The Climate Ride GAP/C&O Canal was a good trip for Nancy and I to share, but it was short on adventure for my taste, not to mention hills. Fortunately there are always more hills to climb, and here I was on the Eastern seaboard, not far from my original stomping grounds in Jersey.
The ride plan was for seven full riding days, plus a warm-up day from Alexandria to northeastern D.C., and a bonus out-and-back day to visit my mom from my sister’s place. With help from Adventure Cycling Association’s maps (Atlantic Coast, and Chicago to New York), I plotted out a route that would roll through Baltimore, then up into the Appalachian foothills. From there’d go through Pennsylvania Dutch country to Philly and my sister’s place in Cherry Hill, then across the Pine Barrens to the shore, and up to Sandy Hook to grab the ferry into Manhattan, riding across the George Washington Bridge to finish up at my brother’s place in Jersey City. All new routes for me. Sleeping arrangements would be a mix of staying with family and friends, super-lightweight camping, Warmshowers, and a hotel if need be.
My Jersey friend John was trying to find a way to join for the end of the trip, but got waylaid, like the rest of us, by the dysfunction of the U.S. fascist regime.