Well, my number came up today . . . at least for 30 minutes or so. Longer if you count the walk to and from breakfast, made worse by my first choice being closed this morning. Google is not always right. And it was raining so hard that my shorts were fairly damp when I got back to the hotel, so I hung them in front of the air conditioning unit to let them dry . . . and to wait to see if the rain relented. They did, and it did . . . somewhat, but I still had to pack the former while still damp. At least it was relatively warm in spite of the rain, so I installed my light system on my helmet, donned my raincoat, and off I went.
The first major challenge, beyond the rain, was crossing the bay to the mainland on the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge, a six-lane dual bridge with no shoulders and only a minimal safety walk. Being three lanes in each direction, I took the right lane as mine. The sign warning motorists to be on the watch for cyclists was not particularly reassuring, and I still had cars pass me using part of my lane. Why? On a Sunday morning it wasn't like the bridge needed all three lanes to handle the traffic demand. The one thing cyclists need to travel safely is smart and aware automobile drivers . . .
About 30 minutes into the ride, I had crossed the Barnegat Bay and was on a parallel side street (as opposed to NJ-37). Things were quieter, and the rain had mostly stopped, so time for a picture!
By the time I had crossed the bridge and turned onto a side road, the rain was mostly nonexistent. Yay for me! And it would mostly stay that way the rest of the day. Getting across the bay also meant I was off NJ-37 and on more local roads passing through Toms River and the surrounding bedroom-type communities . . . which eventually led me to the Barnegat Branch Trail, a welcome relief.
My entry to the Barnegat Branch Trail . . . a rail trail I would follow for about 11 miles to Barnegat.
It's a nice rail trail but not fully complete. There was no crossing — that I could see — for bicycles at the trestle bridge, so I followed a trail to the east that led me to a parking lot, a park (Dudley Park), and a park entrance out to US-9. So I was back on US-9 again, but only for a short distance . . . if you are willing to ride an unfinished trail. This section did not even have cinders! Fortunately, it had survived the rain, and with my larger-than-normal-width road tires, I was able to navigate it easily, albeit slower. But I was in no rush today, doing only 30 miles today.
When I recovered the trail, it had pretty much become nothing more than a track . . . but it wasn't raining and I was in no rush, so on I went.
The Barnegat Branch Trail ends, appropriately enough, in Barnegat. It's a nice trail and is mostly isolated from US-9, which it runs parallel to for most of the way. And my last five miles into Manahawkin were back on US-9, but US-9 has a nice wide shoulder and is easy to ride.
Why only 30 miles today? Well, I have a longtime friend who lives on Long Island Beach, so we will visit tonight. In fact, we had a nice dinner on the island and then went back to see his new home and catch up with his wife, who I have known equally as long but was stuck dog-sitting their new Corgi, Rinc.
Today's ride: 30 miles (48 km) Total: 1,525 miles (2,454 km)
