Hank – We said goodbye to Paul and Allen this morning. They were also packing up to leave the campground. While leaving Conneaut we also left Ohio. We crossed the state border and were soon on Pennsylvania Highway 5, which is an awesome road for cycling. Soon we came across a sign showing where the PA border used to be before the state purchased the land known as the Erie Triangle giving it a port on Lake Erie. We passed a lot of roadside stands selling fruits and vegetables.

During a short stop near Lake City we struck up a conversation with Bob Forwood of Maryland and Bob McElroy of York, PA. They are brothers-in-law who have another brother-in-law named Bob. The third Bob wasn’t with them. They could start a Bob Club if one didn’t already exist. We chatted with Bob and Bob for a while. They were very interested in our story. When I told Bob McElroy we would be coming through York, PA in a couple of months he gave me his number and told me to call him up. We’re welcome to spend the night or just get together for lunch. We love meeting welcoming people like Bob and Bob.

Back on the road and we finished up the last few miles to Erie. Leo, our WarmShowers host lives away from the coast, which was a bit of a climb. All this flat land we’ve been on has spoiled us. Now we’re begrudging 500 feet of climbing. Well the times and the terrain are a changing so we better remember Rules #5 and 6. We picked up a gift for Leo and Bonnie and headed to their house. Leo’s daughter, Amanda, just happened to be there and let us in. Bonnie arrived just after we did. She handed Olivia, Amanda’s daughter, over to Amanda and made us feel right at home. Leo’s has rules posted in the bedroom, which pretty much say “this is your house”. He came home a couple of hours later.

Leo has a wealth of bike touring stories. And having had a near-death experience–not bike related–he doesn’t sweat anything and lives his life to the fullest. He’s hoping he can get Olivia interested in touring when she’s older. His dream is that one day Olivia will be hosted by someone who’ll say, “You’re from Erie? I was once hosted by a guy in Erie. His name was Leo Hoganson.” And then she could say, “He’s my grandfather.” Leo and Bonnie fed us a great dinner and we chatted for the rest of the evening

Today was a “short” 35-miler with lots of humidity and about 1000 feet of climbing. Tomorrow will be a shorter day. We’re headed south towards Centerville, PA to visit our friends Matt and Loretta.