Riding Home from New York - Day 2 - Martinsville, NJ to West Conshohockenton, PA

 It's so hot. It's ridiculously hot. I had to go a bit over 70 miles. Temps in 90s, heat index over 100.

The only way to do this is to get going as early as I can, and get as many miles in as possible before the heat sets in.

So I was on the road stuffed with coffee and cake at 7. I missed saying goodbye to Elliott, who was up at 4:00 for his job!

It was all about getting flat roads that are a straight shot to where you want to go. Traffic be damned. It was Millstone River Road 12 miles to Princeton, then the Princeton Turnpike another 12 miles to Trenton, and I'm in Pennsylvania before 10 and it's not hot yet.

Things get complicated in PA. The direct, flat route is this bike trail, which is a former canal towpath. Note canal next to it.

I had to Nope right off of that after a couple miles. It was too slow going. And it was getting hot. So I just rode clear to Philadelphia 20 miles on the shoulder of US13. Flat, smooth, direct. Today was not a day for worrying about traffic, or how ugly the scenery is, or taking pictures. 

My plan was to take cooldown breaks, but it turns out that most restaurants north of Philly are still takeout only, and all the convenience stores have removed their seating! So all I had to "eat" was the occasional bottle of Gatorade. Not so many opportunities for cooldown breaks.

In Philly, my route left US 13 and went onto Kensington Avenue, which is under an elevated commuter railway. This was a big win because of shade, until you get closer to the center city where it becomes a giant homeless camp. I rode all the way across North Philly on Allegheny Avenue until I hit the Schuylkill River, where there is a terrific rail trail most of the rest of the way to my friends Jim and Mary's, in West Coshohonkton, where they put me up for the night.

Like Lyn, Jim and Mary live on top of a mountain, with a super steep hill to get there. And again, I had to push my bike up. I got in around 3:30, and was roasted alive. All those miles were fueled by a few bottles of Gatorade, some coffee cake, and a cup of coffee. Also my belly fat reserves, to be strictly honest here.

But we went out to dinner down the hill from there house at a fantastic restaurant, the Gypsy Saloon. I stuffed myself massively with guacamole, and lobster mac and cheese. I am pretty sure that will restore the belly fat reserves.

Here is the Strava Track.