Moments of Sadness

Although my latest posts have been more about my vacation and the lost of the Baja I have been riding. There was just nothing special or interesting about the rides to post. This past Saturday Jeff had a ride to Lahaska from Washington crossing. I had not been in the hills for a few weeks so wanted decided to do the ride. I started with a few other people from the NJ side to get a few extra miles in. 

Jeff didn't put any hard hills on the ride so it was an easy ride to Lahaska where we stopped for a break. Jeff tried a new shop for the stop but it was super crowded so a few of us went to another store. At that point I decided to head back to the start on my own. I had a memorial service I needed to be at in the early afternoon and didn't want to be late. 

The memorial service was for a friend of ours, named Rich, who was one of the first people we met when we moved into our community just over four years ago. He was nice guy who helped us meet a lot of other people in the community and settle in. He became the core of our group and we had a lot of fun together. Because of him my wife now volunteers at a farm for rescue animals which she really enjoys. 

Unfortunately about a year and a half ago Rich was diagnose with glioblastoma an incurable form of brain cancer. He died a few weeks ago which was sad because he was only 65. When we first met Rich we knew we found a good friend that we could hang out. He was a very easy going person and always willing to help us out when we needed something. We had hoped to have him in our lives for a long time so it strange that we will not see him again. We will be ever grateful that he connected us to the other people in the community that now form our group of friends. I will also be grateful for Rich introducing my wife to the rescue farm where she volunteers once a week. It's a place that makes her happy ever time she goes there. We are very happy for the joy that Rich brought into our lives and are sad that he left us so soon.

Rich's memorial service wasn't the only sad moment on Saturday. My mother-in-law also passed away in the early afternoon right before Rich's service. She was 97 years old and her health had really started failing her a couple months ago. She had lived in her house on her own until a couple of years ago when we had to get an aid to help her out. The aid was part time then a few months ago it was around the clock. A couple of weeks ago she was put on hospice care so we knew she didn't have much time left. At 97 her body was just worn out. 

She and my father-in-law were good working class people. My father-in-law, who we lost 9 years ago, was a diamond setter in New York and my mother-in-law was a secretary at the local school in Paramus. They were the typical suburban couple who made friends with all their neighbors. The wife's got together for coffee when the kids went to school and the men got together to drink after work. When I met their daughter and were introduced to them they were nothing but kind. Once I married into the family I felt like part of it and had no problem getting along with them. I'm sad to see my mother-in-law go but she lived a full life. She was really starting to suffer for the past couple of months so her passing is really a blessing at this point that will give her some piece.

Friend and family dying is part of the things that we experience as part of our lives. These are sad moments that make us reflect on their lives and our own. These moments make us sad but they also make us realize and appreciate the people who have been a part of our lives.

Bye Bye Baja

It is with a heavy heart that I publish this post because my companion of 23 years is now gone. It may be silly to anthropomorphism a car but I can't deny that I had feelings for it. I bought this car new in October of 2002 and it has taken me on some great adventures during the time we had together. It got me to and from work on weekdays. And on weekends would either help me haul some dirt or lumber for a home project and/or take me to a bike ride. 

The Subaru Baja was a very versatile car. It was the Subaru Outback wagon with a pickup bed instead of the normal extended interior of a wagon. This meant I could haul dirt or plants or wood and not worry about the inside of the car getting dirty. The wall between the back of the pickup bed and the back seats folded down so I could carry long pieces of wood or other material. I could easily carry 4x8 pieces of plywood or 12 foot long pieces of hardwood. I once even got all the pieces of a shed in the back with the bed extender on. 

 

When the Baja wasn't hauling stuff it was a very comfortable car that could fit 4 adults. It was nimble enough to be fun to drive on windy country roads but could also cruise at top speed along the highway. It's 4 wheel drive took me without fear through snow storms and to ski slopes. I knew what every the weather or road conditions the Baja would get me where I needed to go. It was just fun to drive.

 

 

The car was garage kept since day one and I kept it cleaned and waxed. I did all the regular maintenance and never abused the car in any way. The car was very reliable and I only had a few unexpected problems over the years. Unfortunately the last year the car started showing its age. Last March the water pump needed to be replace as the original one cracked. Replacing the water pump was not cheap as they had to take part of the engine apart to replace the pump. At the time I debated whether I should do the repair or get rid of the car but the car was otherwise in good condition so I thought it was would be worth it if I could get another year or so out of the car. 

Over the past few months a clamp on the fuel line failed and I had a problem with the lock on the passenger door. I had to push really hard on the stalk to get the left turn signal to work. The final straw was a fluid leak of unknown origin. I could not find the source of the leak but guessed it was some seal in the engine that would be an expensive fix. Age had finally caught up to the Baja and there was no denying that it was time to put it out to pasture. 

I had been to the NY car show this past April to check out the new cars just to get and idea what was out there and what my options would be if I needed a new car. I took a look at a lot of the cars and tried to find the best EV and the best hybrid car that would fit my needs. Cars have changed a lot in the 23 years since I bought a new car. You now have a choice of the type of engine for a car, gas, hybrid or electric. Electric cars have come a long way in the past few years and are a viable alternative in certain conditions. If you are a two car family and have a home you can add a level 2 charger to then EVs can make a lot of sense. Most of the trips people make today are less than 50 miles so an EV can be your main car and handle most of the trips you need to make. 

That is why we decided to get and EV for the new car. We have always had two cars. My car and my wife's car. My car would be for hauling stuff and getting me to my bike rides. Her car would be the one we use for our road trips. Now we are going to have an EV which will be "THE CAR" we both use for all our local and short distance trips and my wife's car will be used for long distance trips and for times when we need to leave the car in a location like center city Philadelphia or an airport where you won't want to leave a new car. My wife's car is a 18 year old Nissan Altima so it's not a car anyone would want. 

So what car did we decide to buy. It is a 2025 Hyundai Ioniq 5.

 

When I went to the NY car show I found three EVs that I really liked. The Nissan Airya, the Chevy Equinox and the Hyundai Ioniq 5. The Airya was my favorite followed by the Equinox then the Ioniq 5. I was looking at a SUV instead of some type of small pickup like the Baja because at this point of my life I don't have a big yard or need to build as much so I don't need a pickup anymore. An SUV will have enough room to haul what. I need now. 

So after making the decision that we needed to replace the Baja we spent a Saturday going to a few different dealerships and driving a bunch of cars. We tried to drive the Airya but Nissan didn't have one we could drive but we did look at it. We then test drove the Ioniq 5 and really liked it but wanted to check out a couple of other cars. We then tested out the Kia Niro and Chevy Equinox. We were really disappointed with the Equinox. It didn't drive well and although the interior was very comfortable it looked cheap. The Niro was okay but not as nice as the Ioniq 5. Then it was back to Hyundai to make a deal with a 21 year old salesman who was younger than the Baja ;) The good thing about my wife and I is that for big ticket items we have similar tastes in what we want and like so there was no doubt about the decision. 

So we made the deal and on Monday the 15th parted with a large amount of cash for the new car. The car is very different than any other car I have had. Being electric it is quiet, smooth and without any transmission has amazing linear acceleration. We ended up getting the all wheel drive model. I would have preferred the two wheel drive model since it offers more miles on a charge but they do not stock those models in states that have snow. However the all wheel drive model is faster and more agile so it should be fun to drive. 

The new car has a lot of new features. The Ioniq 5 was totally redesigned for 2025 so has a larger battery and updated electronics. I thought about getting a used EV to save money but the new features of 2025 especially the larger battery make it a much better car. The car has some self driving features like adaptive cruise control and lane keeping. It's not as sophisticated as Tesla's self driving but it is close enough for most of the driving we will do. 

It's going to take a while to get use to the new car and all of it's features. I'm sure I will like it once I get more familiar it but I don't think I will like any car as much as I liked my Baja. When I drove the Baja for the last time driving to the dealer for the trade in I felt like I was taking my dog to the vet to be put to sleep. I will miss the Baja but it was time for a change. 

There will be no funeral services for the Baja let's just remember the good times we had with it. In lieu of flowers I would suggest you make donations directly to the Baja memorial fund (i.e. me) This fund will be used to help the families who lost a Baja recover from the financial hardship of having to buy a new car. 

R.I.P. Baja you served me well and will be missed.  

 

 

The New England Coast

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After a couple of days in the far reaches of Lubec Maine we started to make our way south. The first stop was Bar Harbor. We hadn't been to up this was since 2005 so we thought it would make a good stop as part of our trip. It took a little over 2 hours to get to Bar Harbor and we arrived around noon. It was a cloudy day but warm. Since we couldn't get in our hotel yet we decided to take a drive around Acadia. We stopped at the Hull Cove Visitor's Center to check in and get our pass. To get to the visitor center you have to climb 52 steps to get to it. Not sure why they didn't put it level with the parking lot.

Once we got our pass we drove around the park stopping at different scenic vistas and other points of interest. There was Sand Beach, and Thunder Hole

 

 

as well as some good views of the rocky coastline 

We spent a little over 3 hours driving around the park. The only part of the park we didn't see was Cadillac mountain. The cloud ceiling was only a few hundred feet so there was no point. 

Our hotel was on Mount Desert Island in the Northeast Harbor. It was a decent hotel with a view of the harbor. 

The plan for our second day in Bar Harbor was to do a whale watch but it was going to be foggy and rainy all day so we bailed on the whale watch and instead checked out some of the stops of Bar Harbor and the Northeast Harbor. Although it was Sunday we managed to get a parking spot on the street in the middle of Bar Harbor. We walked around town for a couple of hours. We spent half of our time in the Atlantic Brewing Company sampling some of their beers. The last two times we were in Bar Harbor we have eaten at their restaurant and enjoyed their blueberry beer. It doesn't really have a strong blueberry taste but it is a very smooth beer. I had a flight of beer so I could try some of their other beers but the blueberry one was still the best and as good as I remembered. We didn't eat there this time but had one of the best large pretzels I have even had. 

The next day we left for the last stop on our trip which was Cape Cod. We took a scenic side trip on the way to the town of Rockport. Why Rockport? To see the Andre the seal statue of course. If you don't know the story of Andre the seal you can check out the this article or watch this video. 

The short version is that Andre was a seal who was and an abandon pup rescued by the harbor master (Harry) of Rockport. Even though he set him free when he grew up Andre always came back in the spring. Eventually Harry taught him some tricks when he fed him each night and people watched. This became a nightly event that drew crowds in the summer. One of those people in those crowd was me back in the early 70s. So the trip to Rockport was trip down memory lane. While we checked out the statue of Andre we actually met a few other people from NJ who also saw Andre so it was fun to talk to the and exchange memories. There was also a local teacher there who tells the story to her class each year. She actually recorded a video of me telling my story of when I saw Andre. It was fun to visit a place of one of my early childhood memories. I took a few pictures and then we headed on to Cape Cod.

Cape Cod is one of our favorite places to go and relax. We have been there enough to know our way around and have some favorite places to go. The first stop is always at Capt Parker's or the Lobster Boat for a bowel of claim chowder. We got some claim chowder in Maine but it doesn't come close to anything in Cape Cod. We don't have a favorite hotel but we usually stay in or around South Yarmouth. This time we stayed a little further to the east in Dennis Port in a hotel with a view of the ocean. The room was nice, large and comfortable. The day after we got to Cape Cod we had good weather so we spent most of the day relaxing at Corporation Beach.

It's a quiet beach used mostly by the locals and is never crowded. Then it was on to another good dinner and ice cream of course. The next day wasn't as warm so we check out some of our favorite craft and artistic shops then spent a couple of hours by the pool and beach of our hotel. 

It was then time to come home. I have been extremely busy at home and work for the past month so if felt good to get away for a week and relax and do some sight seeing.  

The Points of the Compass

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We did it. Not that it really matters or that it was ever a goal of ours, but we made it to at least one of the northern, southern, eastern, and western extreme points of the US. This past week we traveled up to Maine on vacation. And when I say up to Maine i mean we went as far north and east as you can get before hitting Canada. This was to get to West Quoddy Head lighthouse which is the eastern most point in the continental US. We had already been to Key West which is the southern most point in the US and to Utqiagvik(formally known as Barrow) Alaska the northern most point in the US and to Cape Alava Washington the western most point in the contiguous US, so we have completed all point of the compass.  

Of course, we didn't go to Maine to complete the points of the compass it was to get away for a week and relax and find some interesting things to see. On the way to the eastern most point we stopped for a night in Portland Maine. On the way out we stopped at Portland Head light which is probably one of the more picturesque light houses. 

Then it was a 4-hour drive to Lubec Maine the last hour and a half of the ride was on narrow county routes with more and more woods and less and less houses until we got to Lubec which is a small fishing village across the bay from Canada. We stayed at West Quoddy Station which was right next to the light house. It was an old coast guard stations whose building have been turned into cabins you can rent. It was a nice quiet place to spend a couple of days. 

The cabin we stayed in had a large porch with a good view of the bay and surrounding area.

Being next to the lighthouse made it easy to go see it a couple of times. I got a few pictures in the daytime when we got there and then went the next morning to try and get a good sunrise shot. 

Heavy fog rolled in right before the sunrise so although I saw some rays of the sun on the water I never did see the actual sun. 

Besides visiting the lighthouse, we took a day trip to Campobello Island in Canada. It's a small island just across the bay from Lubec and is filled with a few fishing villages and lighthouses so we thought it make a scenic drive. The other reason we went there was to see the Roosevelt Campobello park. 

This is a place where Roosevelt's father had a vacation home and FDR spent many summers. The park is now run by a committee that is made up of both Canadians and Americas. It contains a few houses that have been preserved in the original state. There are also miles of roads and hiking trails where you can see the surrounding forests and coastlines. We took a tour of the main house and drove to Liberty Point for some scenic views. Then went on to explore the rest of the island. 

There isn't really a lot to see on Campobello except the coastline which is nice. There is also a very interesting lighthouse called the Head Harbor Light station. This is a light house on the northern tip of the island that you can only get to at low tide. I timed our arrival an hour and a half before low tide. To get to the lighthouse you have to first go down a set of steep stairs and cross a bolder field covered in seaweed. There is a path between the rocks but you still have to be careful not to slip and fall.

 

Then you have to walk across a gravel beach and up a very rusty set of stairs to a second island.

Then you walk a quarter mile across the island then down another set of step stairs and across a beach through another bolder field covered with seaweed before you get to the actual light house

 

It took me about 20 mins of carefully hiking to make my way. It was a little slick in places and I had worked up a good sweat by the time I got to the lighthouse but it was worth the trip.

I spent about 15 minutes walking around the lighthouse and taking pictures. It was an interesting lighthouse. It really gets beat up by the weather and I could see a lot of damage to the walls and some of the structures around it. It must require a lot of maintenance to keep it standing. Then I slowly made my way back to my wife and the mainland. 

After that we stopped for dinner at a small place by the water before heading back to the US and back to our cabin. It was a fun couple of days at one of the most rural and extreme places we have been. Next stop Bar Harbor and some more scenic coastlines.  

 

 

 

 

Gettysburg in the Summer

 

I have been to Gettysburg 5 times since 2012. This is not because I'm a civil war history buff but because there is a lot of good bike riding in the area. Most of my trips here have been in October with the Philadelphia Bike Club. They run a ride out here every year where they fill up 2 hotels in, Hanover PA, with bicyclist who ride all the roads in and around Gettysburg. It's always a good trip and it is fun being part of a weekend which is all about biking and nothing else. 

I have always wanted to come out in the late spring or summer instead of the fall so we could ride in warmer weather. I have been trying to do this for a couple of years but weather or other commitments kept me from doing it. I tried this past June to get a trip going but the weather didn't work out so when I saw an opening of good weather at the end of August I sent out an email out to see if I could get enough people on short notice to do the trip.

Luckily 5 of us were able to do. Since I had been planning this trip for over a year I had all the logistics of the trip already work out, mostly. For this trip we always stay in the Hampton Inn in Hanover but the price was kind of expensive this time of year. I looked for discounts and while looking at other alternatives I found a house on Vrbo that would work so ended up booking that instead. 

So this past Friday off we went to Gettysburg. After driving to Gettysburg and meeting everyone at the starting point we start the ride off around noon.  Our first ride was around the battlefield. I had mapped out a 23 mile loop that hit all the different areas. Most of the ride was inside the park. There wasn't a lot of people at the park or in Gettysburg itself so we didn't have to deal with a lot of people or cars getting in our way. There are a lot of interesting monuments and statues here as well a a number of scenic overlooks so we took our time. I have rode around the battlefield a number of times but I always find some I haven't notice before so didn't mind doing it again. 

After the ride it was back to our house.

I have stayed in a number of Vrbo houses and am usually able to find a good place to stay. The only concern I had about this house was there was no reviews but it had 5 bedrooms (one for each of us), was on the route of our Saturday ride and was half the price of the hotel rooms. The house was on a 100 acre farm at the end of the long driveway. It was few hundred feet from the other houses on the farm and in the back corner so it was very private. 

 

We had great views of Lake Marburg and the rolling farmland. The house was larger than I expected with two large living rooms in the front (one of them became the bike room). A large eat in kitchen and dinning room as well as 1 bedroom on the first floor. Then the second floor had 4 bedrooms. The furniture was old but comfortable and the house was clean. However the best thing about it was the porch with its rocking chairs where you could sit out and watch the lake and farm. It was a good place to relax after the ride. 

Dinner was at a local dinner then back home to watch Jeff passionately root for the Eagles. 

On Saturday we did a ride to Loganville to visit a farmers market. This ride was through an area called Seven Valleys. Do you know what surrounds valleys?? That right HILLS! and depending on who's GPS you believed there were between 8 and 15 climbs on this ride. The first part of the ride was through the valley although this is Pennsylvania so it was more rolling than flat with a couple of annoying short bumps. On the way we ended up passing Hanover Junction train station

 

This is the train stations that Lincoln passed through on his way to Gettysburg to give his famous speech. Today its one of the trail heads for the Heritage Rail Trail which goes from York PA all the way down to the Mason Dixon line in Maryland. We stopped at the train station for a bathroom break and also got a history lesson from some of the union soldiers who were there as part of a family event. 

Then it was onward and mostly upward as we climbed out of the valley and to the farmers market. Brown's Farm Market is like a country version of Delicious Orchards. It has all the usual produce and baked goods as any normal farmers market would as well as a nice set of tables outside to sit at. It also had a good view of the valley we had rode through.

 

From there is was back down through what is call a town around here and then on to a dam on Lake William. Last time I did this route in 2018 they had drained the lake and were working on the dam. At that time there was a bridge out sign across the road but the we were still able to ride across the dam. I was curious to see what the new dam looked like. 

The new dam is very nice. They just forgot to add the bridge. DAM!! 

That was unexpected. If we were really adventurous we would have tried to walk down the hill and across the spillway but that would be a bad idea. Instead we had to go back up the hill from the dam and find another way back. I did plan for this contingency as when I mapped out the ride the road to the dam was marked as dirt so I made sure I had a way around. 

The way around ended up adding about 5 miles and 500 ft of climbing so what was going to be a hard 3200 ft 43 mile ride just turned into the hardest ride I have done if a few years. 

The weather was warm but not humid and we kept the pace easy but the way back had some long slow climbs.  We did manage to find a small farm stand along the way back for a second break. Since we added 5 mile to the ride we decided to try to cut off a few miles if we could. However because of lack of road signs and because I don't have a lot of experience in this area I missed the road that I was trying to use to shorted the ride. We ended up doing most of the planned ride. I cramped at 44 miles climbing a small hill so had to take a couple of breaks to stretch out my legs. 

I used my cell phone to find the best way back and made a few wrong turns but we did all make it back. I ended up with just over 47 miles and just under 3700 ft of climbing. I had definitely pushed myself to the limit which caused cramping for the next few hours but was none the worst for wear my legs were just really stiff. 

Saturday evening we headed out to explore Lake Marburg

then headed to the Utz pretzel outlet. Hanover PA is the pretzel capital of the world. There are manufacturing plants for all the major brands of pretzels include Utz, Hanover and Synders. 

Then it was on to dinner at Atland House. This is a restaurant and brew pub and the place the Philadelphia Bike Club usual has their Saturday night dinner during the fall weekend so the food is good. Dessert was at Brusters Real Ice Cream in Hanover. I had discovered this place in 2018 and always stop here when I'm in the area.

The forecast for Sunday before the trip had been for isolated morning showers that would be gone before sunrise but they ended up staying around a little longer. We got ready to leave the house on Sunday and waited around an extra hour for the rain to mostly stop. I decided to start the ride at the planned rest stop in New Oxford. The drive there would give more time for the rain to pass through and the roads to dry. When we got to New Oxford the rain had stopped and a check of the radar said we have a few hours before it would rain again so off we went on a slightly shorter version of the original ride I had planned. This ride was rolling with only one real hill. The roads we did on Sunday is more representative of the better roads in the area. Lots of farmland, low traffic and enough scenery and strange sight along the way to keep it interesting. For some reason there is an elephant status in the middle of the field next to a lake just south of New Oxford. I also saw the copy of the Scooby-Doo Mystery Machine along the road.

There is just a certain about of weirdness around here. My legs where still sore from the previous days ride but the tightness got better once I got a few miles in. It was cloudy but the rain stayed away. The best part of starting the ride in New Oxford is we got to end at one of the best rest stops on any bike ride Deja Brew. It's a coffee shop in the middle of town on a circle with good coffee and great baked goods. I always end up taking some stuff home from here because it is so good. I think if we did this ride again then we will always start from New Oxford because hanging out at Deja Brew is a good way to end a ride. 

And with that the quick three day weekend of riding was over. I don't know when I will be back to Gettysburg again but I know I will be back as it is just a great place to spend a few days riding around.  

 

Lying Bastard 2025

Believe or not I have been doing some form of the Lying Bastard ride for almost 13 years. This ride started out as a ride around Lake Nockamixon based on a route I got from the Philadelphia Bike Club. The original intention was to explore some new roads around the lake but this ride has come to define me in a strange sort of way. You can see the origin of the ride in this post. The short version of the story is that when I lead a ride around Lake Nockamixion, in 2012, I mention that the ride would be a little hilly but nothing too long or hard. Then in the first 7 miles we went up a 1 mile hill that had a 10% grade and an short but really steep 20% grade of 400 feet. At the top of the second hill one of the people on the ride asked if I'm often called a lying bastard. After that even though the hills and riding were a lot easier the other people joined in and at the moment my reputation was cemented. 

Some people may have been embarrassed by this moniker but I leaned into it and in subsequent rides put in a occasional unexpected steep hill or other surprise in the ride. This has led to a healthy sarcastic banter between me and my so called friends. In fact this is why the people I ride with on a regular basis are called the Insane Bike Posse because even though they jokingly say they hate my rides they keep coming back for more so they must be insane.

Over the years I have an annual ride I lead along some of the same roads of the original Lake Nockamixon ride that I title the "Lying Bastard" ride just to reinforce my identity. It has changed over the years to become a little shorter and easier but still is one of the hardest rides I do. As I will maintain until I die there is no one hill that is a real killer but I think the fact that there are no flat or easy spots in this ride is why it always feels tougher than it looks. 

This year I had to start the ride from Tinicum State Park as we couldn't start from Frenchtown because the walk way on the bridge is closed. This meant we started the climbing a mile sooner. I had some of the usual insane posse join the ride and a few new comers. 

The ride starts with a long slow climb up Headquarters Rd. It's only 2-3% so its not hard. The road has also been closed for at least 5 years as the bridge at the top of the road is closed and from the way it look (see picture at top of the post) the bridge is not going to be fixed anytime soon. In fact there is more junk across it every time we come this way. This makes for a nice no traffic road but the added tree this year did make it a little harder to get across. Dave bumped his chain against his leg going over the bridge so he needed a bandage for his leg and an adjustment to his chain before we could move on. 

Then is was a little uphill before we road along the ridge toward the southern part of the lake. On the way down the hill Dave got a pinch flat. I helped him change it as the rest of the people headed to a boat ramp for a quick break.

 

We join them a few minutes later and then headed up around the northern part of the lake and into the neighborhood above it. As I had mentioned in other posts about this ride this area is a little weird as there are some alternative medicine rest homes, a Greek temple among other strange things.  There is also a covered bridge hidden here. It was then down to the marina by the lake. My routes for this ride in recent years didn't go by the lake because it would have added too many miles but I found a new road that is paved that got us there.

It was a nice downhill going down to the lake. Once there we rode out to the point to see the view and watch a few sailboats on the lake. The day started out cloudy and humid but was in the mid 80s so it didn't feel too bad. It did clear a little but was still mostly cloudy. It was still good to see the lake although it meant a little climb to get back to the road. Then is was on to our rest stop. Its a Turkey Hill which is a slight step down from a Wawa but there are not a lot of options out this way. 

The rest stop is on a 611 which is a busy road and my old route stayed on 611 for a mile or so I tried to find a different way back for this years route. Of course the new way back had an extra hill that was a steep 200+ foot climb. So we traded traffic for climbing. It was a tough rude hill to add to the ride but it felt like the right thing to do for this years ride. Then it was mostly downhill and back to the start. 

This is tough ride but it is always interesting and something I will continue to do keep up my reputation.  

Belmar and Back

This past Tuesday I looked at the weather forecast and saw a perfect weather for Saturday. It was going to be in the mid 70s with sunshine and not much wind. This summer's weather has been mostly raining or hot and humid so there have only been a few rides where I didn't have to worry about getting wet or melting from the heat. The question was where should be ride? Flat or hills?

I wanted a long ride to take advantage of the weather so I decided in a flat ride. I thought let's go out of Etra Lake Park and head towards Farmingdale or Belmar. I usually don't like to ride to the beach in the summer months because it can be crowed but I wanted miles so put out the word I was doing a ride to Belmar on Saturday. This I knew would have Laura contemplating adding miles to the beginning and end of my ride to my ride to do a century. She wavered a little but eventually decided to do it and got Martin to join her. 

Those of use not doing the century option met at Etra Park. When I say met we actually all pulled in to the park with military precision with in seconds of each other even though we all came from different directions. I guess we all know the location of the starting points and the time it take to get there well enough to always get there about the same time.

Laura and Martin rode into the park a little while later as the rest of us were all set to start the ride and off we went. I have done this ride many times over the year so the route was familiar and I didn''t really have to think about the turns. I knew this was going to be a long ride so I kept a relaxed pace. Still with made good progress towards Belmar as the weather was as good as predicted and the riding was easy.

Because of the crowded roads expected by the beach we took the Edgar Felix bike path to get into Sea Girt. We were then on some busy roads on the way through the town. There was lots of traffic and some kind of festival and walk going on be we made it through unscathed. 

Then it was a few miles up Ocean ave to our normal rest stop in Belmar. We spent some time there fueling up and watching the beach goers. 

 

It was not as hectic as I expected. The only annoying thing is that the Trump train road by while we were sitting there. 

We headed out of Belmar on 16th street which is a one way street and we went the wrong way on it on purpose. I could have went up one of the other streets that is one way in the correct direction but that would have meant that we would have to have ridden on Main street to get back to 16th street once it was a two way street again and Main street has a lot of traffic with no real shoulder to ride in so it's not a good option either given the traffic at the shore today. 

In any case there wasn't any problem going the wrong way on the one way street and soon we were out of Belmar and heading back. We made our way through Farmingdale and then on to Freehold. The wind was mostly from the north east so we didn't have the normal headwind we usually do on the way back from the shore.  We had a second stop at a Duncan Donuts. I grab a glazed donut to get some sugar for the last 12 miles back to the start. 

The weather was still pleasant. It only warmed up a few degrees from the start the the humidity was low so although I was tired at the end of the ride I didn't feel wiped out as I did other times. After we got back to Etra Laura and Martin left to finish their century. They looked good so I doubt they had any problems finishing. 

This was a perfect ride for this perfect weather day. Hopefully we can have a few more like this as the summer continues.