days 8-9

Day 8, saaaturdayToday we left all of the relatives behind for good. Phil's mom drank coffee and was feeling sentimental but she was doing pretty well considering those 2 things combined. Phil's dad continued an extended conversation about his various life philosophies... I think he chose the right major (he's going to school right now for the first time for philosophy)We left at 1 with 62 directions off of a pedestrian-friendly google maps route. we went right by scotch plains again and didn't leave that area til like 4pm, tho it was only about 20 miles south or so from cedar grove... whoooops. i thought the ride was absolutely beautiful... perfect day, good smells surrounding us from endless eateries. But the whole day it only got nicer and nicer! We went thru New Brunswick, home of Rutgers, which is a pretty hoppin' place even now when school's not in session. Got on 130 South which is a cruisin' road for sure. We decided to take a break and lie down in the grass around 7, in what seems to have been a sewage field. If we knew we were still about 25 miles away or that Phil would bike over a nail and puncture his tire, we might not have taken said break. But the night ridin' was wicked sweet as we biked into a much more rural New Jersey. Phil's roommate Paul and his girlfriend Dani met us a few miles from Paul's house on their bikes and led us the rest of the way to their house in Chesterfield, NJ, which is a beautiful beautiful beautiful place. So green and open, smells so good. I'd love to live in a place like that if my friends and family were there.Day 9, sundeeThe day started off amazingly when Paul made veggie and/or meat omelettes that we wrapped in tortillas with melted cheese on them. Add some wicked sugary coffee and some sauteed arugula from the backyard and you are in business, my friend.Paul's whole family minus his brother left their house with us around 1. We stayed on local roads for awhile and biking doesn't get any better than it does in a place like this! Paul's dad, Marty, was barefoot. His mom Martha was bringing up the rear but she kept us just fine. Two dogs chased us that Paul said chase everybody who ever passes that house. Good job owners, good job.Paul led us most of the way toward Philly with the occassional glance at a map. We decided to cross over from NJ to PA at the Palmyra bridge, because it is one of the few with a pedestrian path. NJ officially ends and PA officially begins halfway across the bridge; the states share the Delaware River.We stopped for a 3:00 or 4:00 lunch at a nature park right on the river at the bridge crossing. I went in the river... not too cold but not too clean either. Still my legs and arms came out cleaner for it.The bridge was beautiful... you could see downtown a few miles to the left, and the river below was sparkling. We got into Philly in a pretty low income area that extended for awhile and kind of reminded me of the Dominican in a lot of ways. But in about 10 or 15 minutes, as we approached downtown, we left the rougher area behind for the most part. We rode the hilly part of Philly up to Paul's girlfriend's sister's boyfriend's house (Brian), at the top of a hill on Rector St. We had just missed a 160-mile long international bike race that took place thru the city during the daytime. Everyone was outside using it as an excuse to party.We dropped off our stuff and biked back down the hill with Brian so that we could escort Paul to the bridge that would take him to the light rail that would take him back home. We followed a super nice trail along the Delaware River and got to go thru beautiful parts of the city. So many beautiful, humungous buildings, many of them very old. So much open space, so much green, trees and parks, fountains and statues, dang. Tomorrow we're exploring the city all day.We split a whole pizza at Mom's Pizza, which was back near Brian's house. There was an actual mom at the register who completely spoiled us; she kept telling us to relax and Phil even got a brief back massage. After downing a whole pie we thought it fitting to get some ice cream. I could feel my stomach expanding uncomfortably but it did not deter me in the slightest. The moon was full either yesterday or today and both nights it was big and glowing and yellowish-orange and beautiful. Phil trucked it back up the hill in the excitement of not having his trailer attached to his bike. I barely made it up the hill with my once loose-fitting fanny pack now cutting into my expanded stomach. But we made it back and that is that. Yay Philly!