Ride Day 27: Newark, DE to Bensalem, PA

Today's ride was really great! Delaware and Pennsylvania are both great States for providing safe and effective bicycle traffic routes. The day started off with a bleak outlook from the Weather Channel, which turned out to be wrong as we didn't get any rain today. The first intersection I came to in Newark was occupied by several motorists who met by accident ;o) The Police Officer on scene came up to me and asked which Engineer unit I was with and said he was an Engineer as well! ESSAYONS, Brother!

I pedaled up HWY2 to Wilmington and arrived in what seemed to be short order. After a stop for snacks I figured on pedaling on through but the locals had other thoughts on that. I ended up stopping I don't know how many times to talk with folks and show off the TerraTrike to kids and adults alike. It was a lot of fun. I also came across a new project being started in Wilmington called the Urban Bicycle Project at 1908 N. Market St. They happened to be out at the time I stopped by but I did get to meet Ian and some of the guys from deco multimedia group, who share the building. These guys were really cool and I really dig what they are trying to accomplish in their community. Check out urbanbikeproject.org and delawarecollective.com for more information. I wish both of you the best in your endeavor... keep up the great work!

From there I pedaled on to Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love. When I crossed the DE/PA States Line I was pleased that PA picked right up with the lane and I found it to be designated PA Bike Route E, which so far has crossed the entire city of Philly and all the way to Bensalem. The lanes are clearly marked and motorists seem to respect and appreciate them. So, pay close attention to this program Virginia and Texas...

Once into Philly proper I found Philip's sandwich shop just a starin' at me! I made a bee line for the place and told Ray to fix me up a genuine Philly Cheese Steak just the way the locals eat them. Let me tell you... that was the best Philly Cheese Steak I have ever eaten! Philip insisted that the secret is fresh, real beef and slices it himself everyday after finishing up his job in construction. The crew at Philip's was awesome and super friendly. The sandwich hit the spot and down the road I went. Riding down Passyunk Ave to South and around Old Town was one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was really, really cool! There were bike everywhere! There were all kinds of people on bikes, messengers on bikes, cops on bikes... I even saw a mailwoman on a bike! And the bikes moved at the same pace as the traffic! It was a beautifully orchestrated mass transit concerto! The streets were narrow and the businesses were colorful and bright and there were people everywhere. It was so cool! People waved and shouted and honked and it was just really, really cool! I wish I had had a helmet camera so that I could watch that again and again. Unfortunately, there was so much going on I didn't dare try to pull out my camera for fear of getting splatted. I was so caught up in the ride and my surroundings that I hooked a right on South Street and came out on Front Street without even seeing Old Town. I did, however, make a stop at Veterans Memorial Park on Spruce and paid my respects. This is an awesome park and the City of Philly did a great job putting it together.

I could have spent many days cruising around downtown Philly. It is such an eclectic city. I love it! But, I had to make some forward progress and so I pedaled on down the road on my nice bike lane. The row housing in Philly is cool... it's like one giant apartment... like a bee hive. Oh, and they should call it the "Philly Stop" not the "California Stop." I had the crap scared out of me a few times before I figured out that that is just the way they drive here. I also got passed by bicyclists while I was waiting at red lights... yup! apparently bikes don't have the same set of traffic rules...

Let's see, bike lane, Philly Cheese Steak, Passyunk Ave., Veterans Memorial Park, housing, Philly Stops... bikes don't... Oh! The people are so cool! They're just like me... loud and obnoxious! To visitors they are nice as can be but, to each other... woo hoo! Horns a honkin', gestures a flyin'... explicatives shouted... and you can tell that they're OK with each other anyway. Nobody's gonna get offended or fly into road rage... it's just the way they are... totally cool! Saul Raisin was right when he said Philly was a cool city...

Well, I'm almost at the end of this great ride. I hope the rain holds off for just a couple more days. For now I'm thankful that I've come safely this far. I'm sure that I've left out something from today that was really cool but, it's late and I'm tired. Enjoy the pics below and, please keep our Troops in your hearts and thoughts as I have done. It is because of Them that this is even possible...

Enjoy the Ride!

HOU-NYC Ride Solo III