The Explorers left the Best Western in Chester after a hearty breakfast. The rain from the previous day had passed and the weather was absolutely perfect for riding. They had to ride about a mile back to merge back on the official route. The ride started through some hilly suburbs and gradually the population density thinned out. The “Fetterman” political signs that has been evident throughout Philly and the surrounding suburbs suddenly disappeared and “Dr. Oz” signs were in every yard.
The route had more hills than yesterday (or maybe the Explorers were more tired?). They used to pull a trailer behind their “Tandem Tuesday” (manufactured by Bike Friday), but they had issues with it on their bike tour in Europe. The trailer had a tendency to flip, and on the 3rd flip, the axle broke and it lost a wheel, sending the Explorers into a Swiss cornfield. Anyway, the Explorers have nixed the trailer and added saddlebags, making the bike heavier. The jury is still out on whether it is “too heavy”, but the hills have been very slow.
Today, the Explorers crossed into Delaware and the area because more urban once again. Sidekick Sue was captivated by the lovely Victorian-style row houses. The homes were showing their age, but one could tell that their was still a lot of neighborhood pride. There were lots of people out on the streets, and the Explorers got a lot of friendly shout-outs as they made their way into downtown Wilmington.
Downtown Wilmington was impressive. Once the Explorers crossed the river to the south side, the city had a very modern appearance. All through Wilmington, the Explorers experienced urban bike riding until they got to the southernmost point and picked up a wonderful bike path. It started along the shore of the Christina River where the wind was so strong, it was impeding their progress. Eventually, the path veered into a shady, forested area that was very pleasant.
The bike path took the Explorers to New Castle, which was a charming colonial town on the Delaware River. Rows of colonial style row houses contrasted with the ones they had seen earlier outside of Wilmington. Originally, they planned to stop for lunch in New Castle, but after a brief rest, the Explorers pushed on. The route put the Explorers on another bike path, this one going through a very marshy area. After about 5 miles, the path oddly dead-ended at “private property” and the Explorers had to back track a half mile to get on a parallel road, which turned out to be a relatively busy highway, lined with refineries and chemical plants. Ick! The road had plenty of sizable hills which made the Explorers regret not eating in New Castle. They took a little break after the largest of the hills and confirmed that they were only 3 miles from the restaurant they had chosen in Delaware City. Actually, it wasn’t really a choice since Kathy’s Crab House was the only restaurant that was open on a Monday that they could find. Luckily for this non-seafood-eating couple, it had a decent selection of land-based dishes as well.
After a well-deserved meal, the Explorers picked up another bike path that ran along the Chesapeake and Delaware Canal. Riding along the canal was fun, as the Explorers had motored down this same canal a few years ago on their trawler. They even recognized part of the path near the Summit North Marina where they had taken their folding bikes ashore to stretch their legs a few years ago. At one point along the C&D Canal, the “official bike route” crossed the river and veered off, but the Explorers had to stay on the trail to get to their campground, which turned out to be 5 miles off the route. The route to the campground had a few climbs, but it wasn’t as bad as Sidekick Sue feared since the road was named “Summit Point”
After reaching their site, the Explorers set up camp, showered, and hung out in the laundry room charging their electronics. After a long break from camping, sleeping outside will be nice. All-in-all, a great day. Rode about 45 miles with approximately 20 miles on dedicated bike paths.
