Hurry Up and Wait!

Miles to Go Before We Sleep!

One of these days I will learn to just take my time and enjoy the sights rather than 

rushing to the ending place of a route to wait for Glenn.  I guess he just can't travel

as quickly as I do in the car despite his efforts to do so!  I arrived in Willimantic, CT

at 2:15 this afternoon and Glenn rode in at 5:30.  Thank goodness for McDonald's Free WiFi.   

I've been asked recently what Glenn eats along the way while I dine at nice restaurants

with friends :)   Each morning, we pack up 2 or 3 peanut butter and nutella sandwiches,

a few protein bars, trail mix, dried fruit and, today, I added pretzels.  His two water

bottles and his camelback are filled and he is ready to "hit the road" (hopefully, not

literally...although that did happen Wednesday AND yesterday).  

See the abrasions on Glenn's knees as proof.  His knees were the 

only body parts I was allowed to photograph

Those of you who are regular blog followers know our three

rules for choosing hotels but I'll fill in the new folks.  

The hotels should have:

1. Free Parking

2.  Free WiFi

3. Free Breakfast

Our hotel last night was the first on this trip to include all three!

Time to take off!

Great Architecture at Yale

Glenn headed out of our 3 ("free" as one of our grandsons might say) star hotel

in New Haven at 8:30 this morning headed north, then east through the

hilly and less congested countryside of Connecticut.  On the way out of town, 

he pedaled past Yale to find the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail 

which was a really pleasant way to begin the day.  He wishes there were 

more trails like this one on the East Coast Greenway.  As planned, we met

in Farmington just before noon .  We were joined there by an extended family
member, Kathy Beaty Young, my brother-in-law Jim's sister who
lives in Avon, CT.  Thanks to Kathy for her support and for meeting us!

Kathy Young with Glenn on the ECG route in Farmington, CT.

Anyone familiar with this intersection?

A lovely lunch with Kathy on the Farmington River.
Apparently, this river flows northward near this site.

My view at lunch!

After departing Farmington, Glenn forged his own route to Hartford

to save a few miles after his very long, grueling day yesterday.  He

made it easily to the Capital City and even stopped to take a few pix.

Connecticut State Capital in Hartford

Today's Trivia Question

Name this building and win a shirt!

Yesterday's winner was Marcia Mandel and the answer is.....
The George Washington Bridge!

Gas prices going up more as we head north.
Filling up in Willimantic, CT.

After a quick ride through Hartford, Glenn headed east with Willimantic
as the final destination.   After few wrong turns and an escort by a local
rider, he finally pulled into Willimantic at 5:30.  No fall on today's ride :)

Tonight we have the pleasure of staying with old friends from Lakewood
in Marlborough, CT, a short ride from the route.  Bert and Frima Miller  are
gracious hosts and it is great fun to catch up.
Thanks for our wonderful accommodations!

Our hosts, Frima and Bert with Glenn in their
incredible lodge-style home on 20 acres!

Chef Bert created this masterpiece!
A bed of sauteed spinach with garlic topped with
thin potato pancakes with scallions, cajun spiced grilled
swordfish garnished with mango-peach chutney and splattered
with a lemon-garlic aioli.  Who wants the recipes?

Good thing that Glenn expended  4102 calories today!

Other Stats for the Day:79.18 miles 
6 hrs and 20 minutes of riding time
3355 ft. of elevation.

Glenn will head out in the morning headed for Providence, RI.

 More tomorrow night.....
Enjoy your weekend!

Another Day, Another State!

Ten States Down, Five to Go!

Glenn took off by 8 this AM from the bike/jog trail along the Westside

Highway in lower Manhattan.  The ride north in Manhattan was one of the most

relaxing for Glenn since he didn't have to consult his cue sheets or worry about

what turns to make or how bad the traffic would be.  The fun ended when

he got lost in the Bronx.  Not a good place to get lost!  The ride continued 

through Pelham, New Rochelle, Mamaraneck, Harrison and Port Chester. 

After leaving NY, it was a long day up the east coast of Connecticut through 

Stamford, Darien, Southport, Fairfield and into New Haven. Glenn even

caught a glimpse of the Long Island Sound at points.  The sun was shining

most of the day but some big gray clouds caused some concern.  No rain

ever appeared, thankfully!  Glenn didn't make it to the hotel where I have 

been waiting for him since 4 PM.....His cousin Michael Alevy, who

lives in New Haven, rescued him from the dark, unfamiliar 

roads just five miles from the hotel at 7:30.  We aren't used to being

this far east.  It gets dark much earlier than in Atlanta!

Thanks, Mike!

Stats for today are pretty incredible for an "old guy"!

8 hrs, 22 min of riding time but 11 hrs and 10 min in total 

99.52 miles...almost a century

4958 calories expended....we better carb load tonight!

4425 ft. elevation....not big hills just a lot of gentle up and down.

Glenn's riding buddy for this morning was Michael Pollack,
a young friend from our years in Lebanon, PA who now lives and bikes 
in NYC.  I had breakfast with his Mom, Hanna and sister-in-law, 
Dorel, at the same time but, sadly, forgot to take a picture!
Thanks Pollacks for sharing the morning with us!



Today's Trivia!

Name this bridge and win a t-shirt!
Answer will be revealed in the next blog post.

Glenn's view of Riverside Church near
Columbia University.

This was a first!  I happened upon Glenn in
Mamaraneck, NY!  I had no idea I was anywhere near
his route!  Surprised both of us!  We couldn't have 
planned it any better!   

Glenn's appearance in Mamaraneck, NY was a surprise to me and to
our long-time friend, Marilyn Kneller-Rimsky, who was meeting me
for lunch and for a much needed catch-up session!
Very cute downtown area

I was thrilled to spend a few hours along today's route in West Chester, NY
with Marilyn Kneller-Rimsky and Rikki Leifer Kaplan, friends from
HS in New Jersey.  Glenn does the hard work and I play!

Finally, Glenn found this East Coast Greenway marker on the road.
That makes his navigating so much easier!

Glenn's cousin, Michael and Gina rescued Glenn at the
end of today's ride.  Now off with them to Carb Load!




As a kid I had a dream - I wanted to own my own bicycle. When I got the bike I must have been the happiest boy in Liverpool, maybe the world. I lived for that bike. Most kids left their bike in the backyard at night. Not me. I insisted on taking mine indoors and the first night I even kept it in my bed. ~ John Lennon

Glenn's bike by his bed for the night!

Mystery to Solve

One of you out there in cyberland has been following us everyday and

writing wonderful posts to us but they are coming through to us as 

being from "UNKNOWN".  Please email me to let me know who you

are.  We love hearing from you!  Write to us at lynnhirsch@yahoo.com

Tomorrow's ride will begin in New Haven, CT and take us

to Willimantic, CT east of Hartford.  CT is a BIG state!

If We Can Make It Here, We Can Make It Anywhere!

New York, New York!

Today was a great day for biking!  It was a cool morning, in the 50's but

warmed up to the 70's.  Glenn and his crew headed out of our hotel in

Princeton at about 8:30 AM.  Bill Wachtenheim and Lynn Stanley, HS friends,

rode with him for the first 10 or 11miles then he was on his own.  The stats for today are:

70 miles in 6 hours and 10 minutes of riding time. He pulled into NoHo in lower Manhattan at 4:30.

Thoughts from Glenn

For many years I always thought of a ride on my bike from Lakewood, the town we grew up in, to NYC.

I knew this was about 60 miles. So over the years, anytime I did a ride of that distance, I always imagined accomplishing that task. Although the starting point from today was Princeton and not Lakewood, I knew that I would be covering that distance, something I had contemplated doing for nearly 45 years.The day got off to an interesting start as a consequence of yesterday's storms.We headed to the intersection Lynn picked me up at yesterday only to find that the road was blocked. Apparently some power lines were down and the police were not letting anyone through, bicycles included. So this led to some improvisation. I also had to carry my bike on a few of the paths through parks as there were trees that had been felled by the high winds that were associated with the storm. For a change the East Coast Greenway signs were plentiful and helpful in finding my way especially as I neared the end of the day. I half expected that I would have a flat tire when I managed to ride into a pot hole that I could not see for the shading as I was riding through an overpass. Proved right as I got to the Hudson, I had been riding with a slow leak I also could not find the ferry and as I was riding through an area looking for it, I managed to ride over a speed bump, a sure fire way to wipe out. I have the abrasions(road rash in bicycle jargon) to show for it. I must say, I found two very helpful people today and my thanks to them. One was at a gas station when I asked for directions. He told me a different way to get to my destination in Newark and led me to where I needed to go. Needless to say I opted to ride to the Hudson rather than taking the PATH train. I did not think that going on the Pulaski Skyway was the proper way and a truck driver stopped and helped me on the proper way to my destination. I thought the ferry ride across the Hudson would be a great experience but it was over before I knew it.  I found my starting point for tomorrow's ride on my way to our niece Adina's apartment. All in all a good day and another state down.

Glenn's HS friends from Lakewood days joined him
in Princeton for the first 10 miles of today's ride.
Lynn Stanley, Glenn, Bill Wachtenheim

Self portrait of my dad and me at breakast...

at a NJ diner, of course!

Lynn's college roommate, Marty Homeijer,

Sends her regards to Glenn from our meeting 

along the New Jersey route.  

Lynn is at it again....Driving and taking photos at the same time.
Multi-tasking or drive-by shooting?

Gas in NJ right outside the Holland Tunnel!
Was even higher on the NY side.

Enjoyed strolling up Mulberry Street.
Incredible sights and smell of the
San Gerrano Festival in Little Italy.

Glenn rides into lower Manhattan.
Joining us is friend, Kathy Gibney!

There were actually East Coast Greenway
signs along the route today

One World Trade Center....A new
addition to the NYC skyline.  

Glenn's view from the ferry that carried him across the
Husdon River from Jersey City, NJ to the Financial
District in Manhattan.  Can he count those miles?

Fun dinner in Little Italy during the San Gennaro Festival
Our cousin Vicki Tobar, our niece and hostess for the night, Adina and Glenn
Thanks so much, Adina!  Best hotel in NYC!

Tomorrow's route takes us through NYC to New Haven, CT

The Best Laid Plans!

On the Road Again! 

Our plan for today was to head from MD to NJ to have lunch with Glenn's Dad,

Sister, Sharon and her family in Manchester, NJ.  After that, Glenn planned to 

do the ride from Trenton, NJ to Princeton, NJ to cut a few miles off tomorrow's

ride to lower Manhattan.   The weather forecast showed strong storms and wind 

starting at noon in NJ so we reversed the plan and began with the 15 mile bike ride

from Trenton to Princeton at 10:30 this AM and headed to see Glenn's Dad after

the ride, a short warm-up ride for Glenn!  Of course, after the change of plans,
the rain and wind never really arrived until this evening!

Drizzly approach to Trenton over the Calhoun Street Bridge

Back to Trenton.....This Jersey Girl heads home to NJ!

Taking off....not the most scenic departure area :)

$383.9 for gas in Princeton, NJ!   Filling a 20 gallon tank hurts!

Holiday meal with Glenn's father, Herbie!
Our niece, Adina, Glenn's sister,Sharon, Glenn,
Herbie, Me, and our niece, Melissa.
Brother-in-law, Joe, was the photographer!

Ivy League Tour
Glenn pointed out that our last trip took us through several
state capitals.  This segment will be our Ivy League Tour.  Today
we passed through Philadelphia, home of Penn.  Tonight we are
in Princeton, NJ home of Princeton University.  On Thursday, he will
pedal near Columbia University in NYC and end his ride in New
Haven, CT home of Yale.  Saturday will bring us to Providence
where we might pass by Brown and Sunday we will be near Cambridge,
home of Harvard!    We are looking forward to seeing some Fall
foliage and (just slightly) rolling hills in New England.

Great PR for I Care I Cure I Cycle in NJ

I couldn't resist the urge to make some contacts in NJ since I am New Jersey born 

and bred and Glenn spend much of his early life there.   We found a newsman in the

Jersey Shore area who was happy to help us spread the word about I Care I Cure

in our old stomping grounds.  Tom Mongelli, the New Jersey Shore News Bureau Chief 

for Town Square Media including WOBM radio interviewed Glenn and did a 

radio spot which is below.  Just click on the video box to listen to it. An article was also

written and appears on the WOBM website.  Thanks to Tom and his staff!

Click on the link below to read the article!

http://wobm.com/doctor-bikes-east-coast-greenway-for-cancer-awareness/

 Friends, Food and Fun

College friends Melinda and Geoff Brown from Allentown, NJ
helped us celebrate the first night of this segment!

Have Shirts Will Travel!  

Here is the map of tomorrow's ride through NJ to lower Manhattan!
More tomorrow night!

Technical Details

Before we begin the ride, I wanted to take a moment to handle some technical 

issues with the blog.  Some of you have mentioned that you were not able to 

leave a comment.  So sorry for the inconvenience.  We figured out that you have to be 

on the blogsite http://icareicureicycle.blogspot.com/ and then click on the title of the post of the day 

to be able to leave a message for that specific post.  Let me know if this still does not work for you. 

    

For those of you who get the Email Updates, you will have to
click on the title of the post for that day at the top of each email to
get to our blogsite and the comment box will appear on the bottom of the page.  We love

hearing from you so if all of this fails, just email us at lynnhirsch@yahoo.com!

Another issue has arisen with the Email Blog Updates.  You may sign up on the
left side of this page to receive an email update whenever I add a post.
Once you sign up, you will receive an email from Feedburner.com to confirm you.
This email may come in your junk mail but you will need to open that email in order
to receive the email updates.  I have been adding those who are unverified
manually so far.  Of course, you can just check back each evening on
your own at http://icareicureicycle.blogspot.com/
We are so grateful to have so many supportive and caring friends following our adventure!

Thanks so very much to those of you have made generous donations

to I Care I Cure.  We are excited to tell you that the I Care I Cure Foundation

has added Uncle Glenn's ride to the donation page so that you can make

your donation in honor of Uncle Glenn's ride.  Thanks ICIC!

https://www.icareicure.org/donate-step-0/

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving ~ Albert Einstein

Raising Awareness on the East Coast Greenway!

The big day is nearing.  We have made our way up to Maryland to spend

the Jewish New Year with our daughter, Jill, and her family. Wishing 

a happy and a healthy New Year to all who celebrate!

We will head up to Trenton on Tuesday to begin this leg at the point where

we left off in May.  Looking forward to seeing friends and family along 

the route.   Watch for the next blog on Tuesday evening.

Thanks for your continued support and encouragement!

Heading out of Atlanta on Friday, September 14!
Gas was $3.72.9 at the Costco near us...watch for gas prices along the ride route!

All packed up and ready to head up north last Friday.




The internet is a great way to communicate and network!  We made a
new friend as a result of our ride on the East Coast Greenway.
Tariq Mbanefo Gangari from the UK found our blogsite on the
ECG website as he planned a similar ride down the east coast to
bring awareness to a disease from which he suffers, Ankylosing
Spondyilitis, an autoimmune disease related to inflammatory arthritis.
We have been emailing with T. for months and he began his ride from
Boston to Miami last week.  As luck would have it, he is in Maryland this
weekend visiting his sister.  We met this morning and traded "trail" stories!
We are very inspired by this young man who perseveres each day
on the road even while in pain.  You can support him and follow
his journey at https://www.facebook.com/iamONEjourney  

 We are thrilled to have met T. and to have found another

person dedicated to a great cause and bringing awareness to

that cause on the East Coast Greenway!

Getting Ready!

Please see the updated dates for the ride below!   

It helps to really study the calendar before posting ride dates. 

Glenn will be riding from 

Tuesday, September 18- Sunday September 23. 

Sorry for any confusion!

Thought I would take this opportunity to officially thank

Wellstar Health Systems, Glenn's employer for sponsoring the

shirts for this leg of the ride.  We appreciate their support!

Many thanks to Rachael and Jack Rosenberg,
Jack Nadel International, for printing the great shirts!

See links for both of these companies on the left side of the page!

Glenn on our balcony contemplating the next leg of the ride!

All smiles after a training ride today!

CORRECT RIDE DATES!

New Jersey 

Trenton to Princeton - Tuesday afternoon, September 18th

Princeton to Lower Manhattan - Wednesday, September 19th

Start time 8 AM

New York
Lower Manhattan to New Haven, Connecticut
Thursday, September 20th
Start time: 8 AM


Connecticut
New Haven to East of Hartford
Friday, September 21th
Start time : 8 AM


Rhode Island
East of Hartford to Providence, RI
Saturday, September 22
Start time : 8 AM

Massachusetts
Providence, RI to Boston, MA
Sunday, September 23
Start time : 8 AM


Thanks to those of you who have been so quick to donate!
Robin Kapiloff Morris wins a t-shirt for being the first person
to donate for this leg of the ride.  More t-shirt prizes later!