Family, For the First Time

I rode ALL day yesterday in the rain. It started off as more of a drizzle, but picked up later in the day. The first part of my ride was through Princeton University. It was pretty dreary, and I didn't go straight through campus so there weren't too many picture oppertunities. However, I did pass these columns out in the middle of a field. They made me think of Mizzou (University of Missouri) where I went to graduate school. Mizzou is known for gigantic columns they have on campus. Here is a picture of the columns I passed. They were from some historic building. I can't remember the details.

About a third of my entire day was along this canal trail. You might think this sounds nice, but it wasn't. Getting onto the trail I had to hike up this muddy path. It was quite challenging, especially with the bags I had over my shoes.

These bags were helpful in keeping my feet try for the majority of the day. They ended up ripping toward the end. As my wheels and breaks get wet they become less effective. I sometimes need to use my shoes to help slow me down. I know this may make some people nervous, but you have to trust my judgment. I stay in control of the bike and stay safe. I even walk it when necessary.

The trail I rode on was quite nice, despite the riding conditions. It was a plateau between a creek and the canal. I learned that the canal was created because it has a consistent depth and width that was more manageable for boats or barges. There were overflow parts of the trail that allowed for the canal to flow into the creek if it got too high. Luckily that wasn't the case during my ride. Here is a picture of the trail with the canal on the right and the creek on the left.

I saw so many Mallard ducks on the canal. They would always fly away when I went to take a picture. Here is one I got as they were flying away. You can see them if you look close.

This is one of the overflow sections. It was extremely bumpy, if you can't tell by the big rocks. It would have been challenging on a mountain bike, let alone on my road bike, pulling my loaded trailer. I persevered and road all the way across.

When I had finally made it to the end of the trail my bike and trailer were covered in mud. Here is a picture.

I rewarded myself with an MRE for lunch. An MRE is a meal ready to eat. They are military issue and I was given a few from my friend, Phil, in Florida. Thanks Phil. I needed the calories after this strenuous trail ride, and still had about 10 miles to go.

I was recharged and ready to finish the next 10 miles of my ride. The rain picked up, but I kept on riding. After 30 miles in the rain, I finally made it to my cousin Linda's home in Edison, NJ. I met her and her husband, Mike for the first time. It was really nice getting to know them. They took me out for dinner and then Linda made chocolate chip cookies when we got home. What treatment! I woke up this morning and had a delicious breakfast. All ready to go for my final ride of the journey. Here is a picture of the three of us before I left. We're all big Buffalo Bills fans!!

I have roughly 30 miles to make it to my sister's place today in Jersey City, just outside of NYC. The forecast calls for rain, but I hope it holds out. I'm so excited to see my sister and parents! I will certainly be ready to eat tomorrow and relax to some football during the day.

If you've been meaning to donate, and haven't yet, this would be a great time. I'll finish today with just over 1000 miles and am currently a few hundred short of my fund raising goal. I'll keep it open for a while after I finish. I really appreciate your support, whether or not you can support financially.