Ride Report: Bucolic Diversity with a Victorian Twist

It was a dark and stormy night. We awoke to a foggy, soggy morning, but it least it wasn't still raining. The rain gauge said 0.9" for the storm.

After checking email (no cancellation), and checking the radar map online (storm seems to have passed), we packed up the car and headed out to White Township. The closer we got, the more promising the weather appeared, and we even (gasp!) caught a brief glimpse of sunshine. Arriving at the Recreation Area, we discovered four eager DOGS teams pawin' their pedals and rarin' to go after so many washed out weekends, and three more teams rolled in after us: eight total. The teams socialized as we signed in and got ourselves organized. Walt and Claire thoughtfully provided American flags, and we all decorated our bikes to honor Flag Day.

It was a day of odd mishaps. Team Wells got two flats, rear tire, of course, but they were very thoughtful in their choice of location. The first happened almost immediately after we started, so we were all pretty well clustered together (except for those hammerheads, Sue and Dave, who finally stopped way down the hill and through the Rt. 46 light). The second one, a blow-out, occurred next to a fantastic garden that the creator was more than happy to discuss with a few of us while we awaited repairs.

The other unusual event was that Dave Snope locked his keys in the minivan after the ride. He called AAA, and the first guy out was unable to pop the lock, so he called for backup. The second guy eventually opened the lock, though it took quite awhile. Little harm done to the minivan, slight damage to Dave's pride.

The ride itself was, as the name suggests, diverse and bucolic. We got to enjoy views of farm fields, the Delaware River, and the Victorian charm of Belvedere (and a charming street that was less than charmingly being resurfaced). The town was crowded with shoppers inspecting the town-wide yard sale. There were lots of hills, both up and down. We enjoyed the sweet smells of honeysuckle, wild raspberries, and wild roses along the roadside. As the ride progressed, we were treated to hazy sun, not atypical for this time of year, but unusual so far this year. We were unused to the warmth!

We all took a break at Sweet Treats and Eats again this year. I guess we're more welcome than last year: the "No Dogs Allowed" sign was gone. So was one of the two swings.

Upon returning to the White Township Recreation Area, Walt and Claire rolled out all their usual goodies, abetted by contributions from others. Another DOGS treat feast.

Timing is everything. As the picnic wound down, the clouds started to darken, and the rain started to fall. By 3 we decided the handwriting was on the wall, and the rainfall was on the tandem: time to leave. The rain continued, getting pretty hard, about half-way to I-78, then stopped. I hoped we could use the high-speed ride home to dry out the bike and beat the storm to Summit. And we did. Except for slight hints of rain, the rest of the trip was dry, and the bike was dry when we got home. But it started to rain almost immediately thereafter. We quickly got the bike under cover, emptied the car of our gear, and got into the house.


Dave Kristol
Last modified: 17 June 2003