We experienced two large thunderstorms with heavy rain last night with the last one hanging out for a little too long for my liking. Folker braved the heavy rain and pushed out on his normal starting time like a dedicated super trooper. I had plans of starting a little later anyway so I waited it out.

It is so hard to be patient in the mornings. The rain was testing the waterproof claim made by my tent manufacturer for sure. I just wanted to start the ride without being soak and wet. It finally lightened up as the sun was rising and I made my move. The wet and muddy tent and of course my soaking wet shirt from my earlier run to the bathroom were stuffed away.

Folker was a good two hours ahead when I finally rolled out and I did not catch him until our last planned stop. Today we would make it into New Jersey making us one day away from New York City.

The highlight of today was riding through Valley Forge, a winter encampment for the Continental Army under George Washington. It was amazing to see the fields where Major General Friedrich Wilhelm Baron von Steuben was able to train our fighting force and instill them with the discipline needed to win the Revolutionary War.

Soon I found myself on the Schuylkill River Trail. This is where I met Avi Lerner who has had multiple traumatic brain injuries. The last one and perhaps the most severe was caused from being hit by a car while riding his bike. He has recently taken the lead role in an organization called Love Your Brain that helps individuals in this predicament.

Avi rides double the amount of miles I ride in a year and this helps him tremendously with coping with his injuries. He says the best way to explain his medical condition is he is typically on about a two second delay most of the time. It was an honor and privilege to ride with him.

After I departed the trail, I still had half of my ride left and it was essentially on backroads and more of the same rolling terrain. My mind was already thinking of tomorrow’s adventure to New York City.

When I made it to the bridge to cross into New Jersey, I was a little concerned to see a sign that stated the bridge was closed. Fortunately, I noticed another local cyclist pushing her bike across on the pedestrian walkway made for use during the construction project. Welcome to New Jersey!

Pennsylvania has won my heart again and it has out shown all other states on this trip. Everyone I encountered was super nice and the drivers were the same. Thank you Pennsylvania.

Folker and I met up in Stockton where we successfully dried most of our wet gear in the grass and by using a nice tree with big branches. We had some lunch and then made our way the last five miles to Bob Hornby’s home.

Bob has linked up with Adventure Cycling Association to allow cyclists to pitch a tent on his property and we are taking full advantage of his kindness. Hopefully all goes well tomorrow and we find ourselves in New York City!