A Memorial Day to Remember

Monday, May 29. Belvidere to Walpack Center, NJ. After coffee and a chat with the Hotel Belvidere's owner, Sidney Deutsch, it was time for Belvidere's Memorial Day parade. We had front-row seats on the front porch, and after the parade, many Belivdere residents stopped by to chat. They seem to be very happy that the hotel has been renovated--apparently, it was nearly ready for the bulldozers. Some of them are lifelong residents, and remember the parties and other goings-on at the hotel back in the day.

Sidney's son, Jeremy, had recently moved to Belvidere from Portland, OR, so we had a great time chatting with him about his experiences there. He has a very high opinion of the Pacific Northwest, and only moved back to the East to help out with the family's new hotel business.

By the time we managed to get on the road, the day was already warm, and somewhat humid. The last few days had been about the same, so we were looking forward to riding by the river again. And for a couple of hours, the ride was great. Shady roads, good pavement, nice breezes, limited traffic. It was fun to watch what seemed like half of NJ out enjoying the Delaware River. We crossed a couple more pedestrian bridges (on foot, of course), and I think that I have now crossed the Delaware more times than did George Washington!

We stopped in Portland, PA, for a picture outside of Longhunters Mercantile, where we met Dennis and Mary Beth. Mary Beth took the picture, and we got to talking about our trip. (Hi guys! Hope you're reading this!) We also stopped for Kelly's ice cream, where we sat next to a family at a picnic table. The talk turned to our trip, and the kids were amazed that anyone would do what we're doing. "You could fly to Oregon--that would only take one day" was Frankie's comment.

As we entered Delaware Water Gap, out route took us down a side street and then onto a ('natch) pedestrian bridge. The bridge paralles I-80 over the Delaware River. There was no pedestrian traffic (and no law enforcement), so I decided to ride across. This is an odd experience: on the left-hand side I'm separated from I-80 traffic by a 4-ft high, solid concrete barrier. On the right-hand side, I'm separated from the Delaware River (and I'm guessing about a 100-foot drop) by a metal pole and rail fence. And this, my friends, is part of the Appalachian Trail!

A little later on, the road turned away from the railway and the freeway, and started up the mountain. We could still see the Delaware, but as we hit some of the steeping ascents, my eyes were fixed on the roadbed in front of me. Matthew's trick is to only look a few feet in front of the bike on a steep climb, and to put a rythm in his head as a beat to spin the pedals. I've been using this trick with some success, but the only rythm I can get in my head is a chorus from "Gypsies, Tramps and Thieves", or the rythm of my lungs gasping for air. I made it up all but one of the hills today, though, using that tactic. The hill I walked just became too steep and too long--I got about halfway up it before the sweat on my hands made them slip on the handlebar grip--and I forgot how the song ends. After that, we still had a couple more hours of ups and (glorious) downs, until we finally reached the campground at Walpack Center.

This campground caters more to RV's--long-term RV'ers--and so we didn't find showers tonight. We did find the pool, though, so we jumped in and cooled off there for a while. The view from the pool is pretty stunning. You can see the mountains (that we just rode through, thank you), and above that is a ridge that is part of the AT. It's pretty amazing to be in close contact with the AT. On this trip, we've met a few folks who have done all or parts of the AT. I keep imagining them walking through these hills and forests.

Without showers or laundry rooms to slow us down, we made camp pretty quickly. Dinner tonight was another pre-packaged meal, one that we picked up at Dick's in Plymouth Meeting. Black Been Tamale Pie is another winner. We also had some buttermilk biscuits. A few days ago, I found some packages of mix that only require water, no eggs. I picked up a couple varieties, and tonight the buttermilk biscuits with honey (purloined from a hotel's breakfast bar) was a great dessert. I think I am finally getting the hang of the Bake Packer.

I want to close tonight by saying thanks to everyone who's posted notes, sent e-mails, called, and sent along care packages. While it's hard for us to respond individually to the posts, we do read every one of them. Thanks for reading along with us--we are glad you're tagging along.

PS - can anyone suggest a different tune for hill-climbing? (other than It's a Small World, of course)