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Hulland, NJ to Doylestown, PA

Waking in the morning, my eyes felt really crusty, and I had trouble getting up.  When I had gotten most of my stuff packed up, the man who lived in the house nearest the boat launch where I was camped backed his boat down into the water and asked how I was.  After explaining what I was about, he asked if I needed anything, which was really nice of him as he was headed out to fish for the morning.

By the time I got to Milford, NJ, I was in need of a bathroom.  I checked the local grocery store downtown.  They don't have one, but before I left, I decided I might as well look for some food for later.  I started talking to Larry, who ended up making me a monster hoagie.  It took me two and a half meals to eat it, it was so big!  Larry had just the day before biked 50 miles and he felt my feat overshadowed his, but I think a half century is a lot of miles, no matter what day you do it.

I found a bathroom at the gas station, and headed South, still on the Jersey side of the Delaware River.  One kind man suggested I ride that stretch on the PA side, so I could have a better view of the cliffs on the NJ side, but I decided to still go with the printed route.

I caught up with and sort of passed a biker with no helmet just South of Milford.  When he spoke, I realized he comes from a culture that hasn't pushed helmets in the same way we do here in the U.S.A.  I think his accent was French, and he turned off in Frenchtown, NJ.  Seriously.

South from Frenchtown is a beautiful piece of riding.  There is a bike trail, but most serious bikers don't use it because it's mostly crushed stone, not pavement.  The highway, though, has medium to low traffic, and a clean, wide shoulder.  That particular morning, I was riding opposite a time trial bike race, I think.  Some of the folks were happy to wave or nod as they passed me headed North, and many were too focused on their goals.

Anyway, I did see one blue jersey headed South.  I decided to try to catch it.  After 10-20 minutes of bustling along at 16-20 miles per hour, I gave up.  Just around the next bend I saw the elusive blue jersey once more.  This time I wasn't going to give up, and I was closer.  When he stopped for a moment, I caught up to a very nice man named Rich.  We were very happy to ride together for quite a while.  Rich was out on his own, taking advantage of the beautiful weather (low temperatures, low humidity) and the weekend to do a long ride of about 80 miles, I think.  We split in Stockton, but when we got to the other side of the bridge into PA, we realized we could ride together some more, so we did!

Arriving in New Hope, PA, I finally found a town I regret not taking more time to look at.  This town has a historic canal with museums, tours, talks, a scenic railroad ride, a really nice feel to the downtown shops, and a very cute library that looks like a mini church.  Maybe I'll visit New Hope again someday.  At the library, I finally decided on my plans for the following few days, caught up with email and the wiki, and made little printouts of my name and website to better be able to give others the website address.

Leaving the library, I called Jason Wood, my planned host for the night.  I met Jason and Ruth Wood through <lhttp://couchsurfing.com<> and they are a wonderful couple.  Jason rode his bike out from Doylestown and met me part way.  Before I met Jason, a foursome of fast bicylists helped me up a hill by passing me and then letting me tag along to the rear.  Jason and I took the scenic route to their home, which I was grateful for.

Once at Ruth and Jason's place, I was blown away by how kind and thoughtful they were.  They were very accomodating, and after my shower Jason cooked dinner which was followed by a VERY nice walk into town.  The three of us took our time, they giving me the tour of Doylestown, and me happily tired and soaking up as much info as I could.  We got some desserts at an ice cream shop, and then walked to the park where I gave juggling lessons to Jason, Ruth, and a grandmother who had always wanted to learn.  I think all three learned a good amount and had fun.  Next, we walked through the older bit of town, and then hit a drugstore on the way home so I could buy new batteries for the light on the front of my bike.

Thank you so much, Jason and Ruth!

Total Stage VI Distance: 44 miles

Stage Time On Bike: 3 hours, 29 minutes

Total Stage time: 8.25 hours

Total Trip Distance: 358 miles, I think

Net Elevation Change: +???

On to <lStage VII<>

Back to <lStage V<>

Back to <lBike Travels<>

Check out the <llibraries<> I've used--I love libraries!

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