September 14, 2024
Day One
Second Attempt
Rob and I arrived around 9:30 AM at the Culver Gap Parking Area. It was a beautiful day weather wise. We called the number on the bulletin board and registered the car with the forest people. Stokes Forest never mentioned this was an option when I called the forest office about parking. Rob and I prepped the bikes and headed out.
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I configured the route using the backpacking.com site with guidance from the comment section. We started on the Coursen Trail which put the rock in rocky. We hike-a-biked a few sections. Stony Lake was well named. It took us two hours to go 7 miles to Dingman Ferry Bridge. Imagine our surprise when we encountered the CLOSED sign at the bridge. There were people working on it. The nearest crossing was 15 miles north toward Milford. We decided to ride Old Mine Road. I told Rob that it was closed two weeks ago, but I figured the work was finished by now. And who works on Saturdays besides bridge guys?
Rob and I headed south, staying as close to the river as the roads allowed. The roads were a mix of beat up asphalt, farm roads and potholed dirt. We worked our way south, stopping to check out the river and filter some water at Flat Brook then had a peanut butter & honey lunch at the Group Campground.
This time, I made it up Group Campground Hill (my name) with its 12% grade. Rob led down Hamilton Ridge Trail, putting us back on Old Mine Road and the place I stealth camped two weeks earlier. ( I came away with a case of poison ivy for my indiscretion.) A mile or two down the street, the road was newly paved and smooth as glass. We encountered our first bicyclist of the day and he informed us that we were riding on a closed road. Apparently we missed the CLOSED sign by dropping down Hamilton Ridge Trail. We pedaled on and coasted into the Worthington State Forest Campground. It had a wide variety of campsites in fields in the woods and on the river.
One more steep hill and the long AT walkway next to I-80 put us into the Pennsylvania town of Delaware Water Gap, the Pocono Inn and Banquet Center, which sounds much more impressive than the reality. I give it one whole star above a dump. It was clean but overpriced this weekend. Rob and I ate a tasty dinner at Bosco BBQ but missed the bargain meal at Apple Pie Bakery where a hot dog and a slice of apple pie was $4.95.
Today's ride: 41 miles (66 km)
Total: 157 miles (253 km)
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