More Familiar Mud

4 July 2015

Lately I've been avoiding the Free Wheelers' All-Paces Rides.  They're too chaotic.  Tom offered a mutiny ride out of Etra Park instead.  I felt compelled, though, to go to the All-Paces ride out of Mercer County Park, because I had split off from the ride on Memorial Day.  I told Tom that I'd go wherever Cheryl is going (she's only back until the end of August).  Then Winter Larry wrote us that he'd be leading one of the B rides.  That sealed it.

I rode in from home.  The lot was so crowded that people had to find parking spots elsewhere.  I saw Cheryl's car, but not Cheryl.

The ride went something like this:

Me: Larry, you know Gordon Road is out, right?

Larry: No. I was going to come back that way.

Me: Don't. Take Windsor to Sharon instead.

A handful of miles later, there we were, at the foot of Gordon Road where it meets 130, looking at orange mud and gravel.

Me: I said "out," not "closed."

Larry: What do you think we should do?

Me: You know what I would say. (clips in)

Chris: She's a mountain biker with a bad back. (clips in)

I led into the mud, sinking in a little until I found a good line where the surface was firmer. The others followed, including the tandem (to a round of applause).

A steam roller was paving the northbound section at Bresnahan. After our adventure at Skyline Drive, I knew better and stuck to the hard-packed mud.

Larry took us to Bordentown.  I asked if we could get a look at the river; driving back from Virginia, I'd tried to see the Bordentown overlook from the highway.  I saw the top of a house and wondered if it was the one near the Thomas Payne statue.  Now I'm pretty sure it wasn't that house, but some people on the ride hadn't seen the overlook before.  Chris said he could get us closer to the river. Half of us went down a hill to the boat launch.

It's not exactly scenic.

The deli was open.  We also noticed, on our way across Route 130 (or 206, or both, or whatever) that a Dunkin Donuts is coming up.  That'll give us a second option if the mom-and-pop shop is closed.

Old York Road, Larry gave the instruction to turn left on Sharon Road so that we'd avoid the mess on Gordon Road.

Then, probably out of habit, he led people into the left lane for the turn onto Gordon.  Jim and I, shooting the breeze, were a little off the back when this happened.  Jim was already moving to the left when Larry realized where he was and veered back into the right lane.  There was a car behind us; fortunately, it was far enough behind not to have run into anyone.  But the whole scene sent Jim into a well-deserved stream of "Shit shit shit shit shit!"

Other than that, we had a good time.

I never did see Cheryl. She must've booked the second her group got back. Meanwhile, Tom had a good crowd for his anti-All-Paces ride.  Apparently, Jim, Cheryl, and I got a ribbing in absentia. Tomorrow we'll pay our penance, as Tom is taking us into the Sourlands.