b'We roll the bikes the quarter mile to Mary Anns apartment, Emilies bike tire rubbingDay 93and wobbling the entire way. The air is thick with humidity and heat and the gas lightsAUGUST 29along the cobblestone conjure images of the founding fathersBen Franklin himself, evenroaming these same streets in the days when this country was first formed.We take a day off from riding to repair our flat tires and see the sights of Philly. We eat It is dark by the time we arrive at Mary Anns apartment in a building that hascheese steaks on South Street, tour the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, and climb stood since the American Revolution. She welcomes us into her historicand air- the stairs to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, all the while humming the theme song to conditionedhome with a large smile and loads of generosity. There is a ground floorthe movie Rocky!foyer big enough to store our bikes, which we gladly park and then set about the task ofWe thank Mary Ann for her gracious hospitality, and depart her three-story townhome cleaning up for the evening.in the historic Old City section of Philadelphia. We pick up a bike path following the Mary Ann takes us out to a wonderful Italian restaurant just a few blocks away in theSchuylkill River just past the Art Museum. The route is very scenic, but the path is poorly Old City of Philadelphia. The matre d, and all the waiters recognize her and treat us likemaintained. royalty.The bike path ends abruptly and we are lost. I notice that the Bikecentennial map We eat, drink, and sleep in splendor.we are using includes this disclaimer Route development is not complete as of 1987. A Philadelphia area street map is useful in following this route. No kidding. We get lost BEGIN: Ocean City, NJ several more times and finally decide to simply ride roads that hug the river up to the END: Philadelphia, PA town of Conshohocken, where we branch off toward New Hope, Pennsylvania. The ride DISTANCE: 71.08 miles is leisurely as the scenery changes from suburban neighborhoods to beautiful farmlands. TRIP TOTAL: 4,000.74 miles We ride past numerous pumpkin patches, the first sign of autumn and a reminder that our long summer is coming to an end. The tourist towns of New Hope and Lambertville look like a lot of fun, but we feel compelled to ride on. If we can log 60 miles today, we will be in a good position to reach New York City the next day as planned. In the late afternoon we arrive at Peacocks Country Store, where Route 602 meets the turnoff for Lindbergh Road. This isolated road winds up a mountain to the historic estate of Charles and Anne Lindbergh, site of the infamous Lindbergh kidnapping. We greet the proprietor, Sarah Peacock, who is busy prepping for the following morning. She pours us cups of cold water and mentions a few options for lodging and camping, most of which involve riding back toward Lambertville. While Sarah goes back to tending to her store, we sit at a picnic table covered with a red-checked tablecloth on the front porch, studying our maps and reading a copy of the New York Times, something we have sorely missed this entire summer. Red shutters frame the large, wooden windows and a pure white cat wanders from bench to bench, purring as he rubs against our legs. Other cyclists stop at the store and it seems Sarah knows most of them by name. A young couple asks us about our bikes and where we are headed. We tell them, New York. They ask where weve come from; we tell them, Seattle. This has always been a great icebreaker and we engage in a lengthy conversation with Chris and Wendy Negus, not only about our trip, but also about media, sports, and politics. As they depart, Wendy says we are welcome to camp on their propertyabout two miles awayand writes out directions to their house on a notepad. The sun is making its way toward the horizon as we arrive at Chris and Wendys home, a large modern farmhouse. As we turn into the long drive, Wendy rides up to meet us on the biggest chestnut horse I have ever seen. Wendy is a competitive dressage rider 75'