Princeton (Rest Day)

Day 14

I'm two days behind on my blogging, so I'll start off with day 12.

Day 12

Ben wanted to get an early start on Sunday morning, so the night before we all agreed to get an early breakfast so we could start our ride as soon as possible.  When we met the next morning to get some coffee before breakfast, however, Ben was conspicuously absent.  It seems he was still asleep!  Di, Jen and I went to a cafe and got some coffee and by the time we were done Ben was finally up and ready to meet us for breakfast.

          Breakfast at the Wooden Spoon in Phoenixville

After breakfast we quickly got our things together and got ready to roll.  

          Jen and Ben outside the hotel

          Ben pumping up Di's tires (what a gentleman)

We left the hotel and took a left down Main Street.  I thought we should have taken a right, but I was out-voted.  We then took a right that brought us up a steep hill, took another right, then took another right that brought us down a steep hill and, to no surprise to those of you good at geometry, we found ourselves in front of the hotel again.  I think the hardest part of bike touring is figuring out the maps.  Eventually we found the bike path that would bring us back to Philly.

          Jen and Ben enjoying the beauty of the bike path

We stopped for lunch in some town that is known for catering to bicyclists.  Ben found a great sidewalk cafe for us that served exceptionally good ice coffee.

          At the cafe (with other cyclists)

It was an easy ride back to Philly because we were on the bike path pretty much the whole way.  There  is so much good biking around Philly that I am jealous of Jen and Ben!  Di and I went to our hotel to relax for a bit while Jen and Ben went shopping for our meal.  Jen had graciously offered to make us dinner and we were happy to accept partly because it would be a nice change from eating out, but mostly because Jen is a great cook and we knew our meal would be delicious. 

Enjoying our fabulous salmon, veggie and salad dinner

                           

Louie makes yet another appearance in the blog

                                              

After dinner, Di, Ben and Jen worked diligently with Google Maps and the Garmin routing web site to come up with a good course for us to take from Philly to Princeton.  I would have helped them but hey, somebody has to take the pictures.

Working hard to set a course to Princeton

Once the course was set and loaded into the Garmin, we agreed to meet for breakfast the next morning and Di and I headed back to the hotel.

Day 13

We met Jen and Ben for breakfast on Monday morning at 7:30.  We went to Sam's Morning Glory Diner, which is right next to our hotel and also happens to be one of Jen and Ben's favorite breakfast spots.  It was very thoughtful of them to come by and see us one last time, especially because they had spent just about every waking minute of the last three days with us.  Di and I thanked them for making the last three days of riding so enjoyable.  We also thanked them for making the rides easier for us by always riding ahead of us so we could draft behind them and, for much of the ride, not even peddle!  These last three days have been a lot of fun and Di and I were sad to see them head out of the restaurant and off to work.  Of course, we weren't as sad as we would have been if we, too, had to head off to work.

We returned to our hotel, got our bikes and gear and got ready to ride to the Ben Franklin bridge.  We started off by going right on 10th street, to a left until we reached 5th street, took a left that brought us through the center of town, and then took another left because we were now lost.  And yes, as the geometrically inclined among you have probably surmised, we were pretty much back to the point where we had started.  We were now on 11th, one block from where we started on 10th.  Sometimes you just have to laugh.  This wasn't one of them.  Anyway, we eventually found our way to the bridge and crossed by using the pedestrian walkway.

Di crossing the Ben Franklin bridge

The pedestrian walkway was great, but when we reached the Jersey side the sidewalk ended in a long stairway instead of a ramp.  A gentleman waited at the bottom of the stairs and watched as we first removed our bags from the bikes, brought the bikes down the stairs, then went back up the stairs to get our bags.  When we finally were done climbing the stairs the gentleman asked me why I didn't just use the small ramp built into one side of the stairway.  "What small ramp?", I asked.  "That one", he said while pointing to a very obvious ramp.  "Oh", I said.  "Why didn't you use it?", he asked again.  I could see where this was going so I just cut to the chase.  "Because I'm not to bright?".  "No", he said, "its not that.  Its because you didn't know.  First time I took those stairs I did what you did and carried my bike down.  A fellow pointed out the ramp to me and that's how I learned to use the ramp."  "Thanks", I said, "next time I pass this way I'll be sure to use the ramp."  And then he said, "Even a fool, if he knows one thing, can teach a wise man."  I didn't know what to say.  If I agreed, then would I be saying he was a fool?  If I disagreed, then would I be saying he can't teach a wise man?  And also that he was a fool?  My mind couldn't compute the correct response to this trick statement, so I just fixed my face into a fake smile and stared at him.  Eventually he left to ascend the stairs, using the ramp, naturally.  Di commented that she was very disappointed in my conversational skills.  I explained the dilemma and dared her to come up with a suitable reply to the paradox the man presented.  She said all I had to say was, "Well sir, you are certainly no fool because you at least knew about the ramp and were kind enough to teach us about.  So, thanks again."  She then looked at me very smugly.  Sheesh, I must have missed out on conversation training somewhere along the way.  The worst part is that given a similar situation in the future I will probably respond the same way.  

The ride into Princeton took us along parks and farmland -- thanks again, Jen and Ben!

  

Di resting in a revolutionary war battlefield

We returned to the Peacock Inn, relaxed for a bit and then went to a Brew House pub for dinner.  They specialize in craft beers, of which I decided to partake.  That decision explains this pose:

Day 14

Today (Tuesday) is a rest day!  Thank goodness, because we both have tired legs.  We walked down to Cafe 44 for breakfast.

Di is pleased her oatmeal came in a little cast iron pot

We met the owner of Cafe 44 and Di told her a little of the movie Fed Up we had seen in Phoenexville.  The owner told us she had opened the cafe a little while ago after giving up a corporate job that had her traveling 40 weeks out of the year.  She said all that traveling and eating out made her gain 75 pounds over the course of a few years.  She said she realized she had become big after trying on some clothes in front of a store mirror and she was horrified.  She came home and yelled at her husband, "Why didn't you tell me I got fat?"  He replied, "What, I say that and then go to sleep?"  Di and I looked at her with confused expressions.  She explained, "You know, if he says that then when he is sleeping I will kill him with the knife!"  "Oh, yes, of course", we replied.  "Well, anyway, I've lost 50 pounds already and I'm going to lose the rest soon."  That was good news for her and probably her husband, too.

We went back to the Peacock to get our bikes and clothes and rode the mile and a half to the laundromat.  I don't like to put my bike clothes in the dryer because I think it ruins them over time, but Di said I wouldn't have any choice this time.  However, I found a bike rack out in the parking lot that I commandeered for the purposes of drying my clothes.  Hey, it is a rack designed to aid bicyclists, after all!

Clothes drying on bike rack in Princeton shopping mall

We finished our clothes and we to the Small World Cafe for ice coffee.  Later, we walked across the street to have dinner at a pub and eatery called Agricola.  The food was really good and the crowd was very boisterous because they were watching the U.S. play Belgium in soccer.

Rooting for the home team (though for 15 minutes I wasn't sure which team that was)