Day 2

I'm at a KOA campground, which fills me with dread regarding the future of America.  What a horrible testimony to the merging of commercialism and Americans' fear of the unknown.

Day 1 started with heavy excitement and fear.  The bike weighed much more than anticipated, and it was very difficult even carrying it downstairs.

I was running about 20 minutes late, so caught the second ferry - not too bad.

From the beginning, the load was decidedly heavy and much more difficult to handle than anticipated.  There was also a strange "click/clanking" sound which worried me.  I had serious doubts about how the bike could handle all the weight.

However, besides the odd sound, everything seemed okay.   The day was cool and sunny - perfect.

The huge hill in Weehawken winded me, but I made it - so far so good.

The scary bridge, route 1/9 over the swamps of Newark, I decided to take with the cars and not the path on the side.  The weight of the gear and the clanking sound made me decide to "go for it".  No problem.

Newark was a little scary, but nothing worse than New York.   I wasn't making very good time or speed, partially because of the weight, partially because I kept stopping to check my maps.

The next big hurdle was riding on Route 35 (major highway) and determining whether bikes could go on the Victory Bridge.  Neither were a problem.

Got a little lost in South Amboy [NJ].

About 10 miles later I noticed a dragging sound and stopped to investigate.  A bolt had broken on the back rack.   Arrrrrggh!

I put in a replacement from the water bottle cage, but the threads were wrong and I knew I needed to fix it soon or the threads would be stripped.

About 1 1/2 hours later I made Allaire State Park.   Set up my first camp site, took a shower and slept 12 hours! 

Today I woke up very cold and not wanting to get up.   After about an hour, I finally braved the cold.

At 8:15, after packing, I went to the Park Office and paid my fee.

Rode 12 miles to Lakewood and had breakfast and got spare bolts for the bike.  The clanking is gone, so I feel much better.

Heavy winds today, makes riding miserable.  But... NO MORE NYC!!!!

Didn't make Atlantic City - my butt hurt too much.   Probably need a day of R&R.  Will see how I feel tomorrow.