Damn Cough, Exciting Entertainment

Today's Mileage: 35
Cumulative elevation gain: 1300 feet
Weather: Hot, humid, sunny
Attitude: Tired, a bit grouchy

I am skipping the group dinner tonight as I just feel like I need some down time and alone time. I coughed badly for most of the ride today, and even though I "bumped up" 24 miles this morning in the van, I ended up grouchy and tired. I am so, so tired of this damn cough.  Time to bite the bullet and get the endoscopy when I get back, and be open to the possibility of surgery. Either that or discontinue both eating and exercise.

Still, it was a pretty ride and certainly much easier than yesterday. We crossed into New York today and are now in the Hudson River valley.Stopped in New Platz for coffee and lunch, and tonight we are in Highland, NY.

We were at our hotel by about 1pm today, and had some fascinating afternoon entertainment watching guys take down this huge pine tree right next to the hotel. Heartstopping!

Zoom in... theres a guy way up there in that tree!

He gradually cut off the branches above him and lowered them down by means of a rope.Then started just cutting off 2-3 foot sections and throwing them down. Using a chain saw, often cutting towards himself. You can see the chainsaw on a rope hanging from his belt. 

Chips flying from the chainsaw

As he got to the thicker part of the trunk, this big crane was used to lower the pieces into a truck. That's the piece he just cut off, hanging in the air.

Appalachian spring

Yesterday: about 40 miles and 1000 feet cumulative elevation gain
Today: 57 miles and 3500 feet
Weather: Sunny and 80's
Attitude: Tired but blissful

Hard to imagine two more beautiful days of riding. Yesterday, after morning stop at Starbucks, we once again crossed the Delaware and had an easy 40 mile ride along the river, probably the easiest day of the trip so far.Today was also along the river. Easy? Not so much. Lots of very steep hills, one so steep and rough that we had to walk DOWN it.

 I am in love with the beautiful Delaware River valley and would really like to come back here. These tiny, winding roads following the river, dotted with delightful little towns, farms, beautiful hardwood forests. Spring birdsong; Today I heard Veery, Hermit Thrush, Catbird, Eastern Wood Peewee, Cardinal, and of course many more that I could not identify.

I guess we were officially in the Appalachians today, as were were actually on the Appalachian trail for about a mile as we crossed the Delaware River (for something like the 8th time) again. Back and forth between New Jersey and Pennsylvania, tonight we are once again in PA.

Yesterday, just a couple miles from the end of the ride, PFFFFT, my front tire blew out. I had run over a big piece of broken bottle, put a big slice in my tire. Had to get a whole new tire and tube, and actually a 2nd tube, as the first one for some reason would not hold air. So glad the SAG and a bike stop were both nearby.

At most of the bridges crossing the Delaware, there is a little house at each end of the bridge and a guy sitting in there. But these aren't drawbridges, so what gives? I asked one of the guys and he says he's just there to watch for big trucks trying to cross....?  I don't get it. To collect tolls, or what?  But there aren't any toll gates or toll rates posted.....?

On the Appalachian Trail! Note the miles to Springer Mt., and Mt. Katahdin.

One of many crossings of the Delaware

Crossing the Delaware, again

Nancy and I at the Delaware Water Gap

Built by the same guy who built the Brooklyn Bridge

I guess they have some floods here. That sign on the house is a high water mark from 1955.

coffee stop

Narrow road...river is down to the left

Much of the last couple of days on roads like this 

Much of today's ride was through this pretty woods.

Just Fourteen More Days!

today's mileage:49
cumulative elevation gain:2110 feet
weather: 90, partly cloudy, humid
Attitude: relaxed and happy

Tonight we are in New Hope, PA, just a mile or so from the New Jersey border.

Today started out on the wide, smooth, Schuylkill River trail, which took us to a great combination coffee shop and bike shop. This guy's got a great location, right next to the bike trail and a commuter rail stop.  After we got off the trail we were on a sort of suburban scavenger hunt: 55 turns in 42 miles. Our longest stretch without a turn was a whopping 3.5 miles. Keeps ya on yer toes!

It's still quite hilly here and we had some nice rollers for the last few miles.

Many of us chose to ride a few miles past our destination hotel tonight, on into New Jersey, to "score" another state, which our guide had encouraged us to do. Then we found out later that guide had made a mistake and we're going that way in the morning anyway. Oh well, it was a short day, and the little town of Lambertville, NJ, just across the Delaware River, is delightful, full of restaurants, coffee shops, and art galleries. And I know where Starbucks is, for tomorrow morning.

Yesterday, on our rest day, Chris, Nancy and I took a taxi into downtown Phoenixville, another place full of restaurants and art galleries. Unfortunately most of them are closed on Monday and Tuesday, but it must be a happening place on the weekend.

Just 14 days left!

Interesting car/bike combo in Phoenixville.

Straddling the New Jersey - Pennsylvania state line.

New Jersey!

Coffeehouse and bike shop along the Schuylkill River trail. Building on the left from the 1700's.

I just liked this mural in Phoenixville.

Hills, Farms, Great Riding!

Yesterday's Mileage: 48 miles
 2440 feet cumulative elevation gain
Today's Mileage: 48
3100 feet cumulative elevation gain
Weather: Sunny, warm, hot.
Attitude: This is absolutely perfect riding!

The past two days have blurred together in my mind, just absolutely beautiful riding through the Pennsylvania countryside. Very hilly, lots of climbing but also lots of fun, fast, curvy downhills. Mostly smooth roads, little traffic. I think this has been my favorite part of the whole trip so far. Tonight and tomorrow night we are in Phoenixville, PA, just outside of Philadelphia.

Here are some typical scenes from the past couple of days.

Parking lot at the Amish sunday meeting

Oh what a beautiful morning

We passed hundreds of these beautiful old stone houses, many from the 1700's

North of the Mason-Dixon Line!

Today's Mileage: 42
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 715 feet
Weather: Cool and sunny, absolutely perfect
Attitude: Blissful

40 miles of bike trail through the woods, with occasional breaks for nice little towns and parks, and a stop at the halfway point with both a bike shop and a latte place. I cannot imagine a more perfect biking day.

The trail was the North Central Rail Road trail and Torrey C. Brown Rail Trail, much of it running right along the pretty little Gunpowder river. Not paved, and in places it might be a bit more comfortable on a mountain bike, but all in all, hard packed and gravel and just fine for skinnier tires. And the 2nd half was all downhill.

Tonight we are staying in York, PA.

Barns and Rhodies

Civil War Era Train, running right next to the bike trail

Gnomeland. Contains, among other things,  the Deparment of Gnomeland Security.

The Mason Dixon Line

Nancy and I Entering Pennsylvanai

Rail and Trail

Through Washington DC and on into the Maryland Hills

Today's Mileage: 70
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 4120 feet
Weather: Cool and sunny, perfect biking weather
Attitude: Exhausted but happy

In fact, I was too exhausted to even pick up my laptop so I am writing this a day late. When I got in last night, I rinsed out my bike clothes, as usual, and rolled them up in a towel to wring out, as usual, and.,..... well, they were still that way this morning, rolled up and wet. Lucky I have a spare set. As I said, I was tired.

I did not start out the day intending to ride that far. I knew I wanted to ride the first 30 miles or so because it was all on bike trails, but thought I'd get in the van by mile 50 or so anyway. But it was just too much fun to quit!

We left Alexandria following the Capitol Crescent Trail and then, I think, the Rock Creek Trail. To my surprise and delight this took us right through DC, by the Washington Monument and the Lincoln Memorial. Upon leaving DC it seemed like we just wound around and around through the woods for 20 miles on this narrow, winding paved path. Very busy, hilly, curvy; I though it was really fun to ride on but some others did not. You did have to pay attention.

Once we finally emerged from the woods (and it's amazing to me how much woods we've been cycling through here so close to the big cities) we were in HILLS. I have so missed riding in hills, and I just loved this! I got to coast for half the day! Once again these were narrow, winding roads, and there was a fair amount of traffic, but the speed limit was mostly in the 30's, the vehicles behaved well, and there was very little truck traffic.


My friend Christine Smith, who I know from several previous tours, joined up with the tour in Alexandria. On our rest day she and I took the train from Alexandria into DC to go to the Smithsonian Museum of American Art. Very worthwhile. And then we got a bonus train ride on the way home, as we boarded the train going in the wrong direction and were almost to the end of the line before we realized it.

We went out to pretty nice restaurants both nights in Alexandria, and both nights what did I order? Hamburger and french fries. I guess Emily (our cook) has just been feeding us too healthy. I've been craving big juicy beefy burgers.

One of my favorite paintings from the Smithsonian American Art Museum

Me and Lincoln at his monument

Entering Maryland, where we spent just one night, in Owings Mills

Oops, I think this goes with tomorrow;s blog. 40 miles of this trail.

Washington Monument

Just a Great Day

Today's Mileage:44
Cumulative Elevation Gain: 1650 ft.
Weather: Sunny and 70's
Attitude: Back to relaxed and happy, thank you!

Today was SO much better than yesterday, and I am so glad that I, along with a van-full of others, "bumped up" the first 43 miles this morning. This gave me time to walk over to Starbucks for a grande triple shot latte.  In addition, I save leftover salmon and bake potato from our excellent dinner last night to have for breakfast, thus avoiding both hotel eggs and coffee this morning. And my stomach behaved better today, perhaps because I finally got around to cleaning and bleaching my cruddy water bottle last night.

Much of that first 43 miles looked beautiful, but it was on narrow, winding, very hilly roads, and those that rode it said it was a harder day than the century they did a few days ago. By the time my group got on our bikes, the roads had flattened and widened considerably, and where there was traffic there were shoulders or sidewalks most of the time. After getting vetted for day passes we rode through Fort Belvoir, which was very pretty and peaceful, the military housing area looking like a town out of the 50's. Then for the last 10-15 miles we were on a beautiful, winding bike path along the Potomac. We rode right by Mt. Vernon but elected not to go in, as it cost $17 and there was a long line of tour buses and kids on field trips.

This area is quite beautiful and I can see why people would want to live around here. Lots of parks, lots of greenery, but of course with big cities and lots of culture nearby. Still, I'll take the west coast.

Tonight and tomorrow night we are in Alexandria, Virginia, just a few miles from Washington DC. Tomorrow I am hoping to have the energy to take the train into DC to go to the American Art Museum at the Smithsonian, and the National Gallery of Art.

Alexandria

Dinner at the trailer

Vickie in a dress!!!!

Just a bucolic view along the way

Occoquan, VA

Bike trail along the Potomac

One of the beautiful roads from yesterday

Snack stop in Occoquan