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Friday, July 3, 2015

Day 1: NYC to Trenton #NYC2FL

Route: Queens, NY to Trenton, NJ
Mileage: 78 miles

















Well today was our first day and it was wonderful.  It's almost midnight and I'm super sleepy so I will keep this short and full of pictures.  We got off to a late start just cleaning up and getting out--hard to say goodbye to our kitty!  We finally left around 10:45.  Our bike was fully loaded, MUCH heavier than we have ever loaded the tandem, we were a little worried it was too much! It took Keegan a minute to adjust to the load but we were off and running.  We headed over the Queensboro Bridge and crossed through Manhattan.



 

 We hit a few sights, like Radio City Music Hall and the Freedom Tower as we rode to the ferry to get over to NJ.  After we made our first state change, we headed through a busy part of NJ with bridges and lots of interstate intersections.  It was not the easiest ride through the area and some of the greenway paths were so narrow we almost spilled over into the fence keeping us separate.  But after we got out of that section it all got much nicer.  

Radio City Music Hall


Radio City Selfie

West side bike path

Freedom Tower

Manhattan side of the ferry

We have arrived in NJ!

East Coast Greenway--Isn't it nice they have our same colors?

We met up with Julissa and Kayla in Newark for lunch.  Kayla turns 13 on Monday and was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis a few years ago.  She will spend her 13th birthday at doctors appointments--that's just not right!  We ate at Dario's Restaurant in Newark, where the lovely man serving us asked Keegan, "are you guys on a successful bike riding team?" Keegan told him about the ride, and when he learned I had juvenile arthritis, he told us that his mother has bad arthritis in her hands.  She was working at the cashier at the time and he said that was very difficult for her.  He said he would follow along our ride!  I gave him my first sticker I made!  And of course, Kayla and Julissa got them too!  We took some photos and then got back on the road about 1:45.  We had 60 more miles to go!

The route Google took us on was nice.  Mostly back roads, and some bike paths.  There were certain stretches of bike paths we couldn't believe existed.  Including an elevated bike path and a 16 mile trail, the Delaware and Rariton Canal State Trail.  It was dirt, which wasn't as bad as we thought it might be, until the last mile when we got our first flat tire.  That section of our ride was a totally separate bike path down a narrow stretch of land, which was neat!







We stopped for a break after about 40 miles of straight riding.  We also ended up stopping about 12 miles out from our destination for water because we were out and thirsty! We made it to our final stop around 6:45, which in total took us 8 hours a few stops.  We tracked our route along the way, although it cut off for a bit a few times, so the mileage is probably slightly lower than the actual route.  And we saw 3 rabbits this ride!



We were greeted by the Kondash family, who were so kind and generous to take us in for the night.  It was our first time meeting, but they have been very active with the Arthritis Foundation and when they heard we needed a place in the area to stay, they volunteered!  Alyssa, who just finished her freshman year of college, has juvenile arthritis, and we compared notes about our conditions, treatments, experiences with friends and at arthritis camps and her goal of somehow working in the healthcare field because of her experiences.  Alyssa noted that she wants to get more involved with advocacy because she sees now that her voice and sharing her story matters.  Nothing could make me happier to year--YES!!!


Eric cooked us a delicious and hearty meal and we thoroughly enjoyed chatting with Anne Marie and Alyssa's sweet and energetic sister Olivia.  What a great family and a perfect way to start off the trip!  I hope our paths cross again soon!  


5 comments:

  1. Hello Jen,

    What an amazing thing you are doing! It is inspirational. I have had JIA for 27 years as well (since an infant) and this is such an incredible thing you are doing to raise awareness for JIA. I am going to mention it in my blog as well!

    All the best on your journey!

    Stefanie

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    1. Hi Stefanie! Thank you so much for your note and kind words. Yeah we sound pretty similar, I've had JIA for 30 years. We should connect! Friend me on facebook and let me know what your blog is!!

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    2. Hi Stefanie! Thank you so much for your note and kind words. Yeah we sound pretty similar, I've had JIA for 30 years. We should connect! Friend me on facebook and let me know what your blog is!!

      Delete
    3. Hi Stefanie! Thank you so much for your note and kind words. Yeah we sound pretty similar, I've had JIA for 30 years. We should connect! Friend me on facebook and let me know what your blog is!!

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  2. Hi guys! I just discovered your blog and I am excited to follow along during the rest of your journey! I think what you are doing is truly amazing and inspirational. My husband will be riding in the AF's California Coast Classic for the third time this September (from San Francisco to Los Angeles) and I will go along as a volunteer - but maybe someday I will be well enough to consider doing the ride myself!

    I know you are super busy and on the road these days, but if you have some down time and would be interested in being featured on the Facing Forward series on my blog please let me know. Check out the series here: http://www.fromthispointforward.com/search/label/Facing%20Forward and shoot me an email at Mariah@fromthispointforward.com if you are interested! I would be happy to include a link to this blog as well.

    I shared your links with my Twitter and blog followers today too. ~;o)

    Happy pedaling!

    ~Mariah~

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