Month: October 2019

Saturday, October 19, 2019

Start: Point Pleasant, New Jersey
End: New York City, New York
Mileage/cumulative: 28 / 1,177
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 299′ / 27,950′
Weather: Sunny, 38º at start; sunny, 60º at finish; Winds: none
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 11

This was the big day. We would finish this journey that began over three weeks ago in front of Chicago’s Buckingham Fountain by riding our bicycles in New York City. First, though, we had to put in a few more miles up the Jersey Shore before boarding a ferry to Manhattan.

Even though it was a short mileage day, we had a cold, early start so that we didn’t miss the ferry. Just like our departure day in Chicago, we had beautiful blue skies that afforded spectacular views of the shore and the New York City skyline. As we rode north, we passed through Asbury Park, a small seaside city made famous by Bruce Springsteen, and Long Branch, Springsteen’s hometown. This ranked right up there with some of the other historical locations we’d ridden through!

Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Day 24: The End!”

Friday, October 18, 2019

Start: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
End: Point Pleasant, New Jersey
Mileage/cumulative: 74 / 1,149
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 1,266′ / 27,651′
Weather: Sunny, 37º at start; sunny, 60º at finish; Winds: tailwinds!
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 2 / 11

After a much needed rest day in Philadelphia, our band of slightly off-centered cyclists bundled up in the cold and headed toward the Atlantic Ocean. Our route began by taking us through downtown streets, onto the Ben Franklin Bridge, and over the Delaware River. I’m not crazy about cycling over bridges and this one was no exception. I don’t look down, I don’t look over the side, and I definitely hope nobody’s coming the other way. Bev told me that the view looking back at the Philadelphia skyline was spectacular but I had to just take her word for it.

Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Day 23”

Wednesday, October 16 – Thursday, October 17, 2019

Start: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
End: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mileage/cumulative: 78 / 1,075
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 3,091′ / 26,385′
Weather: Cloudy, 40º at start; rain, 60º at finish; Winds: not much
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 4 / 9

Everyone went to bed in Lancaster knowing that the next day was going to be a race against the weather, which we would all lose. Rain would be chasing us all of the way to Philadelphia and the only question would be how far we could get before being caught. The radar map looked like a giant Pac-Man coming to swallow us.

Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Day 21 and 22”

Tuesday, October 15, 2019

Start: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
End: Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Mileage/cumulative: 59 / 997
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 2,359′ / 23,294′
Weather: Sunny, 40º at start; cloudy, 67º at finish; Winds: mild but mostly in our face
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 5

We rolled out of Gettysburg with fresh memories of our battlefield bike tour and a memorable dinner at the historic Dobbin House Tavern. The Dobbin House was established in 1776, making it the oldest standing structure in the Gettysburg town limits. Originally constructed by the Reverend Alexander Dobbin for his family dwelling, the house was also a “station” on the Underground Railroad in the mid-1800s and, after the Battle of Gettysburg ceased, it served as a hospital for wounded soldiers on both sides. Today,  the house appears virtually the same as it did over 200 years ago. Dining there was a special experience.

Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Day 20”

Monday, October 14, 2019

Start: Hagerstown, Maryland
End: Gettysburg, Pennsylvania
Mileage/cumulative: 36 / 938
Elevation Ascended/cumulative: 2,060′ / 20,935′
Weather: Sunny, 42º at start; sunny, 71º at finish;Winds: light
Flat tires (entire group) day/cumulative: 0 / 5

Well, I’m a few days behind writing about our adventure. I guess that means we’ve been having too much fun! 

Day 19 was another short ride but with over 2,000 feet of climbing in only 36 miles, it gave our legs a good workout after so many days of flatter routes. Most of the short rides on this trip have been due to lodging logistics on stretches where accommodations were limited. Today’s ride was abbreviated for a different reason – we were meeting a guide for a four-hour bike tour of the Gettysburg battlefield.

I’d last been to Gettysburg about 15 years ago and saw the battlefield by car, following the Park Service’s automobile audio tour. Seeing it on a bicycle provided a true sense of the difficult, undulating terrain that the Union and Confederate armies fought on. The Battle of Gettysburg took place over three days in July 1863 and our guide led us around the field in chronological order.  It’s difficult to describe the size of the battlefield and the level of destruction that occurred when these two armies converged on tiny Gettysburg, simply because that’s where the roads intersected.

Near the end of our tour we stood on Cemetery Ridge, where, on July 3, 1863, 6,500 Union troops watched 15,000 Confederate soldiers run out of the woods and, led by Major General George Pickett, charge over three-quarter mile of open ground susceptible to cannon fire the entire time. The ill-fated Pickett’s Charge resulted in over 6,000 Confederate casualties and marked the end of the Battle of Gettysburg. Continue reading “Chicago to NYC – Day 19”