Ride 4.19.14

I parked the wagon at the Lumberton Municipal Building (on a road called Municipal Drive), changed a few items of clothing, then put the 2 water bottles into their cages and climbed aboard my bike. I headed east toward Vincentown, passing an old, decommissioned Nike missile base at Newbold's Corner.

Before actually entering downtown Vincentown, though, I made a left, rode past the Pinelands Preservation Alliance headquarters, and crossed State Route 206 at the light where a group of about five cyclists were just standing around. I said 'Hi' as I went by, catching the light change just right.

[I have to mention, that is the intersection where my friend and roommate Tucker was killed by a truck filled with twenty tons of sand while driving to work in the fog on my dad's birthday in 1976.]

About 100 yards farther on, I felt the bike's handling get squirrely, so I stopped and, sure enough, my rear tire was soft. OK, I hadn't changed a flat roadside in a long time, so I was due. I hoped my winter-evening basement practice would pay off, and it did. I used the mini-pump and the CO2-canister outfit, and was back on the road in nothing near record time. But I wanted to find the cause of the leak, so I took it slow, carefully checking the rim and the inside of the tire. Nothing found, though, so I hoped the new tube would not flat from the same cause. It didn't.

I rode on Scrapetown Road (love that name) and Simontown Road and New Lisbon Road and Four Mile Road before turning into Brendan Byrne State Park, fully in the Pines at that point. I took a leak in the woods. Then I passed the park office, crossed Route 70 and  made my way onto Route 72. Shortly thereafter I turned south towards Chatsworth. Not far down County Route 563 I made a right onto Sooy Place Road and began my circle back. On that lonely road I passed a cyclist going the other way; I said 'Good morning,' and he said 'Hi, NJg!' Turned out to be a guy who I used to ride with, until I got tired of his loudmouth boasting. I yelled out his name in reply, and continued on my way, and he on his. Kinda funny thing to happen in the middle of nowhere.

I headed back toward Lumberton, passing Red Lion Airport on the way. At one country road intersection, I had the right of way so about 8 cyclists waited at a stop sign for me to pass. I thought that was funny, so I said 'Thank you!' with a big smile on my face as I pedaled by.

The rest of the ride was uneventful, except for the usual headwind. After loading the bike into the back of the wagon, I headed for a Sonic and had myself a tasty chocolate milkshake. (After all, chocolate milk had recently been named a good exercise-recovery drink.)