I had hoped to get on the road Monday by 7am but after arriving at 22nd & Spruce at 7am I realized I had forgotten my Handlebar bag (amateur!). After retreving it from my Dad's in Audubon, NJ I was able to get on the road from 18th & Spruce by 8:30am. I realized on the ride back that Spruce St. more or less has a dedicated bike lane from 1st St. I had ridden to Conshohocken via the Schuylkill river path a few times previously (a very leisurely ride) but this would obviously be my longest ride. I had initially plotted a ride using google maps going to Valley Forge, PA first (The Schuylkill River Path goes all the way to Valley Forge) then onto the Gap. Google had routed part of the route on the Perkiomen trail but I wasn't sure what the other roads would be like. I decided to purchase the ACA Atlantic map for Conshohocken to Port Jervis NY. I am glad I did as the ACA map put me along the scenic Deleware river for a good portion of the ride and I think only added about 10 miles to the trip. Well worth it for the visuals. It was unseasonably cool for this visit home and I was concerned about the weather as it was gloomy and cloudy on the days before my departure with a high in the mid 60's when it should have been in the 70's. But low and behold it cleared up for the 2 days of my ride. While not much warmer it was indeed beautiful with the clouds making great visuals. Looking back the conditions were near perfect as I think getting much warmer would have increased the humidity. The Schuylkill River path is mostly flat until it reaches Manayunk. At the point one has to deal with some hills and leave the path for a short bit. My path took me down Main st. to Umbria until Shawnmont Ave. where I rejoined the SRP. One can rejoin the path earlier at say Locke St. or Green Lane as this would miss some of the hills and traffic on Umbria. Having to leave the path at Manayunk is certainly not a bad thing at all since there are plenty of places to eat & drink! I left the SRP at Conshohocken and made and my way through some residential streets to avoid the main highways. The roads soon became very rural sometimes switching to light industry and back to beautiful homes on large lots with the occasional centuries-old structures. I just took it all in. I did stop at a "The Highlands" in White Marsh, PA a bit past Conshohocken. To tell you the truth it didn't look much different from many of the buildings I saw along the way except for the fact that it was renovated and the grounds were open to the public. The mansion itself I believe was only open on weekends. I spent a good stretch on Tennis Ave. which was very manageable and not terribly busy. Eventually, I approached Neshaminy, PA which was the closest I came to a shopping area with big box stores although I didn't know it at the time as I came in the from the south and didn't actually enter the center. I only noticed it while reviewing the map for this post. I approached a Chickie's & Petes to use the facilities. After turning back a block to Garden Ave. I rejoined my route and was taken through suburbia in Warrington. I think this was to avoid RTE 611 which feel would not have been a pleasant ride. Once past that it was back to a mixture of farms & rural homes. The only real busy section of road I dealt with was a small section of RTE 263, York Blvd. for maybe a 1000' From there it was then on to New Hope, PA for lunch on the Delaware. I wanted a waterfront meal so I opted for "The Landing" restaurant. Pricey and just OK. Service was slow but the view was good. In hindsight, I think it would have been worth it to venture over to Jersey to see what the option might have been for lunch. After lunch, it was across the bridge (walking the bike) to Lambertville, NJ, which looked to be a very quaint town although I didn't have time to enjoy it. From there it was onto the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park trail for 15 miles of hard pack gravel paralleling the Deleware river! The trail runs for almost 70 miles. Unfortunately, I was on a hybrid with 32mm tires. The tires were marginally adequate but the frame I was on was fairly upright so it wasn't the most comfortable ride. especially after having ridden 55 miles, but the scenery was gorgeous and as I mentioned the weather was just about perfect. The path is bound by the Delaware on the left and RTE 29 on the right. One is never far from either and both are heard and seen throughout the ride, including the cliffs on the right. The path does wind behind some homes that must be on the Delaware. There is no support pretty much after Lambertville / Stockton until Frenchtown, just some boat launching and day use parking. Thank goodness they have porta potties at the launch ramps At Milford, New Jersey I crossed the Delaware to my accommodations at the Bridgeton House in Upper Black Eddy, PA. The Bridgeton is a beautiful B&B on the Delaware. I had set Milford/Upper Black Eddy as my goal the first night as I wanted to ride more of the ride the first day so I knew that I would be OK on day 2 with less mileage (this is only my 2nd bike tour). Virginia, at the Bridgeton House was was vey accommodating and welcoming and told me about the locale, Including the Ship's Inn which supposedly has a good fish & chips. The Bridgton House is a classic B&B with a very romantic tone. I would highly recommend it if you have a companion. After unpacking, showering and a bit of relaxing I thought I would venture over back over to Milford for a dinner and I walk down the main Rd. There wasn't much in Upper Black eddy as most amenities are on the NJ side. There is a market (liquor store) with the basics , a pizzeria. I thought I would try the Ship's Inn but it was just after 8pm but the kitchen closed at 8. Oh well. Conveniently I had half of a a bagel/egg sandwich I had purchased before I left Boat House Row at the Cosmic Cafe (I wanted I coffee before the ride). That hit the spot. for the night just after 6pm. There weren't many options in either Frenchtown on Milford.