Catching Up Part One: Oldwick

 

Rockaway Creek, Mill Road, Readington, NJ

18 December 2022

Oh, hi!

I'm back from the land of exploding glass spider legs (more on that later) to bring you two month's worth of biking blog photos.

It was all the way back in mid-October that Tom led us on a ride from Hillsborough to Oldwick. I'd suggested a trip up there to see if any leaves had changed color. He thought we'd be a week away from peak. He volunteered to lead anyway. 

As we approached Mill Road, something made its way from the recesses of my memory about this road having a bridge out a while back. It was still out, but, as is our custom, we slithered around the barriers past what didn't appear to be any construction.

On the other side, the herd of black cows was waiting. 

Up ahead, the group waited for the few of us still with the cattle.

We approached Rockaway Road from Taylor's Mill, or, as some of us call it, the Jack H Memorial Outhouse.

Rockaway Road never disappoints. It's one of my favorite roads in New Jersey.

We went all the way to the top, kept our eyes open in order not to miss Mountainville, crossed over Route 517, and made our way towards Fox Hill Road.

I always stop for this view partway down the hill.

If I lived on this property, you'd never get me out of this little outbuilding.

Farther down the hill is another clearing.

The Oldwick General Store survived the pandemic in a stripped-down fashion. The snack selection isn't what it used to be, but it's still worth the trip. They didn't get rid of any outside seating; it's the same old furniture and bike rack.

Somewhere on the way back, maybe on Pulaski Road, we passed a Halloween display that included not only a spider, but also a glass bottle tree. The bottles might have been plastic, but they get points for trying.

I don't remember much else about the ride. That's a good thing. It means nobody crashed or pissed me off.