April 20, 2021 - Seaside Park, NJ, to Brick Township, NJ, and Return
Turnaround: Brick Township, NJ
Miles: 27.6
Feet climbing per mile: 14
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/65854713
I awoke at 6:00 and considered getting up to see the sun rise on the beach but decided I would see the sunrise the next day so I went back to sleep. I got up at 9:00 and immediately went to the beach. It was sunny and felt warm although it was only 50 degrees, with a breeze coming in off the ocean.
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| Looking south from Seaside Park |
I decided I would walk for an hour south along the shore and then return along the road running parallel to the shore. That would give me a few hours to do the scouting of local roads that would help me find a new route home for the next day.
I spent much of the time walking at the edge of the shore. The water felt very cold.
I saw several groups of seagulls (actually gulls). I suspect they were fishing.
Written in the sand I thought I saw "Mike and Judy", or some similar names, but then I realized it was an inspirational statement.
I saw a matched pair of interesting houses on the beach some distance ahead of me and decided I would get off the beach by taking the path between the two houses. The picture below is of the house farther south.
As I walked north on Central Avenue I came upon The Sundae Times. I thought I might have ice cream for breakfast, but the owners told me they wouldn't open until the weekend and couldn't serve me because the ice cream machine wasn't on.
I hope drivers are on the lookout for anyone crossing the street while walking on his or her head.
I hadn't known there was a system that monitors ocean waves and currents. I saw the sign below on the boardwalk just south of my motel. See www.codar.com for information about the system.
Having walked about four miles, I arrived back at my motel about 11:00, enjoyed a Mountain Dew, and rested.
As I was about to depart for a ride on which I would scout the nearby roads in search of a way to avoid the 10-mile straight and flat road on which I completed my trip the day before, I noticed a strange sensation on the bottom of my right big toe. When I removed my shoe and sock I discovered a blister that must have developed while I was walking on the beach.
I used a needle from my sewing kit to burst the blister so I could remove the fluid. After washing my toe I covered the blister with a bandage and then wrapped with it with a self-adhesive tape which would provide padding. But I was surprised that the tape was not adhering to itself. Does this tape eventually fail to work? I used some white cloth tape to hold the non-adhesive self-adhesive tape in place.
I started my ride shortly after noon, heading west on Route 37 across the Thomas A. Mathis Bridge. After crossing the bridge I left the heavy traffic of Route 37 for quite neighborhood roads, but soon found myself again on 4-lane roads with lots of traffic. I thought that maybe someone in a local bike shop might be able to tell me a good route back to Perth Amboy, so I headed to Shore Cycling Sports on Mantoloking Road. Before I got to the bike shop I came upon Rita's, where I had a frozen custard, which is basically ice cream made with a recipe that includes eggs.
Shore Cycling Sports was just a few minutes from Rita's. A mechanic at the bike shop suggested I take Route 35 back to Perth Amboy. I found that advice useless because it was on Route 35 that I had the boring 10-mile straight flat ride and on which I also encountered heavy traffic on four-lane sections of the road with no shoulder. The mechanic said he lived in Perth Amboy, but I doubt that he had ever ridden his bike between home and work. After leaving the bike shop I continued east on Mantoloking Road until I turned south for almost eight miles of straight flat riding, this time into a strong headwind.
Seaside Heights, immediately north of Seaside Park where I was staying, has several summer entertainment attractions. I think they're all closed until later in the year.
When I arrived at my motel I had another Mountain Dew.
In retrospect it was obvious that my riding around the neighborhood looking for a better route home was doomed to failure. But I was determined to improve on my route from the previous day, so I used street view on Google Maps and my RideWithGPS app to create a new route. It was difficult work on my iPhone SE (1st generation), but I succeeded to create a route on which I would avoid some of the trouble I had experienced the day before.
For dinner I again went to Klee's Bar & Grill. This time I ordered mixed vegetables along with my hamburger and sweet potato fries. Unlike the night before, I skipped dessert.
I wanted to get an early start the next day so that I would arrive at Newark Penn Station by 3:30 so I could catch a PATH train into Manhattan. I planned to get up the next morning at 6:00 and be on the road at 6:30. Sunrise would be at 6:22. I went to bed at 10:00 but was unable to fall asleep and stay asleep until about 1:30. At least twice between 10:00 and 1:30 I reviewed my new route on my phone. If I had stayed up when I woke at 6:00 Tuesday morning I think I would have fallen asleep much sooner Tuesday night. At home I usually stay up until midnight or later.
My post about the previous day: April 19, 2012 - New York, NY, to Seaside Park, NJ
My post about the next day: April 21, 2012 - Seaside Park, NJ, to New York, NY
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