T Minus 91 Days - A Cinderella Story

STATS	DAY	MILES	CLIMBING	CALORIES
DAY	1	57.53	2986	4652
TOTALS	1	57.53	2986	4652

Spring is approaching and the days are getting longer. I will be unable to ride next weekend so I decided I would suggest the ride for this weekend and suit it toward my training regimen of distance and endurance.

I suggested a 57 mile route that would take us into Pennsylvania then follow the Delaware River south to Easton, then back into NJ.  The weather was cloudy, with drizzle earlier in the day.  Winds were 10-20 sustained.  We met at my place at 10 AM.  Abdel parked his car and the Pt. Mountain lot so he wouldn't have to climb from the River back to my house.  Keith and Thor road over from their neck of the woods and Greg drove to my place.  We all gathered and were chit chating and getting ready for the ride.  I noticed that Greg kept waking from his car to my garage and back with a sullen look on his face.  Finally, just as the remainder of us were ready to ride, Greg sheepishly said "Guys, is there a meet up point?  I forgot one of my shoes".  We have all forgotten something needed for a ride (helmet, gloves, glasses,...) but what struck me as odd was how Greg must have thought that his shoe would magically appear before the ride as long as he didn't mention it to us before hand.  Long story short, we told him we would wait for him to retrieve his shoe and suggested he ask his wife to meet him half way.  It all worked out and we got on the road 57 minutes late.  (Interesting synchronicity:  57 minutes late for a 57 mile ride)

So we take off for the ride and all is going great.  Down into Jackson Valley, Tunnel hill road into Oxford, up and over the ridge into Belevidere.  Just before Belevidere, Thor had to break off as he had an early evening flight to Ireland for business.  After crossing into PA, the terrain went from mountainy wooded to rolling open farm field with a significant head wind.  We survived.  Then into the town of Martins Creek, and along the River into Easton.  Just after entering the city limits we came to the Easton Water Works builds that were classic Art Deco style brick with a 1932 date.  I imagine that these buildings were build by the WPA.  I wish now I had stopped to take a picture to include here, but alas, I did not.

When we walked across the bridge back into NJ (that's right, NJ Law requires bicycles to walk across the Delaware bridges and they have full time cops posted who will give you a ticket if caught riding)  we spotted a popular hot dog stand and decided to stop and get some food.  I ordered a Gyro and was surprised when the woman gave me my change, she grabbed my hand with one hand while placing the change in my palm.  Hmmm, very strange.  Lunch took almost 15 minutes to be ready.  We ate, road up through Phillipsburg to get out of the River valley.  Then into Stewartsville, south into Bloomsbury, then east to Asbury, Hampton, and Port Murray.  Once we turned east at Bloomsbury, we finally picked up a very nice tail wind and had a fast 15 mile spin back home.

Another great ride.  The longest ride so far this year.  I felt like I could have done another 10 miles which is always good to finish a ride feeling like there is something left.

Sorry about no pictures today.  Here is the tale of the tape.