Robbykills

Hey guys, this summer my hours are getting cut to just three days a week but I'm stoked, I have enough saved up to pay my bills off for the summer easily with plenty left over. I did a cross country tour two years ago and miss being on the open road! I'll have off pretty much every Thursday-Sunday starting in May so I'm looking to do a bunch of mini-tours. I just want to solicit ideas for destinations here from anyone who may be in the area.

-I live in Northern Delaware (Newark to be precise)
-Willing to go about 120 miles one way in any direction, give or take a little, 60 miles a day of riding
-I've been browsing around at state parks, I don't mind stealth camping or camping behind fire stations/churches etc though as I got to do that plenty of times on my own in Summer 2008.

staehpj1

Hi Robbykills,
No particular suggestions, but I used to ride to Newark DE from my home in Parkville MD and back and the ride was quite nice. I generally went over the Conowingo dam. There are some nice roads in Harford and Baltimore counties. If may have suggestions about specific roads in Maryland if you have a general route in mind.

Also let me know if you will be in Parkville and need a place to stay. I will generally be around until June and again in July sometime when I get back from my tour. Burglars need not apply while I am gone since the house won't be empty and there will be a big dog at home

raybo

Don't know if this will help you but here are bike maps for the three counties in Delaware.

Here are 5 links to bike touring information in New Jersey.

Here are 3 links to bike touring information in Maryland.

Here are 9 links to bike touring information in Pennsylvania.

Not all of the links will be of interest to you but many point to routes, maps, and places to tour.

Ray

Neil_B

Hmm, that's Lancaster, Chester, Montgomery, Berks, Bucks, Delaware, and Philadelphia counties in PA. Perhaps take Delaware Bike Route 1 north to the border, follow the PA Bike "L" route north to French Creek State Park, or even past it? From there you could take the Thun Trail into Reading. Or before French Creek State Park, turn onto PA Bike Route "S" and follow it to Lancaster or into the Philadelphia suburbs. There are tons of historic sites to see, from covered bridges to Revolutionary War sites to Underground Railroad 'stations'.

There's also the East Coast Greenway through northern DE into PA, through Philadelphia, and then across the river to NJ.

phasenine23

Looking for a riding buddy? I live in Philadelphia, and most of my friends either ride track bikes, or don't ride at all (this I do not understand.) I have a couple of weekends in May off, a couple in June, almost all of July, etc. I would love to do some mini-tours with someone else.

Also, I was thinking of getting some folks together to do the C & O Canal sometime in May. Some of them will be newer riders though, so I was thinking of taking 4 or 5 days to do it.....

veloellen

We are Baltimorons and are also going to do the C and O - probably in late June. We will have our 8 year old with us on a tandem with my husband. If it was just my husband and I we'd probably do it over 3 days but plan on a couple of "side trips" so will most likely do it over 4 - 5. Some posts on "Crazyguyonabike" may give you some suggestions.
Would like to see what others suggest as we are always looking.
Might want to add we did the Cape (Cod) and MV 2 summers ago and had a great time cycling and vacationing!

rhm

Well, since you are willing to stealth camp and you have lots of weekends to chose from, I don't think I can recommend any one ride. Go north or west, and you're out in lovely country in ten or twenty miles, and then it's all good. Lancaster County is beautiful, but the surrounding counties are nice as well. Get someone to drive you over to NJ and ride to the shore, down to Cape May, take the ferry to Lewes DE, and ride home... it all sounds pretty good to me!

Robbykills

All good ideas guys.

Staehpj1, where you touring to? I remember corresponding with you on here when I was on my tour a couple years back.

Thanks for the links and stuff too. Also good call on the Jersey ride rhm.

I think in early June I'm gonna be doing the C&O/GAP tour. Getting a friend to drive me and another friend out to Pittsburgh area, hitting the trail and riding back to DC, then taking the Chinatown bus back up to Philly.

Robbykills

sure. I know a bunch of people who live in West Philly, you hang out in "the scene" a lot?

phasenine23

I wouldn't say in "the scene," but I do alley cats when they happen, know a couple of guys at the LBS, and ride most of the place around here. Currently posting this sitting underneath Firehouse Bicycles, actually.

I'm thinking of doing the C & O May 10th - 14th or 15th, if you are interested in riding together. Was thinking of getting driven out to Hancock or Cumberland, then riding back to DC and taking Chinatown bus north.