Thursday 24 April
Seems a while since we did some decent amount of miles on the bike and today the weather is perfect and we are looking forward to a journey through Pennsylvania. We head through tiny places like Malta, Dalmatia, Fishers Ferry and eventually into the beautiful village of Northumberland. Neil sees a tourist sign for the Joseph Priestley House and we find the house to see if this is the same Priestley who was born in Birstall, West Yorkshire, a place very close to where we used to live in the UK - and it is!

Joseph Priestley was born in 1733 and as an extremely multi-talented person, scientist, teacher, religous reformer and political philosopher discovered oxygen in 1774. He is extremely well known in West Yorkshire with plaques and statues in his memory in various places but, we have to admit, we didn't know he had lived in America and had no idea that we would come across his home in Pennsylvania. He emigrated to America at the age of 61 when he lost most of his belongings in a fire started at his house in Birmingham by a group of people who didn't believe in his teachings and religous beliefs. The house in PA was his home from 1794 until his death in 1804 and was designed by his wife who unfortunately died before its completion. We learned a great deal about his time in PA and his influence on American history. So glad that we just happened to come across this very interesting place.