Long Haul - Day 21 (9/6/21) Chester PA to Harve De Grace 55.8 miles.
Today‘s ride was divided into two distinct parts and experiences. The first 35 miles were just super pleasant and even though we had some hills they were tolerable and we nailed them. We had only ridden a short while when we were taken onto a trail through a state park and it was so pleasant and peaceful. We didn’t make the best time but it was so worth it. We were just about at the end of that trail when we came to a tree which had fallen across the path. It was a fairly good sized tree and had been totally uprooted. So we did what we do, lift our bikes across the tree and keep going. After that we followed several roads through wooded areas and soon we were entering the city of Wilmington, Delaware We were stopped at a light waiting for it to change when a woman in the car just to our right rolled down her window and said, my I wish I had your energy. We rode through the beautiful city and were directed to the path along the river. What a beautiful path. It followed the river for a while and then elevated and turned to a boardwalk over a marshy area and on along for several miles. I guess Delaware knows how to do bike and walking paths. That was basically the first part of the day.
The last 20 miles were along West 40, a busy, noisy, and hilly highway. The good news is that we had either a shoulder or a designated lane for bikes all the way. The bad news is that the bike lane was a bit narrow and often there were two lanes of traffic to our left (they barreled past at full speed) and sometimes a turning lane to our right. You haven’t lived until you hear a hotrod truck blasting past on your left and a car flying past on your right. I can forego on something like that again, but suspect we might have a bit more of that tomorrow. This part was hot and we had some head winds, so the last 20 miles were a bit challenging. We were about 2 miles out and we were approaching a pretty long bridge so we pulled into a convenient store to cool of a bit before tackling the last several miles. We found a bit of shade next to the store and I went in to get some cold drinks. I walked past a woman in a car who smiled at me when I passed. I came out and walked past her again and noticed her watching as I passed. I didn’t think much about it but when we pushed our bikes out from the shade and got on them to head out, she rolled down her window, motioned me over and handed me two bottles of water. She must have thought that these two old people might need a bit of water What a sweet gesture. Most people are awesome If we just give each other a chance.
We started the day in Pennsylvania, passed through Delaware and ended up in Maryland.
https://www.treesforgoshen.org/biking-for-bucks-expand-goshens-tree-canopy/
Today’s Ride Ratings
Weather 8 (it had rained overnight and was really humid this morning and got pretty toasty by the time we arrived)
Temperature 71 at start and 84 at finish
Scenery 9 (part one) 4 (part two)
Riding Surface 7
Terrain 7
Comments