Day 45 Philadelphia, PA to New York City, NY

Day 45 Philadelphia, PA to New York City, NY 86.4 miles, 1440ft climbing #NM2NY4LFSA

As we sat and reviewed our route for today, I noticed an option that involved a ferry across NY Harbor that departed from Belford, NJ rather than across the Hudson from Paulis Hook, NJ. The mileage was 78 miles to the ferry dock rather than 101 miles. After thinking about it, I posed Chandler the proposition that we could get up early, probably miss lunch, ride hard, and catch the last ferry to World Financial Center at 5:50PM. Chandler thought it would be appropriate to consult Lauren and I agreed. I reminded the ladies that there may not be anywhere to stay if we missed the last boat. We all agreed to give it a go. We woke up early and got out on time. We stopped for breakfast as soon as the cafe where we had breakfast yesterday opened. It was either a perfect morning to ride or it was going to be wet. We pedaled away from breakfast in a drizzle and under heavy overcast. It seemed like it took us forever to get out of town but it was mostly in bike lanes and drivers were very decent. The traffic was also relatively light on the North side of town. I lost count of the traffic lights but for miles we seemed to catch every one of them. I had calculated a departure time that should have given us time for a couple of quick stops for hydration plus a fast lunch, while getting us to the dock with a hour to spare. I always figure that it's when time is critical that you're most likely to flat or break a chain or something worse. BTW, thank you Schwalbe Marathon Plus tires. We rode 7200 miles collectively with zero flats. I used up two and a half tires due to the weight of my load and extreme surface temperatures. As we made our way Northeast, the minutes were slowly dribbling away. We got to Princeton, then South New Brunswick and our pad was down to about 65 minutes total with about 30 miles remaining -- and we hadn't eaten lunch. A serious bonk would delay us more than a fast lunch stop but everyone was still feeling good. Even after all my Ironman training and racing miles, double centuries, and 8,000 touring miles, I sometimes mistake enthusiasm for reserves. Just North of New Brunswick we were on a stretch with dozens and dozens of dump trucks. It was two lanes each direction and divided but no shoulder. The trucks had been very friendly by and large and moved over a lane when they passed us. Everything was going well when two trucks came past me and the truck in my lane did not move off the white line at all. It forced me off the asphalt and Chandler said it was less than a foot of clearance. I pulled out my phone and dialed 911. I had noted the plate number and the operator asked me to stay put while she sent a unit. I told her we couldn't wait, that we had a ferry to catch. She confirmed our location and direction of travel. Within 5 minutes a unit came around us and stopped in the lane close in front of us. The officer got out and we stopped. He was great. Very sympathetic, very concerned, and very professional. He took my info and said he understood we were on a mission to make the last ferry so didn't want to delay us further. The whole exchange delayed us no more

than ten minutes. Back on the road we went. With about twenty miles to go everything flattened out and we really picked up the pace. We were gaining back about a minute every fifteen minutes. Very soon we passed a roadside food trailer. I gave it a few seconds of thought and pulled over. I told Chandler and Lauren that I was worried we would run out of gas before we got to the dock. We each enjoyed an Empanada from "The Empanadas Guy" and drank a couple of Sprites for some quick sugar energy and hoped it would take us the last hour and a half. About twelve miles before the dock we were routed onto the Henry Hudson Scenic Trail. It ran diagonally across several dozen streets going almost directly toward our destination. I was watching the clock and it was looking like we would arrive with about 40 minutes to spare as long as nothing went wrong and we didn't get lost. A few miles from the destination I changed the nav destination to take us to New York rather than the Belford Pier. I looked at the estimated travel time and it had changed from 2 miles and eight minutes to 22 miles and 46 minutes. I began to apologize that I had somehow blown it when I realized that it was now including the ferry trip. We continued as directed, on faith, and that's when we caught our first glimpse of the city across the harbor. Later, Chandler and Lauren told me that when I pointed it out they both cried. We exited the trail and rode past a sign that said "No Outlet" and after a few minutes we saw the ferry terminal. When we got there I went inside and asked for three tickets. The ticket seller said the 5:15 was just pulling m and we could catch that if we wanted. I asked if it went to the 39th street pier and she said no, it went to World Financial Center. I told her our quick story and said we would ride up the island rather than wait. She was excited for us. After the ferry docked and about 200 passengers debarked we rolled out bikes on. The deck hands were very interested in our loaded bikes and when they heard the story they were excited too. They let us sit outside, in front of the bridge, for the ride across the harbor. The captain took us very close to the Statue of Liberty and I realized that was the view an immigrant would have seen if they were above decks as they were entering their new world. It was very moving for all of us. The ferry docked at WFC and we rolled off. The route directed us onto the Hudson River Greenway which was very busy with walkers, runners, cyclists, and families. We saw quite a few blue "Citi Bikes", which are NYC bike share bikes. I thought the path would probably end North of Battery, but it ended up going all the way uptown. It was fantastic, with walk/run and bike segregated lanes. We rode all the way up to 96th Street where we exited the path. Our first stop was at a deli for drinks and some kind of snack. We were all on the edge of bonk. When we stopped an older woman was sitting out front and asked us about what we were doing. When we told her she was excited for us and asked us all kinds of questions. As we stood outside, the owner of the deli came out and talked to the older woman. He than came over to us and asked if we were really from New Mexico. When we said yes he asked where and when we told him Santa Fe, he told us his daughter lives in Santa Fe. Small world. We got back on the bikes and rode another block when I saw a pizza place. In we pulled for a slice. Mmmmmmm. Then back on the bikes and up to Central Park West where we turned North for another 6 blocks to Chandler's cousin's apartment. The doorman recognized Chandler and we told him what we were doing. We gave him the blog address and from then on declared us his heroes. It was an amazing trip. Certainly there were times of doubt and digging deep to go on but we persevered. The country felt much more polarized to me than 8 years ago when I did my coast to coast ride. The media has done a good job dividing its audiences and our nation's citizens. There are a lot of angry people out there and our political candidates, one in particular, really plays on that and reinforces the idea that we should be angry. It spills out of politics and becomes the prevailing attitude. People are more apt to identify differences between themselves and others that they are similarities, and the reality is every human being is far more similar to every other human being than they are different. It may be I'm particularly sensitive to the divisions because of our recent international travel. When people really don't have anything they can see more clearly how similar we all are. When people have something to protect, be it possessions or lifestyle, they are fearful they will loose it. As Bob Dylan said in a song lyric, "the more you have, the more you have to loose". When we told our story about the fundraiser, you could feel people coming closer. It may be that fear of mortality is one of those shared human emotions that cuts through the static of our first world lives. Love really is the only hope we have and the only thing we need. And Pop Tarts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 44 Final day off in Philadelphia

Day 44 Final day off in Philly #NM2NY4LFSA.

For the first time during our trip we set an alarm on our day off. We woke up and walked down to a nice little cafe on Market Street. After breakfast we headed over to Liberty Mall and took a brief tour of Independence Hall. There we saw the House of Representatives Chamber and The Senate Chamber that witnessed the first peaceful transfer of power in our natuon's history. The building was a loner from the City to the federal government for ten years after the government moved from the original Capitol in New York and while The Capitol in Washington, DC was being built. Afterwards we went to the Liberty Bell and then over to Reading Terminal Market for food. If you like a big selection of food, I wouldn't miss Reading Terminal. I got two cheesesteaks. One for lunch and one for a pre-bed snack. After that we swang by Starbucks for coffee and I stopped in to a shop across the street that advertised 400 different sodas. They had Red Pop which I haven't had since I was a kid in Ohio. At the end of the afternoon, my Aunt Sandi came and picked us up and drove us to her and my Uncle Tim's house in German Town for dinner. They live in an amazing 19th century castle. Coincidentally, my Mom and Stepdad had arrived the day before to visit. Tim grilled a couple of flank steaks with grilled onions, peppers, and pineapple. After riding past hundreds of miles of corn, Lauren's special request was corn on the cob. Tim grilled some ears too. It was an excellent dinner with wonderful company. We're lucky people to have such great family.

 

 

 

 

 

Day 43 Lancaster, PA to Philadelphia, PA

Day 43 Lancaster, PA to Philadelphia, PA 65.4 miles 3160ft climbing #NM2NY4LFSA.

The day began cooler but even more humid, if that's possible. We choose a particular hotel last night because they have a guest laundry. As we dressed this morning we discovered that the washing machine never rinsed our load. We started pedalling in a lather. After a couple of miles we pulled into a grocery store for water and at the same time used the restroom to rinse out our bibs and jerseys. Soap in your shorts will lead to great discomfort and rash. We didn't want that. We got a late start thinking it was OK to take our time since we are in the home stretch. We stopped at Starbucks for motivation. We used a combination of a walking route and bicycle root to save some mileage. The problem ended up being that the route put us on a very, very hilly, narrow country road. The Lancaster drivers were not friendly but the drivers on the backroad were courteous and gave us room. The hills were not courteous. The other problem is that services are fewer and further between on the country lanes. We rode for a long while before seeing a lunch spot. It was only 30 miles from our destination and we thought we'd be on Philadelphia in three hours or so. We us a tasty lunch just outside of West Chester and then rode on. Something interesting we have noticed this summer. Generally speaking, the people who have the least want to share the most. We experienced this with the very poor in Cambodia and we experience an extension of that as we ride across the USA. The drivers who are often least likely to show courtesy to a cyclist are most frequently found in more affluent areas and those with a wave, a smile, and a kind word are more likely found in less affluent areas. This is a broad generalization but something we have experienced first hand often enough to make an impression. It's a little like the guy in Missouri who yelled at us that he "has an agenda" as though that excuses discourteous and selfish behavior. Riding a bicycle often reveals, like working retail, the real nature of people. People who are generous exhibit patience and decency to cyclists while people who are selfish do not. I always remember reading something that pointed out that someone who is nice to you but not nice to your wait staff at lunch is not a nice person. It is true as well that someone who is nice to you but values their own convenience more than a law abiding cyclist's safety is not a nice person. That said, Philadelphia doesn't show much in the way of brotherly love between motorists and cyclists and in this case they appear equally to blame. Cars parked in the "No Stoppong Anytime" bike lane and cyclists riding one way streets the wrong direction disregarding traffic lights. It has a negative impact on the rule following touring cyclist. As we hit the official city limits, the street lines immediately changed to include a bike lane. I'm glad to report that the one running next to the trolley car is safe from the trolley right up to the painted line. It was getting dark as we rode in and we used our headlights for safe measure. The only other time we used headlights on the trip was for tunnels on the trail. We arrived at the hotel, right in the center of the historic district, and were welcomed warmly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 43 Lancaster, PA to Philadelphia, PA

Day 43 Lancaster, PA to Philadelphia, PA 65.4 miles 3160ft climbing #NM2NY4LFSA.

The day began cooler but even more humid, if that's possible. We choose a particular hotel last night because they have a guest laundry. As we dressed this morning we discovered that the washing machine never rinsed our load. We started pedalling in a lather. After a couple of miles we pulled into a grocery store for water and at the same time used the restroom to rinse out our bibs and jerseys. Soap in your shorts will lead to great discomfort and rash. We didn't want that. We got a late start thinking it was OK to take our time since we are in the home stretch. We stopped at Starbucks for motivation. We used a combination of a walking route and bicycle root to save some mileage. The problem ended up being that the route put us on a very, very hilly, narrow country road. The Lancaster drivers were not friendly but the drivers on the backroad were courteous and gave us room. The hills were not courteous. The other problem is that services are fewer and further between on the country lanes. We rode for a long while before seeing a lunch spot. It was only 30 miles from our destination and we thought we'd be on Philadelphia in three hours or so. We us a tasty lunch just outside of West Chester and then rode on. Something interesting we have noticed this summer. Generally speaking, the people who have the least want to share the most. We experienced this with the very poor in Cambodia and we experience an extension of that as we ride across the USA. The drivers who are often least likely to show courtesy to a cyclist are most frequently found in more affluent areas and those with a wave, a smile, and a kind word are more likely found in less affluent areas. This is a broad generalization but something we have experienced first hand often enough to make an impression. It's a little like the guy in Missouri who yelled at us that he "has an agenda" as though that excuses discourteous and selfish behavior. Riding a bicycle often reveals, like working retail, the real nature of people. People who are generous exhibit patience and decency to cyclists while people who are selfish do not. I always remember reading something that pointed out that someone who is nice to you but not nice to your wait staff at lunch is not a nice person. It is true as well that someone who is nice to you but values their own convenience more than a law abiding cyclist's safety is not a nice person. That said, Philadelphia doesn't show much in the way of brotherly love between motorists and cyclists and in this case they appear equally to blame. Cars parked in the "No Stoppong Anytime" bike lane and cyclists riding one way streets the wrong direction disregarding traffic lights. It has a negative impact on the rule following touring cyclist. As we hit the official city limits, the street lines immediately changed to include a bike lane. I'm glad to report that the one running next to the trolley car is safe from the trolley right up to the painted line. It was getting dark as we rode in and we used our headlights for safe measure. The only other time we used headlights on the trip was for tunnels on the trail. We arrived at the hotel, right in the center of the historic district, and were welcomed warmly. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 42 Gettysburg, PA to Lancaster, PA

Day 42 Gettysburg, PA to Lamcaster, PA 63.4 miles 2210 climbing #NM2NY4LFSA

We got a break in from the heat today. The high only reached 90 or so. That felt better. There were no significant climbs today, just never ending rollers. The climbing came over the whole course of the day. The grades were very manageable. We got to York and found a bigger city than we anticipated. The route we were riding was a state bicycle route that went directly through the center of town. Through the center there was one lane of traffic in each direction and every fifty it's or so there were signs pointed on the street that indicated bikes could use the entire lane. There were also street signs that said "bicycles may use entire lane". As we rode through, I had a car intentionally brush my pannier as it squeezed between me and the oncoming traffic. As I started expressing my frustration verbally, another car came up beside me and started yelling out his window that I needed to move all the way to the right, up against the parked cars. I pointed at the signs that instructed drivers that the lane belonged to cyclists and reinforced the fact verbally and the driver rolled up their window and turned off the street. Some people are so selfish that when they learn the law requires them to share they go away in a huff. So long as they go away. We rode on and crossed the Susquahanna River. On the other side we were just 15 miles from our destination. You can tell we are riding into a more populace region because the businesses and homes were continuous from York to Lancaster. That makes finding drinks and food much easier. I had to get a photo of Kerosene at the pump. That tells you it is a farming area. We've seen them for the last 1000 miles. Awe appreciate the bike share signs but they look a little like a cyclist working very hard to avoid a car running them down. Later, riding through Lancaster, a Yellow cab brushed all 3 of us and we had had enough. We pulled over and called the police who promised to have a unit look for the driver. We got the plate number. That person should not be permitted to drive any kind of vehicle, much less posses a chauffer's license. On we went to the hotel where we checked in, cleaned up, and went next door for a sushi dinner.

 

 

 

 

Day 42 Gettysburg, PA to Lancaster, PA

Day 42 Gettysburg, PA to Lamcaster, PA 63.4 miles 2210 climbing #NM2NY4LFSA

We got a break in from the heat today. The high only reached 90 or so. That felt better. There were no significant climbs today, just never ending rollers. The climbing came over the whole course of the day. The grades were very manageable. We got to York and found a bigger city than we anticipated. The route we were riding was a state bicycle route that went directly through the center of town. Through the center there was one lane of traffic in each direction and every fifty it's or so there were signs pointed on the street that indicated bikes could use the entire lane. There were also street signs that said "bicycles may use entire lane". As we rode through, I had a car intentionally brush my pannier as it squeezed between me and the oncoming traffic. As I started expressing my frustration verbally, another car came up beside me and started yelling out his window that I needed to move all the way to the right, up against the parked cars. I pointed at the signs that instructed drivers that the lane belonged to cyclists and reinforced the fact verbally and the driver rolled up their window and turned off the street. Some people are so selfish that when they learn the law requires them to share they go away in a huff. So long as they go away. We rode on and crossed the Susquahanna River. On the other side we were just 15 miles from our destination. You can tell we are riding into a more populace region because the businesses and homes were continuous from York to Lancaster. That makes finding drinks and food much easier. I had to get a photo of Kerosene at the pump. That tells you it is a farming area. We've seen them for the last 1000 miles. Awe appreciate the bike share signs but they look a little like a cyclist working very hard to avoid a car running them down. Later, riding through Lancaster, a Yellow cab brushed all 3 of us and we had had enough. We pulled over and called the police who promised to have a unit look for the driver. We got the plate number. That person should not be permitted to drive any kind of vehicle, much less posses a chauffer's license. On we went to the hotel where we checked in, cleaned up, and went next door for a sushi dinner.

 

 

 

 

Day 41 Hancock, MD to Gettysburg, PA

Day 41 Hancock, MD to Gettysburg, PA 62.3 Miles 3060ft climbing #NM2NY4LFSA

It was another hot day today. We started with an excellent breakfast at the B&B and then hopped on the Western Maryland Rail Trail. We rode the rail trail for about 8 miles before getting back on the road. We have been on trail for 220 miles and have really become accustomed to the mild grade. From mile 8 to mile 12 today we climbed twice as much as the entire 60+ miles the day before. The first climb was a long grind. As we continued to ride the heat rose. We stopped at a coffee shop for cold drinks and got sandwiches to eat later down the road. We began riding through historic sites noting Lee's retreat from Gettysburg. Not long after the coffee shop we began what was a long steep climb to the ridge top in Washington, PA. We came around a twist in the road just short of the top and low and behold there was a big gazebo with concrete benches in a lot between two houses. It was labelled as though it was a public building but the location made that unlikely. We didn't see anyone around so we pulled in. I think Chandler's head was about to explode from the heat so the timing was good. We sat and drank warm water and ate our sandwiches. They were excellent. As we finished, a car came up the driveway and parked at the house next to us. The fellow came over and offered us cold bottled water. It was the perfect finish. He told us here were two more minor rises on the way to the summit. He was exactly right. It was brutally hot by the time we got to the top at Blue Ridge Summit, getting up to the forecast 100 degrees. We passed the AT (Appalachian Trail) where it crossed the road and it felt like we had a downhill ride to New York for the next 200 miles. That wasn't quite right, we had a few more rollers and a couple of short steep climbs before we got to the Gettysburg Battlefield. We entered the battlefield from the South and rode the length of it into the town. It's a place full of ghosts. I felt the gravity of it with 51,000 American brothers killed, wounded, missing, or captured. I felt the horror and it occurred to me that you don't see Confederate flags near these battlefields. It also occurred to me that the politicians who beat the war drum are almost never those who have experienced war. We arrived at the hotel, cleaned up, had dinner, and got to bed early.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 40 Cumberland, MD to Hancock, MD

Day 49 Cumberland, MD to Hancock, MD 62.3 miles 390ft climbing #NM2NY4LFSA

We started with breakfast at Mark's Cafe. It is a great spot with excellent espresso pulls and good, fast, hot breakfast. Because we only knew of two potential stops off trail on the way, we had them make us sandwiches to go for lunch. Our route took us 50 miles down the C&O Tow Path. The C&O is more primitive than the GAP also less maintained generally. There are far fewer towns on the trail so less community investment. If it weren't a National Park, it probably wouldn't exist. I'm just saying that it is not highly condusive to bicycle travel. There were plenty of muddy sections. We felt like we were at the cross races through some sections. Lauren's bike, being a road bike, has almost no mud clearance and I cleaned it out twice for her during the ride. It slowed us down a little but at least it was mostly shaded. That's good because we're in record breaking heat again. 100 degrees today plus humidity. I always bear in mind the potential for extreme conditions becoming dangerous. I felt that quite a bit during the 110 degree days from New Mexico to Amarillo. Then again in Southern Missouri. Today never felt dangerous. We stopped and checked out a couple of locks and talked to a park service guy at one. There are 74 locks on the canal between Washington, DC and Cumberland numbers 1 through 75 because they never built lock 65. About 45 miles into the ride we stopped for lunch at a group of picnic tables in the busiest campground we had seen on the C&O. There are hiker/biker campgrounds every 6-8 miles that have water available at a hand pump. This campground was one of the very few we'd ridden through that had asphalt road access. It was super peaceful when we got there and soon after, all of the sudden it's mega motorcycles mega loud and then came a blaring A/C-D/C karaoke. Just A/C-D/C. I like A/C-D/C. This was a greatest hits album turned nightmare. The baffling thing to me is where the sub woofer was. The fidelity was actually pretty good and the volume rices the forest. At least we could finish our lunch and ride. There were families camping there peacefully who didn't have the choice to hear it or not. Another 4 miles down the trail, we picked up a paved trail running parallel called Western Maryland Rail Trail. We'll be back on it in the morning. We headed into Hancock and to The 1828 Trail Inn. It is a beautiful old Craftsman house operated by wonderful host and hostess Bill and Darleen. Complete with bike wash and lock-up for bikes. Then on to dinner across the street at Buddy Lou's. Of course the she crab soup was spectacular, we are in Maryland.