storm that is heading this way, so it’s best to head west for now and south when I can.
“ Besides I am heading for Colorado now and cant go too far south or I will have to come back up! I am running gradually south-west picking my way around the major towns and mountain ranges. Am also trying to get decent roads with hard shoulders because of the slush.
” So I gotta listen to local advice too.”
” Besides it doesn’t really matter as I am well stocked up by good equipment from Great Outdoors from Ireland.
” I haven’t had a single day when I have been miserable from start to finish with the weather. Their equipment has kept me warm, safe and comfortable.”
My pride and joy is the Event Montane red shell waterproof/windproof jacket that I am never out of and will probably get buried in!
Down the hill and into Caudersport I ran. Yes it had been a nice day. I didn’t even have to push Nirvana as Jill and Tony were delivering it to the place I was staying in tonight.  Well to a car dealership anyway. Jim works there as a driver driving cars around from the companies 6 shops for customers to test drive. Just as I was arriving a journalist snapped my picture and I did another interview.
On the way back to Jim’s house he tells me his wife blew up her car engine a few days ago.
So I go in to their house and 3 dogs are sniffing me. A pleasant lady puts her hand out and says..
” I’m Barbie”
I say… ” I know you blew up the car!”
” No that was Jim’s wife Kathy. I’m their neighbor. ”
So we have a couple of bowls of stew and have a laugh.

Kathy, Jim and Barbie.

This entry was posted on Friday, January 28th, 2011 at 4:37 am and is filed under jogging. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.