October 17, 2023 - Hackettstown, NJ, to Tannersville, PA

Start: Hackettstown, NJ
End: Tannersville, PA
Miles: 51.7
Feet climbing per mile: 92
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/137549156

I don't usually eat breakfast, but at 9:00 I went to the lobby to enjoy the free breakfast that included a waffle I would make myself.

Step 1: Pour batter onto the waffle iron.

Step 2: Close the waffle iron, turn it upside down, and wait two and one half minutes.

Step 3: Open the waffle iron, remove the waffle, and add butter and maple syrup. I used my camping flatware rather than the plastic knife and fork supplied by the hotel.

The morning started chilly so I planned to leave at 10:00 at which the temperature was forecast to reach 50. Sunset would be at 6:18. I figured that eight hours would be more than sufficient to ride 51 miles, even with lots of climbing. I checked out of my hotel at 10:15 at which time the temperature was 53. It was sunny, so again I wore shorts.

The first 32 miles would follow the route I rode to Jim Thorpe in June (June 6, 2023 - Hackettstown, NJ, to Jim Thorpe Camping Resort, PA), so I knew the roads would be beautiful for at least that portion of my ride. At mile 5.9 a church caught my attention.

At mile 7.9 I saw the Port Colden Manor which I had first seen in March of 2021. I wrote about that building in March 10, 2021 - New York, NY, to Easton, PA), but unfortunately the links I included in my blog post no longer work. Nobody appeared after I carefully walked up the stairs and knocked on the front door. I also went around the back of the building where I found an open door. I asked "Is anybody there?" to which I received no reply.

October 17th, 2023

The building had looked a little better in 2021.

March 10th, 2021

The Facebook group Hackettstown Through The Years. has several threads about the Port Colden Manor which can be found here. One of the threads includes the following comment:

That structure saved dozens of slaves over many years. It was a safe haven for slaves running from their “owners”.

I'd love to see the Port Colden Manor renovated but I don't know of any plans to have that done.

I stopped to take a video of the beautiful landscape at mile 9.5.

I saw several cows at Hensler Farms at mile 16. Why was that cow humping the black one?

I crossed the Delaware River at mile 18. The roadway over the bridge was an open grate, so I took the sidewalk. As I entered the bridge a woman who had some sort of official position (bridge guard?) asked me to walk my bike, and I agreed, except that I didn't walk my bike because there were no pedestrians present.

Three quarters of a mile after leaving the bridge I stopped at Gulicks Fruit Farm. I was interested in getting a tart apple to enjoy after arriving at my destination. Todd Gulick said the tartest apple was the Idared and gave me one for free. I also met two local women, Donna and Carmela, with whom I spoke about my ride and told I was planning to stop at Detzi's Tavern in Wind Gap. They told me they knew Detzi's and that the food was good.

Idared

On my Facebook page I started a thread by posting the image below and asking "What's wrong with this picture?".

Here are some of the answers I received:

There is no way to walk to the front door.
The land is under monoculture.
It's just grass, boring and waste of water.
The window unit air conditioner seems unmatched to that house.
No lightingrod
They are using a window unit to air condition the garage.
Mismatched widows, no lights, no street lamps
The windows to the garage face the road.

What I find wrong with the picture is that in October there are no leaves on the grass, and that the yard is all grass. See The Social and Ecological Downfall of Lawn Culture.

In contrast, a yard could look like this:

Where do people get the idea that an apostrophe is used to form a plural?

At mile 31.4 I stopped at Detzi's Tavern. Shortly after I entered I was surprised to that someone was calling my name. It was Donna and Carmela whom I had met at Gulick's Fruit Farm. After speaking with them for a few minutes I found a table and ordered a bowl of tomato bisque which I found outstanding.

After leaving Detzi's I was soon on Route 115 for three and one half miles of heavy traffic and a narrow shoulder.

At mile 38.8 I stopped to look at the Old Mill Road Bridge.

I do not like riding on chipseal, but at least it was in good condition.

At mile 41, after completing a fairly steep climb of a quarter mile, I said to a man I saw in front of his home "It sure is hilly around here!". He responded by saying "It's illegal to pedal yerann.". I didn't understand the word "yerann", so I asked him to repeat what he had said. Unfortunately I still couldn't understand him. What do you think he meant? Please post your guesses in the comments below this post.

At mile 41.3 I entered Route 715 with its narrow shoulder and often chipseal surface, now in poor condition. The traffic soon became fast and heavy in both directions (it was rush hour), so at mile 46.6 I started to walk and continued to do so until mile 47.3 where the shoulder became wide enough to be safe with the traffic.

At mile 51.2, just a half mile from my hotel, I saw that I was about to make a very steep climb. I think the video below gives a good idea of just how steep it was.

The climb was steep but only 700 feet long. Despite being tired I somehow found the strength to ride it.

I arrived at the Chateau Resort & Conference Center at 5:30 and was given a room with two queen beds and a mountain view. This room had by far the best view of any in which I had stayed on a bike trip.

My hotel and the several hotels nearby are busy in the ski season but now in the off-season were quite empty. As a result there was only one restaurant in easy walking distance open during the week. After a shower, shave, and change of clothes I walked a mile to the Trail's End Pub & Grille where I had a New York strip steak and broccoli which I followed with a dessert consisting of a brownie, a scoop of dark chocolate ice cream, chocolate chips, and whipped cream. Unlike the previous night, I was able to have a dessert because I did not have any starch with the main course. I've added the following to Aphorisms and Exhortations:

If you want to have room for dessert, skip the starch with the main course.

Again I paid the check with cash and again the change was rounded to a whole dollar amount, this time in my favor.

Through the day I had done a lot of climbing on my bike (92 feet per mile). The walk to and from dinner also had substantial climbing (68 feet per mile).

Previous day: October 16, 2023 - Newark, NJ, to Hackettstown, NJ
Next day: October 18, 2023 - Tannersville, PA loop

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