Day 12: Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead! - Downeast Maine and the East Coast Greenway - CycleBlaze

October 17, 2019

Day 12: Damn the torpedoes, full speed ahead!

...just replace “torpedoes” with 30mph headwind and it’s accurate


All morning I was inside hiding; should I go out or not I was deciding; by noon; the weather was not ending anytime soon; so I said, “20-30mph sustained winds or not, I’m riding!”

I couldn’t take it anymore. Out of my 12 planned days on the tour I rode 2 in the rain, canceled two, and had 6 successful days (not counting the canine assault). So I wanted to have a riding day on my final day 12. But remember the “bomb” nor’easter? It was blowing from the NW with sustained 20-30mph with gusts to 50mph. So I stripped the bike of half its weight and rode north into the headwind from Trenton, NJ on the D&R canal path. While not the “most safe and secure area” I didn’t feel unsafe, but I would not want to be there after dark is all I’ll say. Since I grew up in the area this was one of the few places I hadn’t ridden.

Right around where the train bridge crosses over the Delaware River at Yardley, PA. Who doesn’t love the sound of a train passing by?
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This is kind of the story of this tour, huh? I detoured on a side road through Ewing, NJ
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The winds were definitely sustained, and several of the gusts had me shifting to a lower gear to keep moving forward heading north. At one point the winds took down a huge tree branch with a loud CRACK and subsequent crash into the canal water. I had to lift my bike over a separate fallen tree that fell victim to the storm. But I made it to Lambertville, NJ and crossed over to New Hope, PA. Now onto a path I have ridden many times before.

And now the wind was at my back! I flew out of New Hope and south in my 2nd highest gear (and when the wind gusted, I could have shifted to my highest but whatever). 

Riding southbound on the canal though New Hope
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Just south of the town it passes by some condominiums on the path and you feel like your riding through a French garden
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Delaware River on the left, canal on the right, path in the middle. Great riding. Best of all, it’s not raining :-)
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Once I arrived home, my mom and I got ready for dinner and went out to a local Italian place and sat for a little over two hours enjoying the meal, the discussion, the community and neighborhood atmosphere of the restaurant. Great end and final meal to the tour. I don’t think the meal on Amtrak will come close to that. 

Mom and I toasting you, the readers, that you made it through the trip and journal (bet you couldn’t wait for it to end :-))Thanks for reading!
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I’ll post a restropective in a few days, but basically that’s it. A little over 500 miles from a planned 750. 12 days - 7 in sun (or partial sun), 2 riding in rain, and 3 days canceled because of storms. Talk to you all later!

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Today's ride: 32 miles (51 km)
Total: 501 miles (806 km)

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Bob DistelbergCongratulations on finishing the ride, despite all the obstacles along the way. I enjoyed following along. I always enjoy following a ride happening in the northeast, close to home for me!
Bob
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4 years ago
Scott AndersonCongrats on finishing the ride, and sorry you didn’t have better luck with the weather. Thanks for taking us along!
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4 years ago
Paul Mulvey@Scott - thanks for following along. Weather is weather, whether or not I like it :-) It might be unpleasant in the moment but a week or two later looking over the pictures I'm sure I'll remember all the good aspects of the tour (like riding along a bike path with no-one else around listening to the wind in the leaves and traveling through the fall leaves.
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4 years ago