To Brendan T Byrne State Forest

May 13, 2024

The sun is out this morning! We were spoiled by all the sunny days in Florida and the Carolinas. Here in the cooler New Jersey weather it's real cause for celebration.

Wide bike paths take us back over the Intracoastal Waterway, continuing inland through the towns west of Atlantic City. In the neighborhoods we have lots of company on the path with other cyclists, runners, people pushing strollers and walking dogs. I love to see it.

There isn't much food available at the State Forest where we're going today except for Buszy's General Store in Chatsworth at mile 46. I figure we should be able to find something there for dinner as long as we get there before they close at 3:00. That seems very doable.

Mike mentioned an ACME grocery store he was going to stop at for provisions. Such a goofy name, it makes me think of Wile E. Coyote and the roadrunner. I need some granola for breakfast so we swing by, watching out for coyotes on the way. I find my cereal there along with other good-looking candidates for dinner. Might as well lock that down so we won't have any time pressure getting to the place in Chatsworth.

Expansive views of the Intracoastal Waterway from the roomy bike path

There are dozens of stop signs on the bike path between Linwood and Pleasantville. Signs exhort us to dismount and walk through all the intersections. Do people really do this?

I had a fantasy that the warm weather in the southern states would just follow us up the coast. Bright green leaves of early spring remind me that we're a few hundred miles further north than at home in St. Louis. No wonder it's so cool.

Mike usually makes an early grocery stop, so we typically get ahead of him, and then get a sighting as he jets past. While taking the picture below I fail to notice the metal ring sticking up that used to hold a bollard. Most of them are cut off even with the ground. This one slices the tire when I roll over it.

Barry can't believe I rolled right over that ring. He'll have to boot the tire.

"A Pathway to Peace" painted on the trail.

Just past the Atlantic City airport, it's Barry's turn for a flat. The rear tube failed at the stem, so it's unpatchable. It turned out the spare tube he was going to use was for the small front tire. Fortunately there's a Dick's Sporting Goods three miles away.

He speeds off on my bike to get a replacement that's the right size. My bike is set up a little short for him, but he rode it fine when we did the bike relay back in Florida.

I'm glad we have dinner covered. Getting to the store in Chatsworth before 3 is looking doubtful.

In Egg Harbor City. From the bike path yesterday we didn't see any towns. Today we're getting more of a flavor of the communities.

Clouds on the Mullica River in Green Bank

Looking back at the drawbridge over the river

The picnic shelter in Green Bank looked like a nice place to eat our lunch, except for all the wasps. I'm keeping my distance.

So surprising to see a big bike sign painted on the wide shoulder out here in rural New Jersey. Apart from the mechanical hiccups, we've had a great ride today.

The road into Brendan T. Byrne State Forest is full of soft sand. Mike got here first as usual and tried to give us a clue via text about a route to avoid it but I didn't see it in time. We skid around on the sand but manage not to fall over. Eventually we get to a paved road and find the campsite another 3 miles further. This state forest is huge.

We're in the New Jersey Pine Barrens, part of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens system where the soil is too sandy and acidic for agriculture. The campground is beautiful, and in our experience bug-free, although there are tick warnings. Dirty, antiquated bathrooms are the only thing that mars the experience. This place deserves better.

Once the tent is set up Barry gets to work on his bike. He broke a spoke at some point today and his wheel is out of true. It's been a rough day mechanically.

Our heat-n-eat dinners from ACME Groceries are delicious. I have a Mediterrean salmon dish with orzo, spinach, feta, lemon and olives that's exceptional. Barry is just as happy with his sausage and peppers over penne. Chalk two up for the coyote.

It's a relief to find the paved road after a mile of this.

Rough field repair on the wheel with the broken spoke

We have a friendly camp neighbor tonight - Jim from Vineland New Jersey, about 50 miles south of here. Jim is on a shakedown ride with a new lightweight motorbike that he got for off-road riding. He's testing out all new gear too, going for stuff that's lightweight, multi-purpose and waterproof. I'm always on the hunt for that kind of gear.

Jim has a sailboat that he keeps in Ocean City near where we stayed last night. He is also deep into surfing, especially in the fall after the crowds leave and the water is still warm. Hearing that Mike is a whitewater boater, he suggests trying a wave ski, which is a surfboard that you sit on and control with a kayak paddle. It's popular with the whitewater crowd. Mike says he wants to give surfing a go standing up. I think the wave ski sounds awesome.

I have all my layers on but once the sun goes down it cools down fast so we retreat to the tent. Looking over the loose plan for how we'll get to Provincetown, it's strange to think we have less than two weeks left on our tour.

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Today's ride: 56 miles (90 km)
Total: 2,050 miles (3,299 km)

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Suzanne GibsonI remember my mother shopping at ACME in West Orange, N.J. I haven't heard the name for a long time. Funny how a single word can conjure up so many memories.
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3 months ago

Janice BranhamTo Suzanne GibsonThat's so true Suzanne. The word chamber shoots me back to when I was in grade school and my Dad would supervise my sister and I in our piano practice the night before our weekly piano lesson. We called it Tuesday night torture chamber. There were tears.
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3 months ago