Pohatcong Twp. somewhere near Phillipsburg, NJ,  June 5

Here we sit, my stupidity and me, in my tent under a cluster of maples and pines, hiding from the nearby traffic. Somewhere I took a wrong turn and became discombobulated to the point that I had no idea in which direction I was going. After asking yet another person how I could get back on my route, (Yes, I do ask directions.) I decided do no more damage and just collapse for the day. Until my disorientation the day had been spectacular.

I left in great shape thanks to Betty’s magnificent hospitality. We talked about things reaching from our high school days into our present dotage. We both concluded that despite each of us having lost a spouse, we’re very happy with our present lives.

Nancy Springs

Coffee and a bagel awaited me as I arrived in Chalfont, a mere 10 miles from Warminster.  The eats were courtesy of Nancy Springs, a classmate of Deirdre’s. She’s a vivacious, caring person who rides a mountain bike and for 13 years in her career was a city’s director of recreation.  

 Thomas Wolfe said: You can’t go home. I tried to but Bucks County and Doylestown have changed so much that I just gave up trying to get there. Soy bean and corn fields where we ran as kids are massive housing developments. Beautiful old stone farmhouses have been bulldozed. The only way to orient myself was through the roads whose names had not changed.  And the traffic was horrible.

After turning off Swamp Road, I eased to the side of Cold Spring Creamery Road (At least Bucks County has retained its wonderfully descriptive penchant for roads.) and sat under a tree. I dined on a delicious meatloaf sandwich made by Betty from last night’s comfort-food dinner—meatloaf, baked potatoes, zucchini sautéed in herbed olive oil with onions and cheese, and a tomato and mozzarella salad with olive oil dressing salad. My roadside dessert was some of a bag of fabulous homemade ginger snaps Nancy gave me as we parted.

I crossed into New Jersey at Stockton. While Washington had a more difficult time crossing the Delaware than I did, the law said I had to walk by bike across the bridge. I’ll be following the ACA route along the river for the next few days. What an idyllic way to ride.

Typical historical Bucks County stone house.

To understand why I'm riding and raising money, please go to the first post--April 26.
To make a donation to the ALSA, please go to: http://web.alsa.org/goto/deirdresride