Errata

I have been on vacation for the last two weeks and have had a lot of fun but did not get a chance to do any biking. Now that I'm back I'm looking forward to riding again. This past Saturday was the PFW cycling event and it couldn't have been a nicer day. Usually I work the registration desk in the morning then do 50 or 60 miles while taking pictures of all the bikers.

This year I didn't get a chance to ride because I was doing a book signing with Barnes & Noble. They usually don't do many external book signings but the PFW event was the perfect place to sell the book to bikers so they agreed to come out.

I did sell some books which is good but I also got a chance to talk to some people who had already bought it and were using it. The feedback was very positive which made me feel good since I put a lot of work into the book to make sure it was accurate and useful. Even though I did my best to make the book error free there is always the possibility that I missed something or that some of the roads, or rest stops have changed. This is why I have added an Errata section to the website for the book I have also added an email link so people can more easily contact me and report any errors that they find.

Oshkosh B'Gosh

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Although most people associate Oshkosh with the famous denim overalls, it is also the site of one of the world’s biggest airshows. I’m not a pilot or have any real desire to become one but I am an aviation enthusiast and enjoy the beauty and technology behind manned flight. I usually try to go to one airshow a year just to satisfy my desire to see some cool aerobatics. This year I planned our vacation to Chicago to end the day before the start of the Oshkosh airshow then put my wife on a plane home and headed north to Oshkosh.

The Oshkosh airshow is put on by the EAA (Experimental Aircraft Association). This show started out as a bunch of pilots gathering to discuss and show off the best home built planes in the country. The show has been held every year for over 50 years and has grown in leaps and bounds. This year the attendance total will probably top over 700,000 people. This show is not only about home built planes but has become a world class airshow where you can come and see almost any plane that has ever been made. At the show I saw everything from Wright Model B to WWII Mustang to the Whiteknight II from Burt Rutan. If you love airplanes you owe it to yourself to get you ass to Oshkosh at least once in your life to experience airplane nirvana.

There are a lot of different aspects to the Oshkosh airshow. There are talks given on any aviation topic imaginable by the experts in the field, There are 10s of thousands of planes on display that you can look at and of course there is the daily airshow that show cases the best aerobatic pilots on earth. The scope and size of the show is overwhelming. It easily takes a few days to really see everything.

The highlight of the show was the arrival and demonstration flight of the Whiteknight 2 aircraft that was built by Scaled Composites for Virgin Galactic to carry SpaceShip 2 to 50,000 feet and air launch it into a ballistic trajectory to space. In the next 5 years this should allow a few hundred to a thousand people to fly into space and experience weightlessness for around 10 mins. This will be the beginning of the commercial space market and should start to allow the common man to experience space travel.

The other main highlight of the show was the arrival and demo flight of the new Airbus 380 the biggest plane in the world. The plane is huge but as the demonstration flight showed it is very maneuverable. The pilot did some very short turns and had the angle of attack at plus and minus 15 degrees. Nothing you would want to experience during a normal commercial flight but it was amazing how the nimble the big plane really was.

The amazing part of the show was the organization. Even with over 10’s of thousands of plane and 100s of thousands of people everything ran flawlessly. This was one of the cleanest places I have every seen and although it was crowded the wait for food or any other service was never very long. Also the service of every one of the staff from the bus drivers to the food service personnel was always friendly and professional. In fact they would go out of their way to do anything to make the event run more efficiently. For example when the air show let out the buses back to the camp ground (Where I was staying) were really packed as everybody was trying to get back to where they were staying.

Normally this would mean long lines and waiting times for buses but this was not the case. First they had a lot of buses which help but they also learn to run them more efficiently. After every one got on the bus they announced the stops they planned to make and asked who was getting off at each stop. If there were stops that no one needed they changed the route to eliminate that stop and get to the other ones quicker. All the bus drivers communicated to each other so that all the stops were always covered and they never missed picking any one up. It was a great system that was worked well and the most amazing thing was that it was an all volunteer system.

As I mentioned above I stayed in the camp ground. As you can imaged the small Wisconson town of Oshkosh is totally overwhelm by the hordes of people that attend the airshow. It is really hard to get a hotel room. However there is a huge field next to the airport where the airshow is held turns into a extremely large campground. My parents have a 5th wheel camper and were in the area so I meet them and stayed with them for the three days that I was there. The campground is a cross between a refugee camp and an army base. There were over 30,000 trailers, motor homes and tents here. It was an unbelievable site. The makeshift roads had a constant flow of traffic including, buses, bikes, scoters and people walking. It was chaotic, crowded and well organized all at the same time. Again the volunteers kept the camp really clean and their passion to help people was infectious because all the campers were really friendly and helpful. It was like living in a big commune and although I missed having my own private bathroom and shower it wasn’t a bad way to live for a few days.

This airshow attracts some of the best, brightest and even famous people. I attended talks by Sir Richard Branson, Harrison Ford (besides being an actor he is also a helicopter pilot), Miles O’Brien and Burt Rutan just to name a few. The best talk I went to was with Richard Branson and Burt Rutan where they explained how within a few years they plan to be flying people on sub orbital flights to space. I believe they will not only be able to do it but actually make money at it.

The Oshkosh airshow was one of those rare events which I had high expectations which were exceeded by the actual experience. I saw a lot of cool planes and learned a lot about the future advances of aviation.

The only thing that damped my high from attending the airshow was the flight home.. My 225 pm flight from O’Hare ended up leaving over 2 hours late because of bad weather at Newark. So although the future of aviation is bright they need to work a little harder to find a way to make the airlines run on time when it rains.

The Perfect Game

I haven't posted for a couple of weeks mostly because I am currently on vacation in Chicago. Chicago is a great city and we are having a lot of fun here. You can see my Chicago pictures HERE. These pictures also include some from the town of Milwaukee which we also visited

While my wife and I travel we like to take in a baseball game when we can. Visiting the stadiums is fun since they are all different and have there own unique character. I usually don't remember much about the actual games themselves. For this vacation we visited the White Soxs, Cubs, and Brewers Stadium. Click on the links if you want some pictures of the stadiums

Yesterday however was a game that I will always remember. We went to an afternoon game at the White Soxs and saw a perfect game. There have only been 18 perfect games pitched in the history of baseball so the chances of seeing one is astronomical.

The game was relatively boring until the bottom of the 7th when everybody starting thinking this could be a no hitter. By the middle of the 8th the crowd was hanging on every pitch. Then in the 9th when DeWayne Wise made a heroic catch that robbed the Rays of a home run everybody in the stadium knew this was a historic moment.

This celebration after the game felt like the team just won a championship and went on for a while. Both my wife and I were pumped up from the experience and were high fiving strangers. It was a great feeling. Most baseball fans have two dream when they go to a game. They want to catch a foul ball (Did that at a Phillys/Met game 10 years ago) and see a perfect game. I know that I am one of the lucky few that was able to have both happen to me

Schooley's Mountain

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Schooley's Mtn is one of those places that I have been wanting to ride to for years. I first though about it when I read about the rides featured at the the Ramapo Rally ride that's out of Bergen County. The toughest ride that they have is a 125 mile hilly ride from Mahwah to Schooley's Mtn and back. I though about doing it a couple of times but 125 miles and hills is a little more than I really consider a fun ride.

When I was researching the book and trying to decide which rides to include I though again about doing a ride to Schooley's Mtn but limted space prevented me from including it. Finally this past weekend I finally made it to Schooley's Mtn.

This ended up being a great ride that I'm sorry that I didn't do it sooner. We had the perfect day to do the ride it was in the mid 70s with low humidity. Although we had rain the previous night it was mostly clear when we started. Since this was going to be a very hilly ride I expected 4 or 5 people but ended up with 9. It was a good group with a good hilly climbing attitude.

The first 31 miles where mostly up hill but it was a beautiful climb. I ended up starting the ride from Raritan Community College because of a road closure that would have made it too long if I started from the usual place in Pluckemin. This ended up being a good place to start.

After about 7 miles we were on Rockaway Rd which is one of the nicest roads in the area. It's a nice slow climb that takes you up about 200 feet in 4 miles. The grade is so gradual that you don't even realize you going up hill. There is a river that runs along side of the road which makes it a beautiful ride. The rain the previous night caused the water to run fast which made a strange rushing sound as we climbed our way up. The next road was Guinea Hollow which required some more climbing but also had a beautiful river next to it.

We continued to wind our way up the hills as we headed for the town of Long Valley. We had started at about 100 ft and when we got to Long Valley we were almost at 800 feet with a lot of ups and downs. None of the climbs were too bad and the scenery was nice so it was a real enjoyable ride.

After a nice downhill into Long Valley we headed towards Schooley's Mtn. This was where the toughest climb of the ride would be. There are a couple of ways up to the top of the mountain all of them require climbing around 450 feet in a couple of miles. I decided to go up Naughright because it looked like one of the better ways up. The climb started with a 15 % grade so its a tough start but after less than a half mile the grade deceases a little. There were also a couple of flatter section that let you catch your breath. So although it was a tough climb every body was able to grid there way up. The only problem with this way up the mountain was that there was a little more traffic than I was expecting. I had warned everybody to stay to the right so there were no problem with the cars going by it just meant that you had to concentrate on the traffic as well as the climbing.

Once on the top we regrouped and explored the top of the mountain. The mountain is covered with trees so unfortunately there were no clearings where we could see the view of the valley below. We did have a nice stop at the general store/post office. It was like something from the 50's. We also got to see a large carved eagle which is marked on Dustin's NJ Bike map. It's not something you see everyday.

From here is was mostly down hill or so I though from the maps but it turned out that there were always some climb getting in the way of a lot of the down hills. This didn't really matter as the roads where mostly traffic free and the views were nice. The worst part was on the upper part of Black River Rd which is strewn with pot holes. I hope they repave this road soon.

I was tired when I got back to the college but very satified with the ride. I had been looking forward to this ride for a couple of months and had done a lot of hill training to make sure I would be in shape for the ride. I also spend a lot of time planning the route. Although I had ridden about half the roads on this ride before there were quite a few that I had never ridden.

Both my training and planning paid off. I felt good during the ride and the route ended up being really nice. I also got lucky with the weather and had a good group of people for the ride. I may tweak a few of the roads but this is route I will do again.

For those interested here is the elevation profile for the ride. Click on the image to get a bigger view. The text on the profile are the names of the roads on that part of the ride. This is a pretty hilly ride for NJ but isn't extreme. If you have the right gears and do some hill training you should be able to do this ride. You can find the ride sheet for the ride here







Here is the elevation profile for Naughright Rd which was the toughest climb of the ride. The percent grade is indicated on the left click on the picture to get a larger view. The profile makes the hill look worst than it is. It was a tough climb but the hill had steps in it so it was possible to recover from some of the steeper parts of the hill.

You Know You're in South Jersey When?

If you want a flat, scenic, traffic free ride there are few places better than southern Jersey. There are a lot of scenic farmland and quiet back roads that are fun to explore. South Jersey is a little different than the rest of the state especially when you head to the more rural areas. In these areas the music tends to be country, the pickup trucks all have gun racks and there are too many guys still sporting mullets.

Although you will not see any signs telling you've entered South Jersey you can usually tell by the surroundings. With apologies to Jeff Foxworthy here are a few tips that you entered South Jersey.

You know you're in South Jersey when?:

• You see a gun club every couple of miles
• Every front yard contain either a rotted couch, rusted car, or a Jesus Saves sign
• The only stores you see are Wawas
• You see bumper stickers for Piney Power
• The only trees you see are pine trees
• All the vehicles are pickup trucks with tires taller than you
• The few cars you see have strange accessories (like the beer can hub cap above)

The strangeness of South Jersey may scary some people but for me it is just part of the fun of riding down there.

Me and My Shadow

I had a very strange experience the other night during a ride. As I was riding along I noticed silhouette of some one on a bike riding next to me. The strange thing is that it mirrored my exact moves. What's even more strange is the sky was a weird color. It wasn't it's normal grey but a bright blue. There was also this yellow orb above the horizon that hurt my eyes when I looked at it.

I think this was all because we finally had a sunny day. Its hard to tell because I haven't seen the sun or a clear sky since the end of May. We have been getting two to three inches of rain a week in June. A good day in June has meant that it only rains for half the day. It has also been relatively cold where the average high is in the low 70s.

All this has made finding time to ride really hard. I hope this weather pattern changes soon. If not then I am just going to have to learn to ride in the rain.

It's Never Sunny in Round Valley

I end up riding by Round Valley reservoir at least 2 or 3 times a year. In the past 5 years I think I have only had one ride past the reservoir where the weather was actually nice. Most of the time it's either hazy, hot and humid or overcast and cloudy. The weather this Saturday was no better for this years ride around Round Valley.

The temperature was in the mid 70s which was good but it was overcast with the humidity of at least 110%. I didn't expect a lot of people on the ride since it was in the book as a long hilly ride but I actually ended up with 11 people. Except for Chris, Hilda, and Cheryl I didn't know any of them so I was a little nervous about leading this many people around hilly terrain.

As the ride got going it was clear that we had a few pace pushers who kept wanting to go ahead but for the most part they were pretty well behaved. The route I took was mostly the same route I have in book only backward. This way is a little less climbing and we get a really cool downhill after the reservoir.

We quickly made our way through Bellemeade and Hillsborough and crossed 202 in South Branch on Old York Rd. From here we headed past Solberg airport and made our way into Whitehouse Station. We were 21 miles into the ride so I decided to stop here since there were no other places to stop along the route for a least another 20 miles since the Stanton General Store is now closed. I had never stopped in Whitehouse Station for a rest stop so I didn't know what I would find. We found a pizza place which was closed but there was a nice deli that was open that made a good stop.

After the stop we headed towards the reservoir and started to do some climbing. The group started to spread out a little as some of the faster rides started to push ahead up the hills. I stayed back with the slower group to make sure nobody got left behind or felt like they had to push it up the hills. When I lead hilly rides like this it becomes hard to keep the group together when you have a mix of fast hill climbers and the rest of us who take a little time to make it up the hill. I tried to keep the group up front aware of the next few turns so they knew where we were going because although I have no problem dropping people if they don't behavior I prefer to try to keep the group together if possible.

As we got to the real hills around Round Valley and started a couple of long climbs I was very happy with the way everybody made it up the hill even though a few of them said they hadn't really done much climbing. Nobody really had a problem with the climb although we spread out a little. The humid weather and overcast sky made it not worth taking any pictures around the reservoir. For what the reservoir looks like on a good day see these pictures.

The downhill after the reservoir is one of the best downhills in the state. I hit 40mph and I'm sure the tandem hit 50mph. After the downhill we passed the abandon Stanton General Store and took Dreahook to Springtown. We ended up dropping a few people off the front when we made the turn onto Springtown and when we headed down Barley Sheaf I had somebody cramp up so we had to stop for a few minutes until he could ride again. We slowed down the pace so the guy who cramped up could keep up but he kept falling back so I stayed back with him and told Cheryl Chris and the other so go ahead since they knew where we were now and they could find their way to Peacocks.

We were on Cider Mill at this time and when we cross Amwell the guy who was cramping and his friend decided to head back around the north end of the Sourlands instead of climbing over the Sourland like I planned. They said they knew where they were and could get back so I left them and went to catch up with the rest of the group.

It was strange riding by myself after leading a ride but I took the opportunity to take a could of pictures. I eventually made it to Peacocks where I not only meet up with the rest of the group but also with the people I had dropped so in the space of a half hour I had lost almost all of the group and then found them again.

By the time we got to Peacocks we were pretty tired mostly because it was so humid. After the rest stop some of the pace pusher crowd decided to go back on their own. The rest of us climbed Linburg and headed back to the canal. I ended up coming down Dutchtown Zion just to get in one last down hill in. We got back to the canal around 1:30 pm just about the same time that the guys with the cramps got there so I was happy to see they made it back.

Even though the weather wasn't great and I had some problems with the group it didn't diminish from the ride. I may never see Round Valley on a good day but it doesn't mean that it's not a fun ride.