Days 9 and 10 (& Happy 4th)

Major General George McClellan Statue

Happy Fourth of July! Nik and I are spending the whole weekend (and possibly Monday too, if the forecasted rain prevails) with our dear friends Amanda and Ernesto. We have been celebrating well in Washington D.C.. Went kayaking on the Potomac River and then did some grilling on the shore. Followed by a remote (and convenient) view of the fireworks from underneath Major General George McClellan Statue in Colombia Heights D.C. Do you have opinions on this particular general Mr. McBride?

Blue Herring on the shore of the Potomac

Day 8

Day total 85
Trip total 522

Yesterday was the second longest day of our trip so far. We woke up at our campsite in Susquehanna State Park and took the freeway (not bad only two lanes and with a huge shoulder) into Baltimore. We only stopped once to buy and demolish an entire pint of blue berries from a very nice gentlemen selling them on the roadside, this act has started to become a habit.  Local blueberries right now are SO GOOD!

We had lunch in Baltimore along the harbor. The Baltimore harbor reminded me of Boston. Although, Baltimore harbor is more developed with even more tourist activity. You could rent a small purple dragon boat for example. From Baltimore we meandered through Maryland suburbs, which was picturesque but not very direct. It was a thrill to sweep in our nation's capital and current residence of one of my best friends from college Amanda, on Friday July 3rd.

While everyone else is sleeping, this is all I got for our July 4th so far;

Day 7

Day total 70
Trip total 437

Overhear conversation between me and guy in trailer in Chester (part of PN we were advised by locals to bike on through and not stop in).

Guy in trailer: "What are you doing this for?"
Me: (not hearing corectly) "Going to Seattle."

Guy in trailer: "What are you doing this for?"
Me: (not hearing corectly) "Coming from Boston."

Guy in trailer: "What are you doing this for?"
Me: (finally understanding) "Oh, FOR FUN!" (duh)

Nik and I end up in these conversations a few times a day, at gas stations, intersections and city parks, the demographic change but the gist is pretty much the same, "your doing what exactly and why?" During these conversations when we are forced to explain  to complete strangers like this one for example, why exactly we are choosing to spend this sunless Thursday morning (and probably many here after) biking through the rain lugging 50 lbs of weight and headed up hill through what at times looks and smells like industrial wasteland, words feel sort of like a lost cause.

Yes, we are doing this for fun and when not for fun for joy.

Further day 6

Not to much to add to Molly post.  Another thank you to Theresa.  Getting from Princeton to Trenton and from Trenton to Philly was easy thanks to the continuation of the canal trail Pretty much all the way to Philly. 

Any of you guys may know better than me, but my thought today was that these 19th century canals make great green spaces and accidental wetlands, and that one reason why is that they are probably a lot less toxic and polluted than most rivers in the Northeast.   They don't flow quickly and weren't for the most part built next to major industrial sites but rather between them.  Even then it wouldn't have made any sense to spend a lot of time effort and money to build a new river like thing just to full it up with sludge from a mill.  Particularly when you have the Delaware river to dump into instead. 

What I am saying is that the massive crawfish you might be able to pick out in the photo would have probably been absolutely delicious to eat.

In Philly we encountered a few bothers : the pain of too many damn stop lights that were timed perfectly to catch us at every single one, cops who all seemed very eager to make quick, I'll advised left turns that came very close to hitting us not once but three time (only one was turning into a DD though, to be fair.) and our first serious head wind.  It took much longer to traverse the entirety of the city than it should but we did survive.

Further day 5

It is hard but there is one bridge that pedestrians and cyclists can use to get west from New York.   The sidewalk is narrow and overgrown and you have to take a few exit ramps to get to surface roads (which then wander through some of the most industrially blighted areas I've ever seen) but it will get you to Newark. 

A scene from Newark
MOLLY AND NIK PULL UP TO INTERSECTION OF BROAD STREET ON BIKES. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE WALKING AROUND DOING NORMAL MIDDLE OF THE CITY THINGS. IT IS 11 IN THE MORNING ON A SUNNY DAY.
MAN. Lots of stuff on your bikes there. Where are you from?
NIK. From Boston on Friday.  On to DC for the fourth and then west.
MAN. Nice. Well, make sure you're out of Newark by the time it gets dark.
THE LIGHT CHANGES. MOLLY AND NIK CONTINUE ON. SCENE.

Newark gave way to suburbs which gave way to poorer suburbs which gave way to more rural towns and eventually we crossed the Raritan River onto the Raritan and Delaware Canal Trail.  Perfect for biking and it felt good to finally get moving at a normal speed and not stop every five minutes to check directions or wait for a light to change.  We also came across this fine snapping turtle just sunning himself on the side of the trail.  

Of course I had to get some pictures of the locks on the trail.   As Molly says I am, after all , fascinated by the flow of water.  The canal ws built to connect Philadelphia and the Raritan river which just so happens to flow out right behind Staten Island.  A bit of early 19th century engineering to build a water route overland between Philly and NYC.

Day 6

Day total 62
Trip total 367

We crossed our fifth state line today. In order that includes;
Massachusetts
Connecticut
New York
New Jersey
Pennsylvania

Huge thunderstorm in the middle of the night made us feel lucky to be sleeping inside, so did waking up to the smell of Theresa making buckwheat pancakes.

Then we were off for a pretty easy day from Princeton NJ to Swarthmore. Passes through Philly. I had my first Philly cheese steak from Pats on 9th Street.  From there we faced more city biking which can be really frustrating and slow, lots of waiting at red light, stop and go. We finally arrived at Diana and Peter's (Andi's parents) beautiful home in Swarthmore. We ate dinner in their backyard, watched lightning bugs and talked about our bike trip, their new place in Florida and Andi.

Further Day 4

It always takes a bit longer than you expect to get anywhere in New York and this was no exception.  However, the long climb to the George Washington Bridge yields some amazing views even though it takes more time and effort than you think it should. 
Additionally, we got to pass the 8 year old me's favorite street sign in the world.  I know. I know.  I should grow up some time...just not now.  (My second favorite sign is in Jamaica Plain on Green Street: the sign for the Hugh B. Hynds square.)
We topped off the day with a dip in the pool at Mark and Kim's.  Also great views of the city.