Coming Home

What a difference a day makes. The wind had died down by today, and even though the day started out rainy it never really poured. Instead it was a fairly pleasant mist and then by the middle of the day the sun had come out and it had warmed up long enough so we could shed some layers of clothes.

The first third of the ride today had some hard hills just like yesterday. But after that we started to get closer to the part of Pennsylvania where I grew up. We hit route 563 which I knew would be full of some long rolling hills and it didn't let us down. Finally we stopped for lunch at Lake Nockamixon. I have such great memories of going swimming there when I was a kid. After lunch I got to see most of my family that had gathered to cheer us on from the roadside. They were so great. They had awesome signs, a bell and a nice shaded canopy so they could wait, cheer and watch all the riders until we rode by. We had a short but sweet visit and we were on our way.

From there on, it was like riding down memory lane. I got very nostalgic and had a wonderful time riding by so many of my favorite places. Everything looks so much different from the seat of a bike; you really get to take it all in differently. We went up and down some more hills, and really enjoyed the awesome downhill stretches that brought us out on River Rd. which runs all along the Delaware River. From there we passed by some of the most gorgeous scenery you could imagine. There is a lot of history here, from centuries old cabins and homes, to the area where George Washington crossed the Delaware, appropriately named Washington's Crossing, to one of the coolest towns you could imagine: New Hope, PA. It was a Saturday so it was crowded with people shopping and eating, but we had our final rest stop there and it was fabulous.

Brad and I took off from New Hope and finished up the final leg of the ride to Trenton, NJ. In order to cross the Delaware we had to walk our bikes over a long bridge into Trenton, the Capital of New Jersey. We didn't have far to ride before we had made it to the hotel and put another 85 miles under our belt!

We just got back from a terrific pasta dinner at the Masonic Temple where we listened to some great speakers. Nobody touched me as much as the woman who has worked for the last 25 years for the New Jersey Department of Health and Human Services. She has been instrumental in building a health care system in the state that brings healthcare to un- and underinsured women. She was a very inspirational speaker, but she brought us all to tears with her a capella rendition of Amazing Grace. It was absolutely beautiful and the perfect end to a great day.

I thought I'd add a picture we took of Brad and I with some of our cheering section. Not pictured: my nieces Morgan and Nicole, and my brother-in-law, Kyle. Fromleft to right: My niece, Theresa, My oldest sister, Laura, Brad, Me, my Mom's hubby, Don, My Mom, and my second-oldest sister, Sharon. (My sister Maureen was broken-hearted not to be there, but she is travelling overseas for work.