Monday, November 9, 2020

rides on a september weekend in november

 


Tom H isn't leading club rides, citing coronvirus concerns (he's hardly the only leader who's doing that), but he did invite a few of us on a flat 40-or-so out of Bordentown on Saturday.



 

We rolled around by Roebling, which, as Tom put it was "about as scenic as I thought it was going to be."

But we did get close to the river, and that was pretty cool.




We rolled through Burlington City, which appears run down, but has some architectural niftiness, and a trolley tracks. I thought it was cool.


We stopped at a convenience store in Jacksonville, which isn't really anywhere near Jackson (more than one person has confused the two). I was taken by this sticker on one of the columns:


A Harley sticker. I think it wants a semicolon rather than a comma... but the sentiment expressed probably precludes my punctuational fussiness.

For a flat ride, we weren't as quick as I thought we'd be, and for November, we were all a bit overdressed by the end of the ride. Ride page linked here.




Yesterday, Laura OLPH had a ride listed for which I was the only taker. It turned out to be an unexpected pleasure. Laura made up the route as we went along, and we talked about her glass (see the "Hot Mess" posts at her blog), our family problems, trying to arrange a gravel bike for her without spending too much, and a yonk of other stuff.

We decided to go to the Sergeantsville store, and of course we stopped for pictures on the way. Laura stopped about here:


... to get a picture not too much different from this:


We decided to get a picture of the truck full of pumpkins despite the Trump sticker.


There was still a homemade local campaign banner at the Sergeantsville store.


And outside, a coterie of the local elders discussed the doom of civilization now that Trump has been defeated. A tenant of one of the apartments at the store asked one of the elders what was so great about Trump; the reply was that Trump kept his promises. I thought to myself, Really? I guess the content of those promises doesn't matter so much.

The Sergeantsville store has one of my favorite treats: Mash soda.


Soda for grown-ups. Not too sweet, and subtle flavors (well, subtle for soda, anyway). It's hard to find, so I take it when I can get it.

On the way back, Laura had us go the wrong way on Rock Road so she could take me down Woodens Lane, where I don't think I'd ever gone. I loved it... but to get back, we had to climb Pleasant Valley. Laura and Cheryl M used to refer to it as "Unpleasant Valley"; it's got a demanding uphill in both directions. But Laura knew that, even towards the end of a hilly ride, we'd have the legs for it, and she flattered me by saying she knew I'd be a good sport about such a hill at the end of the ride. (It IS kind of a hill, check out the elevation diagram on the ride page.)

It was a great ride. You ought to come out.

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