Other Places, Other Bikes

 

Leeds Point, NJ

13 August 2023

The Premeds wanted to know if I had a Saturday ride planned. I told them I was thinking about a Frenchtown to Asbury ride that we hadn't done since before the pandemic. By the time we'd finished dinner and were saying our goodbyes in the parking lot, the Premeds were announcing that I'd be heading to Asbury on Saturday.

I kept trying to tell them that the ride would depend on the Asbury Coffee Mill actually being open. The last two times we went up there, the place was closed even though their web presence had indicated otherwise. "This time," I said, "I'm calling them."

I called twice on Thursday during hours that they were supposed to be open. Both times the phone rang and rang, never going to voicemail. 

Nope. 

I told Tom to go ahead with his suggestion of an invite-only ride starting in Batsto, and that's what we did. 

Heddy was generous enough to offer me a ride in her new car. She even put a second bike mount on her hitch for Janice. I'd given Janice a little pinwheel from an ornamental toothpick I'd had in a drawer for decades. From the sideview mirror, I could see the pinwheel spinning as we drove down Route 206.

I hadn't remembered much about this route from the previous times we'd done it. I remembered low bridges over the Mullica River and a flock of Muscovy ducks at Smithville.

We all took pictures on the first Mullica crossing.

The next time we attempted to cross, the bridge was out. Did that stop us? What do you think?

We wound our way through the narrow streets of Smithville until we found a little bakery in a corner. We rested our bikes against a big tree. That's Janice on the right.

The muscovy ducks were waddling about,

and hanging out.

We went down to Leeds Point to look at the bay. Due east of us was the Rutgers University marine field station, where I spent time in grad helping friends with their projects. We couldn't see the station from where we were; I only realized it when I got home. 

We did see the usual things one sees at the water's edge, like gulls on pilings.

The field station is out there somewhere.

There were some spider webs between pilings and on signs, but I didn't see any spiders.

On our way back to the main road, I stopped for photos of Atlantic City in the hazy distance.

Somewhere between Leeds Point and the next closed bridge, I had a flat. Again. We didn't find the culprit this time, but I did notice that my tires, with less than 1200 miles on them, are already beat up. That didn't take long.

There was a third bridge out a few miles before the end of the ride. That one was so easy to cross that I didn't get any pictures.

On our way home, Heddy and I stopped at a farm stand near Hammonton for fresh blueberries.

The next day, Jim ran a no-pace "Run What You Brung" ride. Jim has been preaching from his pulpit of the Church of the Latter Day Retrogrouches. This ride was to gather congregants. I dusted off Beaker, who hadn't been outside since mid-June.

Ron A brought his Hanford.

Rickety brought Barney.

Beaker:

I don't remember who this Olmo belonged to.

John K brought his Yasujiro:

I don't know whose this was:

I don't know whose this is either.

Joe C had a fancy machine with a belt drive and gold-colored cable protectors:

When we got back to the start, I took some more photos of Ron's Hanford. Here's the rear fender: 

This ride was a plesant change of pace, and Jim thinks he'll do it again. I think that sometimes we get so caught up in trying to challenge ourselves that we forget to have fun.