Heading Northeast from Philadelphia

So I'm starting to make preliminary plans for a long ride in summer 2007,
and I'm opening the floor to suggestions.

It looks like I will be poised to start in early summer from Philadelphia, PA.
I would like to head vaguely northeast into New England and Canada's
maritime provinces. I would prefer to avoid cities, which would probably
mean a lengthy detour through northeast New Jersey and up through, oh,
I don't know, Poughkeepsie NY, before heading north and east. It would be
kind of cool to get to some extremal point in Nova Scotia or someplace.
That's about the right distance for me. (I did about 1100 miles in 2005
and 1400 in 2006 on such trips.)

I haven't yet figured out what I'm doing when I get to the end. It might
be good to end in a place with bicycle-friendly trains. Alternatively,
(but less desirable I think) I could figure out some kind of big loop
from Philadelphia to Montreal and Ottawa and back.

Nice scenery, low traffic, and the opportunity to camp and/or use motels
as the spirit moves me --- each of these would be a plus. I expect some
hills of course but am not anxious to choose a hilly route on purpose.

So ... what's good riding up thataway?

dave

PS -- I understand that as of next week I will need a passport to cross
the US/Canada border. Sheesh! That means dragging along several ounces
of additional paper!

"Dave Rusin" wrote in message
...

So I'm starting to make preliminary plans for a long ride in summer 2007,
and I'm opening the floor to suggestions.

It looks like I will be poised to start in early summer from Philadelphia,
PA.
I would like to head vaguely northeast into New England and Canada's
maritime provinces. I would prefer to avoid cities, which would probably
mean a lengthy detour through northeast New Jersey and up through, oh,
I don't know, Poughkeepsie NY, before heading north and east. It would be
kind of cool to get to some extremal point in Nova Scotia or someplace.
That's about the right distance for me. (I did about 1100 miles in 2005
and 1400 in 2006 on such trips.)

I haven't yet figured out what I'm doing when I get to the end. It might
be good to end in a place with bicycle-friendly trains. Alternatively,
(but less desirable I think) I could figure out some kind of big loop
from Philadelphia to Montreal and Ottawa and back.

Nice scenery, low traffic, and the opportunity to camp and/or use motels
as the spirit moves me --- each of these would be a plus. I expect some
hills of course but am not anxious to choose a hilly route on purpose.

So ... what's good riding up thataway?

dave

PS -- I understand that as of next week I will need a passport to cross
the US/Canada border. Sheesh! That means dragging along several ounces
of additional paper!

http://www.billcotton.com/Bill%20cot...e%20sheets.htm
At the bottom is a route from Philly to St Johnbury that I generated in
Mapsource. I have only rode to North Jersey. However, at least two years
ago, someone in this newsgroup asked for a route . He replied back that it
was a good route then

In article ,
"Bill Cotton" wrote:

"Dave Rusin" wrote in message
...

So I'm starting to make preliminary plans for a long ride in summer 2007,
and I'm opening the floor to suggestions.

It looks like I will be poised to start in early summer from Philadelphia,
PA.
I would like to head vaguely northeast into New England and Canada's
maritime provinces. I would prefer to avoid cities, which would probably
mean a lengthy detour through northeast New Jersey and up through, oh,
I don't know, Poughkeepsie NY, before heading north and east. It would be
kind of cool to get to some extremal point in Nova Scotia or someplace.
That's about the right distance for me. (I did about 1100 miles in 2005
and 1400 in 2006 on such trips.)

I haven't yet figured out what I'm doing when I get to the end. It might
be good to end in a place with bicycle-friendly trains. Alternatively,
(but less desirable I think) I could figure out some kind of big loop
from Philadelphia to Montreal and Ottawa and back.

Nice scenery, low traffic, and the opportunity to camp and/or use motels
as the spirit moves me --- each of these would be a plus. I expect some
hills of course but am not anxious to choose a hilly route on purpose.

So ... what's good riding up thataway?

dave

PS -- I understand that as of next week I will need a passport to cross
the US/Canada border. Sheesh! That means dragging along several ounces
of additional paper!

http://www.billcotton.com/Bill%20cot...e%20sheets.htm
At the bottom is a route from Philly to St Johnbury that I generated in
Mapsource. I have only rode to North Jersey. However, at least two years
ago, someone in this newsgroup asked for a route . He replied back that it
was a good route then

That was Me!

Two years ago it was a great route, although we did deviate slightly
here and there.

Also, New York DOT loves to dig up the roads...

There were four of us...safety in numbers ya know.

Enjoy

This might provide some ideas:
http://roberts-1.com/bikehudson/r/m/long_distance
including some of the detailed reports from clicking on:
"Trip Reports for Connecting South" to Pennsylvania (as far as Bethlehem).

Sharon and I have also found some nicer less hilly roads for connecting
between Philadelphia and Bethlehem. We were out exploring them this summer
and fall, and we're looking forward to riding them again next year. I
reported some of them to this newsgroup, if you check the archives.

I think there's less hills (and traffic?) if get into the Wallkill river
valley in New Jersey and follow that into New York and the Hudson river
valley, and follow the Hudson valley north at least as far as Fort Edward
(near Glens Falls). I've cycled (or skated) all that myself. Further north
I'm not sure if it's better to continue in New York or try the Vermont side
of the Champlain valley.

Ken

Dave Rusin wrote:
So I'm starting to make preliminary plans for a long ride in summer 2007,
and I'm opening the floor to suggestions.

It looks like I will be poised to start in early summer from Philadelphia, PA.
I would like to head vaguely northeast into New England and Canada's
maritime provinces. I would prefer to avoid cities, which would probably
mean a lengthy detour through northeast New Jersey and up through, oh,
I don't know, Poughkeepsie NY, before heading north and east. It would be
kind of cool to get to some extremal point in Nova Scotia or someplace.
That's about the right distance for me. (I did about 1100 miles in 2005
and 1400 in 2006 on such trips.)

I haven't yet figured out what I'm doing when I get to the end. It might
be good to end in a place with bicycle-friendly trains. Alternatively,
(but less desirable I think) I could figure out some kind of big loop
from Philadelphia to Montreal and Ottawa and back.

Nice scenery, low traffic, and the opportunity to camp and/or use motels
as the spirit moves me --- each of these would be a plus. I expect some
hills of course but am not anxious to choose a hilly route on purpose.

So ... what's good riding up thataway?

dave

PS -- I understand that as of next week I will need a passport to cross
the US/Canada border. Sheesh! That means dragging along several ounces
of additional paper!

Below is a trip report from my 2004 trip from Philadelphia to St. Anne
de Beaupre and back that may have some usable info, especially on the
route north, when I avoided big cities until Montreal. I hit the
cities going south.

TRIP REPORT

Philadelphia - Ste. Anne de Beaupre, Quebec and back

5/21/04 - 6/4/04


I left Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m., 3 hours late, on account of storms
en
route, and flew to Philadelphia, arriving at my son, Matt's apartment
(at
18th and Spruce in Center City) a little after 11:00 p.m.. We put the
bike
together with some difficulty, then got something to eat - didn't get
to bed
until 1:45.

Saturday, 5/22/04 - Day 1

Left at 5:30. Matt got up and took my picture. 65° and hazy.
I
intended to take the Schuylkill River paths to Norristown and then the
Adventure Cycling route, but after 5 miles or so, the Schuylkill route
became a bad towpath, so I deviated, eventually taking the Ridge Pike
and
the Butler Pike to 152, intercepting the Adventure Cycling route at
that
crossing.

Stopped at 9:00 a.m., several miles north of Doylestown with 40
miles
for the day. Just beverages at this stop. Cloudy and warm with light
winds. Plenty of hills. The front brake is rubbing a little - not so
good.

Started again at 9:30 a.m. and rode until noon, stopping at a
"home
cooking" restaurant coming out of Martens Creek, at the base of a big
hill I
got to think about climbing while having lunch. They have a real good
"Italian wedding" soup. 35 miles since the last stop - 75 for the day
so
far. A light to moderate tail wind has come up. Weather went from
cloudy
to partly cloudy to mostly clear and getting hot - in the low 80s now.

The problem with the front tire was that I didn't have the wheel
seated properly - dumb, dumb! Since fixing it, my speed has improved.
Route was hilly until Kintnersville and since has been near the river
with
lower hills, skirting the edge of higher ones. However, as witness the
hill
I'm about to climb (north of Easton), the road is pulling away from the
river again.

There was indeed a lot of up and down, all the way to Portland.
At
Delaware Water Gap, I found the sidewalk to the I-80 bridge to New
Jersey -
the long way. They require you to walk across, which I did, only to
ride 1
½ miles and find the road closed. The New Jersey detour routed you on
I-80
(illegal for bikes), so I had no choice but to walk back across the
bridge,
after which I've stopped in Delaware Water Gap. Temperature up to
89°.
I'll detour on the Pennsylvania side of the Delaware on Route 209.
Stopped
from 2:50 - 3:10 with 98 miles for the day.

I took River Road to Route 209 - mistake, as it was very hilly,
while
209 was good going, once I got there.

I got to Milford just in time for 5:30 Mass at St. Patrick's. A
lady
sitting in front of me said God told her to give me her scapular, so I
took
it and wore it. (!?) After Mass, I had an ice cream cone and some
beverages and rode until dark. Hit New York line at Port Jervis at
mile
138. I went a few extra miles and traveled past dark because I missed
a
turn. There was lightning in the distance when I stopped near
Middletown
and had more beverages, a sub sandwich and trail mix. Not a good
motel, TV
doesn't work, no soap, no ice.

166 miles for day:
Pennsylvania - 135, New Jersey - 3, New York - 28.

Sunday, May 23, 2004 - Day 2

Left motel at 5:30.

Missed turn in Bloomingburgh (the route changed since the
Adventure
Cycling maps were made) and went 1 ½ miles steep uphill - only to flag
a car
for directions and find out I should have turned in town, so I had to
go
right back down.

Then I had a pretty good ride to New Paltz where I stopped for
8:00
Mass (33 miles). I went up a hill and asked where the Church was, only
to
be sent back down! That's two unneeded climbs!

After Mass, I encountered two local riders (Steve and Phil) from
Poughkeepsie with whom I rode there. Good thing, because I would have
taken
a good while to find the sidewalk to the Hudson River bridge. Steve
and his
son had done a cross-USA trip 3 years ago.

Before we parted they recommended a diner in Hyde Park for
breakfast
which is where I am as I write this. 48 miles for day - 10:30 a.m.
Hyde
Park is FDR country. His home is right down the road a ways and his
image
is everywhere.

2:30 - resting at Pine Plains. 86 miles per day. Weather sunny
-
since Poughkeepsie - and in the 70s, north wind - fairly light. Lots
of
hills and more ahead - I missed a turn out of Rhinebeck somewhere and
made
it worse. Drinking two quarts of Gatorade here. Steering on bike is
stiff - most noticeable on fast down hills.

Hit Connecticut state line at 97 miles for day. Hills continued
all
the way to Hartford. I stopped near Salisbury, Connecticut to fix my
steering assembly and, wonder of wonders, was somewhat successful.

With the constant hills, though, and heat besides (near 90°), I
couldn't make Springfield and stopped for the night at the Hartford
airport,
where I knew there were motels. I was able to do my laundry there.

Mileage - 151 - New York - 97; Connecticut - 54.
For trip - 317

Monday, May 24, 2004 - Day 3

Left motel at 5:00 and rode until 10:45, reaching Brattleboro,
Vermont - 70 miles. I brought the bike to a shop for work on the
steering,
which is quite loose. Fortunately, they took care of me right away.
Overtightening the assembly had damaged the ball bearings. Obviously,
it
was my mistake in reassembly that caused the problem.

I went to a restaurant to wait and have some breakfast. Weather
is
probably in upper 50s. Temperature hasn't changed. It's mostly
overcast; a
little drizzle and light rain, but mostly just cloudy. I've had my
glasses
on and off a couple of times, because they tend to fog up.

I had thought I was going to make Mass again, but what I thought
was
the beginning of a 7:00 a.m. Mass at a Church I passed in Springfield
was
really the end of a 6:30. I arrived just in time to be dismissed.

Quite a few rolling hills as I've gotten further north, but easy
hills
compared with yesterday.

By the way, I took Route 75 from the Airport to the Massachusetts
line; miscellaneous local streets until US 5 became legal for bikes;
Route 5
since then.

About 10 miles out of Brattleboro I hit a thunderstorm and rode
in the
rain for over an hour. I left the raincoat on quite a while longer to
stay
warm, as my feet were wet.

I stopped at a roadside truck stop about half way from
Brattleboro to
White River Junction and asked a truck driver about motels between
White
River Junction and St. Johnsbury, which I knew I couldn't make.

He was helpful but events took their own turn. Because of
insufficient sleep the previous 3 nights, I "hit the wall" mentally
about 10
miles further out and stopped to take a nap and decided I needed an
earlier
quit time, which I did in White River Junction a little after 6:00.

I've had a warm bath and a good meal and hope to get to bed
early.
It's raining again now (9:30 p.m.) with more forecast.

The Connecticut River "valley" is only partially that. There's
quite
a lot of up and down.

There's stereotypical Vermont stuff to see - old barns converted
to
sell gifts, antiques and Vermont produce, quaint farms (long horned
cattle,
goats, etc.) towns with white wooden Churches, a few "common" town
squares.

Mileage for day - 140
Connecticut - 12, Massachusetts - 50, Vermont - 78.
Mileage for trip - 457

Tuesday, May 25, 2004 - Day 4

I "waited out" some rain, since the radar showed it was passing -
showed in fact, that it had already passed. I welcomed a little extra
sleep
anyway.

I left about 6:25 and biked 64 miles to St. Johnsbury, arriving
about
11:15 and stopped to eat and rest.

There were a few flat stretches that acted like a real river
valley -
but also still a lot of climbing. The small town scenery was like
yesterday; village greens with white Congregational/UCC Churches,
sometime a
bandstand.

After St. Johnsbury, I continued on Rt. 5 for 9 more miles - I
had
been on Route 5 since Springfield - then switched to 114 to the
Canadian
line, which I hit around 4:30 at mile 113 for the day. The country was
markedly less populated and less "quaint" - mostly wooded land. Still
plenty hilly but less so than further south.

Temperatures today were mostly in the 50s peaking at 61° or so.
It
started raining near the border and continued for a couple of hours, so
I'm
all wet again.

I took Quebec Route 147 to Coaticook, where I got some Canadian
dollars at an ATM. Then I switched to Route 141 to Magog where I quit
for
the day at about 7:15.

Mileage for day - 145
Vermont - 113, Quebec - 32.
Mileage for trip - 602

Wednesday, May 26, 2004 - Day 5

Light rain and drizzle in the morning caused me to "wait it out"
- 3
days rainy weather (in a row) is too much. [Drei-Tagen Regenwetter is
a
German expression for a bad situation.]

So I left at 8:30, after having some breakfast in the room [there
was
a store next door]. I caught the last half of a Mass at Eastman about
10
miles out, and then rode to Granby, where I had a roll and juice, and
got
some bike lubricant. It was a hard town to ride through. It seemed
every
traffic light was red.

After Granby the road flattened a lot and the countryside became
farm
country.

Route 112 was not good riding. In some areas there was no paved
shoulder. In many areas, the pavement was in awful condition

Nearing Montreal, I asked a police officer for directions to get
across the St. Lawrence river, which was a good idea, as there is only
one
option.

With some difficulty, I found the Notre Dame Basilica and St.
Margaret
Bourgoys Church/Museum, leaving a few prayers behind as silent
"markers" of
my visit.

Then I found a bike shop and asked about the best route to Quebec
City. The fellow I asked consulted someone who "knew" and the advice
was to
use 138 along the north bank of the River. It was good advice!

I rode about ½ way to Trois Rivières, stopping at
Berthierville. I
expected there'd be motels all along the way. I was wrong. I had
difficulty finding a place - it was after dark when I got here.

There were 2 brief showers today before my big mistake tonight.
Instead of ordering food, I took the bike 1 ½ miles into town to eat.
About
as I arrived at a restaurant, so did a big thunderstorm. I ended up
very
wet.

Mileage for day - 134; all in Quebec.
Mileage for trip - 736.

Thursday, May 27, 2004 - Day 6

I left, seemingly a little late, at 7:15, intending to ride to
Trois
Rivières before breakfast. What I quickly discovered was the light
fog I
thought I saw at the motel was not so light and I didn't feel safe
riding in
it. So I stayed for breakfast in Berthierville.

The road up from Montreal so far has provided the best riding yet
on
this trip. It's been flat, good pavement, extra width much of the way
and
only modest traffic. Having a freeway nearby is usually helpful in
reducing
traffic and this is no exception.

Unlike the Connecticut River earlier, the St. Lawrence, at least
in
this area, has a broad valley. There's consistent but not constant
development along the river bank but within 5 miles or so past the end
of
Montreal's island, farms took over on the inland side of 138.

I got started riding at 8:30 and by 8:50 the sun was shining and
I was
soon able to shed my heavy shirt, which I wore for the first time this
morning. Temperatures warmed into the 60s and have stayed there.

I stopped in Trois Rivières and, feeling a little dehydrated,
drank 2
quarts of Five Alive, plus ate 2 large Valencia oranges. I also got
$80
more of Canadian dollars. A 15 ½% sales tax in Quebec doesn't help
limit
costs. That was at 43 miles for the day, after which I rode another 44
to
Portneuf, which I reached a little before 3:00, and am having some
pizza
here.

I put on sunscreen for the first time since day 2. The roads
remained
flat until 10 miles ago and have had only gentle hills since then.

The stop in Portneuf was calculated, as ancestors of mine lived
here
eons ago (18th century). Notably, there are few farms around here,
after
they dominated the countryside all the way from Montreal to where the
small
hills started a few miles ago.

The moderate hills continued north of Portneuf. The road was
frequently level but elevated, so you could see down a length of the
river,
and not just across it. It was really a majestic view, watching the
river
course north-eastward. There were farms there, but not as prosperous
looking as further south.

There were a lot of bike riders out - a couple dozen on 138 south
of
Quebec and many dozens on bike paths along the north shore beyond the
City.
The land there forms a small valley where the road, railroad and paths
are,
then there is a sharp rise. The Montmorency falls were spectacular -
there's been a lot of rain, obviously, contributing water to the falls.

Ste. Anne de Beaupré proved to be on the plain. If it had been
at the
top of the highest local hill - like the Holy Hill shrine and monastery
near
home in Washington County, Wisconsin, that would have been a negative
for my
ride,

I'm having some Canadian red wine tonight - nothing to boast
about.

There is a political campaign going on. The signs are uniform
(regulated?)- more party oriented than in the U.S.

All of each party's signs are of the same color and all have the
same
slogan: "A party proper for Quebec" for the Bloc Quebecois; "Team
Martin"
for the Liberals; and "Enough is Enough" for the Conservatives. The
only
difference is the picture and name of the local candidate. In
Montreal,
where there are many districts (ridings) there are signs with no
"local"
candidate; just the party leader. Conservative signs are missing in
many
districts. Social Credit doesn't appear at all. None of the signs
identifies an incumbent, all of them are in French " Un Parti propre au
Quebec" "L'Equipe Martin" and "C'est assez", for the three parties,
respectively.

Mileage for day - 144, all in Quebec
Mileage for trip - 880

Friday, May 28,2004 - Day 7

I went to the first Mass at Ste. Anne de Beaupre at 7:10, and was
on
the road about 8:10, riding back to Quebec and locating the ferry to
Levis,
which is where I am as I begin this note. I was on the boat at 10:00
a.m.

The weather channel promised rain for today, which is just
beginning.
(It also apparently rained during the night, as there were lots of
puddles
to ride around or through.)

By the time the ferry arrived in Levis, it was definitely
raining,
which continued all day. I battled it for 75 miles, plus the 23 mostly
dry
miles I had from Ste. Anne de Beaupré to Quebec. I made no stops for
those
75 miles and knew I'd have trouble when I did have to stop. That's
exactly
what happened. I stopped at a McDonalds at La Pocatière and was
immediately
cold when I went back outside. The odds are I could have "worked up"
enough
heat, but this was not the place to take a chance. The temperature was
around 50° and dropping. So I rode back a mile or so to a motel I had
passed and checked in before 6:00 p.m. The "white whale" won today! I
didn't get any where near to Rivière du Loup which was my goal for the
day.

Other than the rain, the ride on Route 132 wouldn't have been
bad.
There were some hills but not bad. The area near Quebec had paved
shoulder area which continued much of the way, though it's been absent
in
"recent" miles. There's a parallel expressway that picks up the
through
auto traffic, so traffic isn't bad.

Mileage for day - 98, all in Quebec
Mileage for trip - 978

Saturday, May 29, 2004 - Day 8

Following the early stop yesterday, I got an early start this
morning
at 5:00 a.m.

The rain has exited, and been replaced by mostly cloudy skies -
it's
also colder, low 40s maybe and hasn't warmed by noon. I've had my
heavy
shirt on all morning and considered switching to my full-fingered
gloves,
though I never did.

I rode 46 miles to Rivière du Loup to Route 185 only to find it
closed
to bikes. The bike path was near it but didn't look attractive. The
stone
was insufficiently packed. There was a gas station nearby where I had
some
pastry and beverages. Then I started down the path, not liking it at
all.
But about a mile later, I realized 185 was no longer an expressway so I
moved over to it and have been on it ever since,

I stopped at a Mike's restaurant in Cabano with 81 miles for the
day,
which is where this note is written.

Most of the way from La Pocatière to Rivière du Loup was fairly
flat
farm country. That changed toward the end to hills, which have also
dominated the route east of Rivière du Loup - and trees - with few
farms.

I reached Edmunston about 3:30 EDT - 4:30 locally, since New
Brunswick
is on Atlantic time - and looked into the Mass situation. The two
Churches
I went by had late Saturday Masses - 7:00 and 7:15 -so I crossed to
Madawaska, Maine just in time for a 4:00 Mass, after which I rode 25
miles
to Van Buren, and found no motel. But there is one across the river in
St.
Leonard, New Brunswick, which is where I am tonight. It wouldn't have
been
out of the question to go another 22 miles to Caribou as it wasn't 7:00
yet,
but I hadn't eaten since the earlier note, it had never warmed up (high
around 47°) and it was threatening rain.

Quebec was as stereotyped as Vermont had been or more so. The
street
and town names were usually after Saints (or Notre Dame), and each
small
town was dominated architecturally by a large Catholic Church. Old
Quebec
was as truly Catholic or more so than Poland or Ireland. But the faith
in
the current generation isn't what it used to be.

The Church in Madawaska still has a French Mass on Sunday.
French
ethnic Catholics apparently dominate in the far north of Maine.

Mileage for day - 148
Quebec - 107 (515), New Brunswick - 14, Maine - 27.
Mileage for trip - 1126

Sunday, May 30, 2004 - Day 9

Left the motel at 4:50 a.m. and biked 76 miles on Route 1 to
Houlton,
which I reached at 10:40. Lots of hills, still cold (40s) but a tail
wind
helps. Lots of hills. Land is mixed farms and woodlands.

At Houlton, I switched to Route 2 - I abandoned Route 1(the ocean
route) because of the likely holiday traffic. The change also reduces
mileage - good or bad? Route 2 proved 13 miles (not 3 as I thought)
longer
than 2A (an available alternative that I perhaps should have taken),
and is
very hilly, and in poor condition in many places. Around Island Falls
and
for several miles each way, road quality is poor, there are no cuts and
fills and this U.S. highway is generally like an old town road. At
least
traffic is light. The last 20 miles before Macwahoc the road improves.
Then from Mattacumkeug on it's an excellent road - wide paved shoulders
and
quite flat, as it's in the Penobscot River Valley. I intended to stop
at
Howland, but there were no motels, so I continued on to Milford, where
I
found a motel at about 9:30 p.m., after riding the last 8 or so miles
after
dark. When local pizza places didn't deliver this late, the proprietor
personally went and picked it up for me. A gold star for him!

Mileage for day - 191
All Maine, except less than 1 mile in New Brunswick.
Total for trip - 1317.

Monday, May 31, 2004 - Day 10

Left at 6:45 a.m. and rode 54 miles to Albion, which I reached
about
11:45. I got some oranges, grapes and beverages and ate them under the
trees in a Church yard across the street. I had taken Route 2 to
Bangor,
then picked up 202 outside of town, which I've taken on to Augusta,
where
I've stopped for some ice cream at about 1:45 -Mile 78.

There was a lot of climbing coming out of Bangor to clear a ridge
line, then more modest but fairly continuous ups and downs until near
Augusta, where there was another series of big climbs to clear another
ridge
line. It's mostly sunny today, starting in the upper 40s - now near
70°.
I'm putting on sun screen.

The countryside is mixed farms and trees with homes along the
route
for a good many miles past the towns.

The hills are mostly rocky. A few have pastures, but it's mostly
wooded.

The hills continued all day, which did my mileage no good, plus
the
temperatures cooled and a bit of a headwind came up.

Mid-afternoon, I passed 10 right-to-life advocates, who had just
began
a walk to Washington DC; I walked along with them for a while and
joined
them in part of a rosary.

I passed through Lewiston and reached the 202/I-95 Intersection
near
6:00 p.m. I couldn't satisfy myself there were more motels in range on
202
(in fact, the next day I did not see any), so I decided to stay at a
motel
there, despite giving up a nice sunny day. (It's due to rain
tomorrow.)

The motel is nice, plus it has a laundry room so I got everything
clean.

Mileage for day - 119, all in Maine.
Mileage for trip - 1436.

Tuesday, June 1, 2004 - Day 11

Left at 4:45 and rode 108 miles before taking a rest stop at
Haverhill, Massachusetts, around 1:45 p.m.. Then I struggled through
Boston
until stopping at 8:00 at the intersection of Route 1 and 95 (128) in
the
Southwest suburbs of Boston.

After starting out dry, I rode through 40 miles of rain in Maine;
then
dry, which except for my feet, allowed me to dry out.

Temperatures started out at 42° and peaked at around 52° - June
anyone? I wore my raincoat all day for the warmth. Because of
threatening
rain, I kept my heavy shirt in a plastic bag, and wore my raincoat
instead.

I stayed on Route 202 in Maine. It was mostly O.K. - fewer hills
than
earlier. There were a few scattered sections with no paved shoulder
area,
but not bad. The only flat riding was the last half dozen miles before
New
Hampshire.

In New Hampshire I rode Route 125, which was a delightful road -
fully
paved wide shoulders except for the final few miles before
Massachusetts.
Quite a few little rises and dips plus some modest hills but nothing
major.

Coming into Boston, Routes 125 and 28 both had some decent areas,
but
for the most part, cities are cities, with lots of traffic, stop and go
lights, and pock-marked roads. Once in town, I swung past Harvard,
handling
the route clumsily for one who biked thousands of miles around there,
albeit
35 years ago.

After some equally clumsy maneuvering through the Brookline area,
I
picked up VFW Parkway, which later became Route 1.

Mileage for day - 156
Massachusetts 64, New Hampshire 41, Maine 51.
Mileage for trip - 1592.

Wednesday, June 2, 2004 - Day 12

I slept in this morning - indeed last night, I fell asleep before
updating my logbook or showering, so I was obviously ready for some
extra
sleep.

Departure time was 7:30; I took a rest stop in Providence close
to
noon with 42 miles - the first 25 in Massachusetts.

I had mapped out a Rube Goldberg scheme of a route through
Connecticut
but decided to simplify things and stick to U.S. 1, so I wouldn't get
lost.

Naturally, I promptly got lost trying to use U.S. #1. Near the
MA/RI
border was a sign that said "1A" to Providence and "1" to Pawtucket.
I
stayed on "1" and it ended in Pawtucket, just ended - not even a sign
saying
so. Information was hard to come by, but I drifted east toward the
direction IA had veered from 1 and eventually got directions to 1A.

In East Providence, the signs for 1A just quit, too, but I was
able to
cross the needed bridge on 44. Across the bridge I saw a single sign
for US
1 and immediately lost track of it. So I took 44 west and decided to
resurrect my complex plan for Connecticut. I thought I could save
mileage
by switching from 44 to 6, but used 5 to do so, which veered back
toward
town and added miles and a big hill.

As this is written, it's almost 4:00 and I have only 70 miles.
I'm
sitting out a thunderstorm at a KFC in Danielson/E. Brooklyn,
Connecticut.
The morning began as yesterday ended, misty and cool with temperatures
around 50°. But it warmed up nicely and was mostly sunny reaching the
mid-70s. The current shower looks like it will pass.

The terrain is hilly, like most of the trip. Route 1 in
Massachusetts - after the VFW Parkway ended - was safe, but not scenic
(consistent businesses along the route, few of which were landscaped).
Western Rhode Island and the first few miles of Connecticut have been
mainly
wooded.

After the rain passed, I rode another 25 or so miles to Norwich
(just
missing the brunt of a second storm). In Norwich, a third thunderstorm
started that lasted well over an hour. After 5 days getting wet
earlier in
the trip, I played wimp today and took shelter at a gas station. It
soon
became apparent there wouldn't be enough daylight after the rain passed
to
do anything much and still find a motel, so I stayed at a Ramada about
1 ½
miles away. With some other local riding I got 101 miles for the day.

In Connecticut: Route 6 to 169 to 2A to 82 - 169 was scenic if
hilly.
A lot of "old new England" looking farms but more trees, which in
places
formed a canopy over the road.

Miles for day - 101; Massachusetts - 25; Rhode Island - 40,
Connecticut - 36.
Miles for trip - 1,693

Thursday, June 3, 2004 - Day 13

Left the motel at 5:30 a.m. Early weather was cool and cloudy -
low
to mid 50s. No rain, though. The skies cleared late morning and
temperatures rose to the upper 70s.

At 18+ miles there was a ferry crossing - over the Connecticut
River -
state operated - $1.00 for bikes.

Early riding was mainly west on 82, 148 and 80, with a few miles
south
on 81 sandwiched in. As elsewhere, the hills are much worse going east
and
west. The New England rivers flow south, which help explain which way
the
hills run.

At mile 44 I hit East Haven and was in urban riding the rest of
the
day.

I picked up US 1 in New Haven, after a little looking - the route
103
connector on the map wasn't there. I stayed on 1 to the New York line,
taking a break in Milford (mile 59) (the third "Milford" I've
encountered
after Milford, Pennsylvania and Milford, Maine) for eating some trail
mix
and also taking a short nap.

I reached the New York line about 4:00 at mile 100, and got lost
in
Westchester, logging about 7 extra miles. I left US 1 in New Rochelle,
moving east to Pelham Road.

The Bronx proved easy to cross - first going south within a long
park,
then west along an e/w parkway with many walkers, joggers and kids
playing
in the greenway. Then past the Zoo and gardens, and then a trip along
Fordham Avenue, which was just teeming with life, rowdy and noisy but
safe
enough. It was fun to "ride" through, though slowly, because traffic
laws
meant little here and nobody could move very rapidly.

Only about 9 miles through the Bronx, including a little extra
time to
find the bridge to Manhattan (I shouldn't have left Fordham Street).
Then
in Manhattan I found the George Washington bridge (which was easier to
find
than the bike route across it) and got across and had barely light
enough to
find a motel in Fort Lee. It's a Best Western.

Mileage for day - 135; Connecticut - 100; New York - 32; New
Jersey -
3.
Mileage for trip - 1828.

Friday, June 4, 2004 - Day 14

Left the motel at 5:40 and with slight difficulty got on route
46,
which I took all the way to Hackettstown, some 55 miles away. New York
traffic played a role most of that way, including some uncomfortable
merge
and turn situations - one where 2 lanes merge in from the right, and 2
others where I was supposed to be in the left lane of a multi-lane road
with
heavy traffic. I learned the safest course is to get off the bike and
wait
for a break in the traffic.

I stopped for breakfast after 25 miles and then for 3 oranges and
a
chocolate milk in Hackettstown. I also took about a ½ hour break for
a
snack in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, just 25-30 miles from the end.

Temperature today was 60° to 70°, and sunny until late.

The westerly route in new Jersey (46 , then 57) like almost all
the
others in that direction had a lots of big hills. In Pennsylvania I
took
611 again, except stayed on it this time all the way into Philadelphia.

Coming into Philadelphia was difficult outside the City - too
much of
the road was too narrow for me to fit comfortably in traffic. The last
8
miles or so were good, though, as City riding goes. No more uphills,
the
street was wide, not too much traffic and the lights were usually
green for
Broad Street traffic. The last few blocks in Center City are slow but
that's because of the pulse of life on narrow streets. Within limits,
it's
fine.

I arrived at Matt's apartment in Philadelphia about 6:45 p.m.

Mileage for day - 136; New Jersey - 80; Pennsylvania - (56).

Mileage for trip - 1964 (140.3 - daily average)

Mileage by State (Province):

Quebec 515
Maine 401
Connecticut 202
Vermont 191
Pennsylvania 191
New York 157
Massachusetts 126
New Hampshire 41
Rhode Island 40
New Brunswick 14


Afterword

1. The only "easy" trip I could recommend in this area is
the
185 mile stretch from Montreal through Quebec to St. Anne to Beaupré.
It's
mostly flat, scenic, with good roads and not much traffic.

2. I intend to ride eventually from the top of Maine to
Key
West, Florida, as I've previously bicycled from the bottom of Texas to
the
top of Minnesota. The area south of Philadelphia remains to be
accomplished. Between the hills and the cities, the north-east is a
slower,
tougher ride than anything on my central US trip.

3. Extensive urban riding, especially in the endless
suburbs,
is not a pleasant experience. The constant need to be alert and to
make
minor decisions, and the endless stop and go lights are difficult both
physically and mentally. A day's worth of it is downright exhausting.
Needless to say, the many traffic stops cut speed, and increased work
relative to mileage covered. It also caused me to ride quite a bit
without
"locking in" my left foot to the pedal, as I am only good for a limited
number of the "twists" needed to unlock before my foot gets sore. I'm
happy
to be able to say that I biked across the entire NYC metro area, but in
no
hurry to try it again.




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SAVEDTRASHSENTSPAM








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"H M Leary" wrote in message
...
In article ,
"Bill Cotton" wrote:

"Dave Rusin" wrote in message
...

So I'm starting to make preliminary plans for a long ride in summer
2007,
and I'm opening the floor to suggestions.

It looks like I will be poised to start in early summer from
Philadelphia,
PA.
dave
Portions snipped

PS -- I understand that as of next week I will need a passport to cross
the US/Canada border. Sheesh! That means dragging along several ounces
of additional paper!

http://www.billcotton.com/Bill%20cot...e%20sheets.htm
At the bottom is a route from Philly to St Johnbury that I generated in
Mapsource. I have only rode to North Jersey. However, at least two years
ago, someone in this newsgroup asked for a route . He replied back that
it
was a good route then

That was Me!

Two years ago it was a great route, although we did deviate slightly
here and there.

Also, New York DOT loves to dig up the roads...

There were four of us...safety in numbers ya know.

Enjoy
Thanks I have to remember your email. you came to my defense once before
when I posted a reply and received a challenge.
Also thanks for the feedback. I tested the parts to Hackertown by driving
part of it and doing 30 to 50 miles and riding back to the car.