Plein air painters on the Delaware Canal towpath |
One of Kali's and my favorite bicycle rides followed the (Pennsylvania) Delaware Canal towpath northward for 12 miles, crossed a bridge over the Delaware River into New Jersey, and then followed the D&R Canal towpath southward to a point where we could cross back over to the Pennsylvania side and complete our ride. Unfortunately, the Delaware Canal towpath has been repeatedly damaged by river floods and, despite the investment of millions and millions of tax dollars to repair the damage, the towpath remains ravaged where it's closest to the river. In addition, the canal itself has been dewatered by breaches. So, we haven't ridden "our" route in several years.
Last Saturday (October 6), I convinced Kali that we should attempt the ride. It was a cool, overcast day. When we arrived at trailhead parking, I stopped a sweaty fellow on a mountain bike coming down the towpath and asked him about the condition of the trail. He assured me that, with the exception of a short washed-out section that could be walked, the trail was "ride-able" with few problems. So, off we went.
Kali walking her hybrid bike through some of the worst of the washed-out trail |
Looks like smooth sailing, but the surface under the grass is rough. If the trail were in tip-top shape, there would be a worn pathway in the grass because the trail would receive heavy use |
Kali crossing the bridge over the Delaware into Frenchtown, New Jersey |
Along the D&R Canal towpath trail in New Jersey |
A rapid in the Delaware River, looking from New Jersey across to Pennsylvania |
Lighter skies downriver from the rapids |
After a few minutes of collecting ourselves and assessing our injuries, though, we got back in the saddle and completed the ride. What choice did we have? We shortened the ride a bit by crossing back from New Jersey to Pennsylvania on a footbridge over the river that we had never used before, but this meant that we returned to the Pennsylvania side right in the middle of the worst of the washed-out trail - more walking and bitching.
The footbridge over the river and Kali walking the towpath - again |
6 comments:
I hope you get out of the doghouse soon.
Scott, Scott, Scott. I hate it when a brilliant, decisive move turns into a disaster.
I have to admit that until I saw your mention of a hybrid bike I had no clue what one was. Had to Google.
Packrat: The fellow I questioned about the state of the trail had a mountain bike, and he did say, "You have a mountain bike, don't you...?", so maybe it's my fault that our hybrid bikes weren't up to the trail challenge. Nevertheless, I don't think that even a mountain bike would have been able to navigate the worst sections of the "trail."
Carolyn: Kali didn't complain about her injuries last evening, so I think she's left the door of the doghouse open...
My first time commenting here, Scott. I had to google "hybrid bike" to get a sense of what you and Kali were riding out there. Sorry to read about the bad bumpy road and the crash. Hope the next journey is much kinder.
Wanted to thank you for your comments on the Dharma Bums blog. Yes, our "river" is much more like a shallow flowing creek at the moment. California never gets any rain in the summer. We wait for our winter deluges. We could get 50 inches between November and April. If we don't get rain then, we don't get rain.
Robin Andrea: You're the second reader who wondered about a "hybrid" bicycle; gee...I thought that the term was pretty commonly understood. Just shows that I shouldn't make assumptions.
And, I'm really aware of California's rainfall patterns. My brother, Kali's brother, Kali's mother, and my stepmother all live in San Diego County, and Kali and I have good friends who live in Redwood City south of San Francisco. When it doesn't rain in the winter, it's bad news. From the look of the "bathtub ring" on your river, it looks like the channel (at least occasionally) gets considerably more flow.
Thanks for commenting!
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