delaware day two

  As I said in yesterday's post, Tom H had invited a few of us for an overnighter in Delaware, with a ride each day. Yesterday's ride was hilly and demanding. For today, though, Tom had planned a ride from the Delaware River to the Elk River (that runs into the Chesapeake) near the C&D Canal (probably Chesapeake & Delaware) that connects the two (in fact, on the way back, we had the canal on our right elbow).

It was near perfect. Great day, flat ride, beautiful views. We started in Delaware City, near the Merchant's Row building that became the old Delaware City Hotel.

This being a Tom H ride, we hadn't gone far when we had to go down a closed street.

We stopped at Lums Pond. Pretty - but it must be a huge draw: a large parking lot was served by a divided access road. 

Tom rolled us around Locust Point, so we could see the Elk River, and the houses of the wealthy who have homes there. Locust Point has not seen fit to put a park on the river, so we peeked between the houses (and, I'm sure, annoyed the denizens). From there, to Chesapeake City for a break (there wasn't a good deli or such to stop near, so we'd brought bars and similar sustenance).

And from there, straight back along the canal, mostly flat with a tailwind. This was sailing. We saw a number of boats making their way to the Chesapeake, possibly for winter storage.

This one of the two bridges and the oncoming cyclists worked better in my imagination than it did in the viewfinder, or in this post.

And so we're back to the world, for laundry and chores and the like. My thanks to Tom for putting this together, and for inviting me.

Ride page.

delaware day one

Tom H invited a number of his Insane Bike Posse (and their hangers-on) for an overnighter with rides in Delaware and Pennsylvania for this Columbus Day weekend. I came along; The Excellent Wife (TEW) decided that she would utilize the time with a well-earned break from my whininess and pomposity.

We are seven on the trip as I write this at stupid:30 AM Monday morning. A few of us met for a caravan at one of Tom's starting points in Bordentown (Ricky G was kind enough to offer me a ride); the others met us at the ride start at Valley Garden Park near Greenville, DE.

It's a hilly, demanding route, for which I really wasn't ready for the first few miles; I used gears that were too tall, and was surprised at every "turn and climb" for several miles. I finally found my legs...

... and spent the next several miles (and off-and-on throughout the ride) being perplexed and dismayed by driver behavior. By that time in the ride, we'd ridden into Pennsylvania, and drivers would come up behind us on those no-shoulder roads... and just stay there, for long distances. No honks, no passing on blind hills or curves, no come-close when they finally did pass. I kept listening for the ca-chick of the shotgun being cocked, but none came. I'm used to the behavior of Central Jersey drivers, which is different; this politeness is eerie. 

I hadn't eaten enough in the morning, and was grateful when we got to the stop at the Northbrook MarketPlace.

For Central NJ readers, it's similar to the Battleview Orchards to which we go. I got a supply of carbs on which to finish the ride; they were certainly satisfactory. I recommend the stop if you're in the neighborhood (they treated us like folks, too, which is important to me).

On we went to finish the ride. It was a delightful, cool day.

... and, of course, this being a Tom H ride, there was this:

...but we didn't even need to dismount, so it barely counts.

After the ride, we repaired to the hotel, a Comfort Inn in Newark, DE, which was not-too-expensive and decent. We went to a local brew pub for snacks, then I came back to the hotel and tried to nap until dinner (the bed wasn't great for my back; I was hobbling along on a cane last night).

Dinner was at a local diner, where the waitress complained that she, as the only experienced staff, was overworked, and then proceeded to treat us with such efficiency and deference that we swamped her with a tip.

Ride page. Tom thought today's ride might be flatter, but made no promises. One hopes...

martha's vineyard 1

 The Excellent Wife (TEW) and I are just back from a week in Martha's Vineyard with a selection of FreeWheelers and spouses. I'm fairly sure these posts are going to run long, so I'm going to try to post them all at once so they read in the proper order, but I make no guarantees...

We arrived on Saturday June 12, and part of our number took a house on Samoset.

Pat VH hung the quilt on the porch; it was most helpful in finding the house for the first few days before I got my bearings!

This house was down the street. I remembered it from a previous trip, nine years ago. There's a Latin and a Greek motto on the house, but the owner apparently has a sense of humor: the Latin says, "Fancy Latin Saying". My Greek is pretty doggy, but I think the Greek motto is, "If you learn Greek, you learn this". (He's also got enough money to keep the house in excellent shape.)

Oak Bluffs was celebrating Gay Pride Month.

Those people were having FAR too much fun.

We all went out to dinner at a local place that night.

The next day, Sunday, rained early...

... and later, I led a ride to Menemsha, a less-resorty town.

Monday, Ira got bagels. Note: bagels in Martha's Vineyard are bagels for Protestants. It's not that they're bad... it's just that they're a different experience from bagels in the NY Metro area. 

Uhhh... there are a lot left over.

I've been trying to persuade TEW that bikes in the living room will make us feel like we're always on vacation. So far, she's not convinced, but I'll keep trying.

We took a ride to Edgartown, parts of which are far more upscale than our digs in Oak Bluffs*. Jaclyn P had heard that we were in town, and rode out to join us. Later, she and her husband joined us for dinner.

*Oak Bluffs had an inn where African-Americans could come and be safe and relaxed, starting at the end of the 19th Century. The beach around Oak Bluffs was derisively known as "Inkwell Beach", and many white visitors avoided it, preferring the southern and western areas of the island. There are still many African-American visitors at Oak Bluffs, and "Inkwell Beach" towels, sweatshirts, and the like are now sold and worn. I love it that the locals have taken this term of derision and made it their pride.

See the "earlier posts" below for the next post about the trip.