Andy & Kerry's Greenway Trip

Welcome to Dixie! Kerry and I are experiencing our first full immersion southern experience and, I must say, we likey. If it weren't so damn hot, this would be paradise. Since we left DC, it's been quite an interesting time. We took a much-needed day off in Fredericksburg, enjoying some lovely history and riding out a pretty rainy day tucked up in a motel room. We've also finally found some camping places withing reach, which is a big relief after all the urban sprawl.

Our luck finally ran out, though, when it came to the wonderful weather (Barry notwithstanding). It's certainly heated up! The heat has led to some moments of pure bliss. For example, on a 90+ degree scorcher coming into Henderson, NC, we found a campground on the shores of Kerr Lake. as we pulled into the campsite at about 3 p.m. (peak of the hottest part of the day), we jumped off the bikes, stripped off our bike clothes (putting on swimsuits for modesty's sake), and waded into the finest swim of our lives, or at least that's how it felt right then. The best was when our previously water-hating dog went paddling past me, so focused on cooling off that he seemed completely unconcerned by our shock at his voluntary swimming.

OK, so more will follow in the next couple of days. I've been neglecting the blog only because I left the laptop charger in Baltimore and it took until now to receive a package. However, a delicious spaghetti dinner combined with just the right amount of smooth chianti has left me sleepy and unwilling to write more tonight.

Stay tuned ...

Alright, 11 days in and we're stopped off in DC. Where to begin ...

Since my last post we've had some great times, some real challenges and a much-needed day off.

So, New Jersey/Pennsylvania part I: Our friend Charles helped us on through the end of this state and right on into the outskirts of Philly, all the while filling us in on much history and other things of interest. We couldn't have asked for a better guide. Hats off.

From Philly to Elkton, MD was a piece of cake. We rocked that stretch in no time and kicked back in a little AC for the night. All in all, a pretty uneventful day.

Elkton, MD to Delta, PA: So, we'd planned to put up a cool 50-ish miles (halfway to Baltimore) and find a place to crash. After about 40 miles of some of the most punishing riding we've ever experienced, we found a quiet motel, sneaked our dog in, and crashed for about 12 hours. The best part about this day was the fun of crossing the Mason-Dixon line twice, but we would have gladly done with fewer hills and the occassional shoulder to ride on.

Delta, PA to Baltimore: Delta to New Freedom, PA, was much worse even than the day before. Foggy conditions, near vertical climbs and shoulderless, curvy, and super busy state highways marked what may have been the most poorly planned section of the greenway yet. Not to cast aspersions out of turn, but I think the Pennsylvania committe needs to rethink nearly all of the routes through the state. The ride through Philly wasn't as bad, but pretty much all of the PA greenway up to New Freedom was along super busy highways with zero scenery. I know this state is beautiful, but you'd never know it on the designated route. From New Freedom to Baltimore (i.e. just a touch in PA), the ride was unbelievably lovely. We rode the Union County Heritage Trail/Northern Central Railroad Trail. Some of the finest, fastest riding we'd done so far. We also encountered some real kindness at a bike shop in New Freedom (The Whistle Stop Bike Shop). Stop there and buy stuff, these guys are great. They didn't even mind when Patch puked on their floor. They also gave us a sweet deal on some gear and donated some goodies to help us along the way.

Baltimore included a rest day, then two days later we're in DC. Nothing exciting during this time. We have, however, started to form some bigger picture ideas about the trip. For one, a small dog in a bike trailer is possibly the greatest goodwill ambassador one could ask for. The reaction we get from pedestrians and bikers is priceless, but it's among the motorists that I've noticed the major difference. I'll see some meathead in a pickup or Type-A jerk in a beamer zooming up on my tail, ready to lay on the horn, scream something, or toss a bottle. But when they see Patch's little head peeking up, their faces soften and they politely give us a wide berth. It's amazing the kindness people can muster for a small dog. I wonder why simply seeing other humans in a vulnerable position doesn't bring out a similar response. People are funny creatures.

Well, I'd better hit the sack, so I can live to ride another day. Until next time ...

Well, after much planning and anticipation we finally have begun our trip! So far it has been great, especially all the people we have biked with and met along the way.

Day 1
Several of our friends from Connecticut came to see us off and bike us out of town, which was a great send off. Of course Patch gained several admirers along the path as well. This first segment, going to Norwalk, CT is the one Andy had ridden once before, so we didn't have to spend too much time looking at the cue sheets which means we got to really enjoy the scenery. When we got to Norwalk we had a great dinner with Andy's co-workers, and spent the night at his friend/co-worker Frank Fey's beautiful home. It was a great first day.

Day 2
We were a little tired from the first day of serious biking, so we took things a little slower and enjoyed the beautiful shoreline. After our afternoon break/lunch stop we decided to make it a short day and stay east of NYC. Unfortunately, finding a vacent hotel room was a little more difficult than we hoped. But, we eventually got one and took full advantage of the amenities (hot tub, air conditioning, breakfast buffet, etc) to restore ourselves.

Day 3
Turned out to be a good decision to have a short day and relaxing hotel day yesterday. Day three was a big one. We ended up biking about 88 miles, the last five hours in the rain. But aside from the whether and a few areas of confusion (um, we got lost) the day was great. I was amazed at the amount of beautiful, off-road cycling paths in New York city. Sometimes it was hard to tell we were in a city at all. We also met a number of great people, thanks again to Patch. Lots of folks helped us find our way along the trail. We even met a couple of women who were so kind and excited about our trip they managed to give me hope about the kind of people we would come accross in NYC (where they live now) and the South (where they were from originally).

Day 4
Today was a great change from yesterday. Although it was still a little soggy out, the rain had let up by the time we got on the road. We got to see a lot of natural beauty along the D & R canal, and enjoyed exceptional hospitality in Lawrenceville at Charles and Lisa Caramalt's house. Charles is one of the Greenway board members here in New Jersey, so we got to talk about bikes and the trail with someone really knowledgeable. We only did about fourty miles today, but the trail was soft because of the rains, so it was still close to a full day of cycling. A perfect follow up to day three actually - it was long enought to keep us from stiffening up, but short enough that we got some of our energy back. Our next stop is planned to be Philly.

OK, here we are about 4 days deep and already we've seen such lovely things and weathered (no pun intened) some real adversity. I'll break it down day by day.

Day one: Pretty hot, but a great ride. It all started with possibly the finest send-off in bike touring history. A whole passel of pals showed up to ride us on out of town/see us off. It was great to pop the cork on a bottle of champagne on the New Haven Green at 9:15 Friday morning start our adventure. Patch definitely got plenty of attention along the way. Mostly very beautiful coast line, though Bridgeport was a rough one. The trail we followed went right through the heart of town, which means some pretty shady neighborhoods. But, it was daylight, so no serious worries on that front. The best part was our arrival in Norwalk. Unbelievable what a great reception we received. The inimitable Francis X. Fay Jr. hosted us in the grandest of styles, replete with many a story from the good ol' days. Pals from The Hour showed up to fete us in fine style. Thanks folks. Biked about 58 miles.

Day two: Pretty good day. We did have a minor meltdown trying to find a place to stay. We ended up backtracking about five miles into Rye, NY, in order to find a vacant hotel room. And even that hotel didn't allow pets, so Patch had to come in the back door real sneaky-like. Biked about 35 miles (25 miles net).

Day three: Possibly the most schizophrenic day I can imagine. The morning was this idyllic ride through the extensive greenway network of New York City. It was awesome and we met some really great people on the trail, not to mention some awesome parks deparment employees to help us out. The early afternoon was spent trying to find a ferry, that I think might not even exist, to Jersey City. We eventually found out we could take the train directly to Newark (which was the next step anyway) from the WTC site. This was 3 or 4 hours of frustration/10 extra miles of biking, but we were still in pretty good spirits thanks to the great morning we'd had. However, we'd committed to powering through 30-plus miles on the New Jersey side to get to our motel. That's when tropical storm Barry decided to have a little fun with us. The rain started just as we left the Newark train station, light at first, but steadily harder. Within two hours, I was completely dependent on Kerry (who doesn't wear fog-prone, rain and mud spattered glasses. Almost six hours later, dead tired and soaked to the bone, we finally found our hotel. Our rain gear didn't stand a chance. I think I sacrificed at least two electronic devices to Barry's nasty temper. We biked about 88 miles all told. It was tough, but we have now bestowed upon ourselves the title of hard-core bikers. Anybody who wants to argue should speak with my complaint department.

Day four: Awesome. Our friend Charley came up to meet us in Piscataway, NJ, and escorted us down the towpath of the D & R Canal. The unpaved path was pretty soft (curses again to you, Barry), so the biking was hard and the mud and sand made us dirty and Patch upset, but the ride was beautiful and it was great to have a knowledgeable person (Charley is on the New Jersey committee of the East Coast Greenway) to tell us about all the sites and show us the little-known nooks and crannies. Plus, we were fed well and put up in as comfortable a setting as one could ask for. Thanks Charley and Lisa! Biked about 40 miles.

Well, until the next chance I get a good Internet connection ...