We had an “Almost Summer Ride” on Saturday, June 17.
Participants included: Ed, professor at the IAS; Chiara, emeritus professor from the physics department; Chiara’s niece, Alessia; Norm, senior researcher in the physics department; Susan, astrophysics department manager; Lance, Susan’s friend; Kasey, lecturer in the physics department; Christa, postdoc in the neurosciences department; Sarthak, physics grad student; Ksenia, physics grad student; Jonathan, computer science grad student, me, Ed, emeritus professor from the physics department and my friend Candace.
A check of the early morning radar indicated we might have a few sprinkles, but rain wouldn’t really be a threat. Wrong!!! The ride started dry, but before long we were in a downpour. The ride was on the Delaware and Raritan Canal tow path from Turning Basin Park in Princeton to Blackwell Mills. This path is mostly dirt with some gravel sections. The dirt quickly turned to mud and puddles! About four miles from Blackwell Mills we decided to turn around.
We planned to have lunch in Kingston, but some of the group felt too muddy to enter a restaurant! So we split up with 5 going home and 8 (mud and all) having lunch at PJ’s Pancake House in Kingston (formerly Main Street). Getting back on the path at Kingston we came across Rick with his camera. When we got back to Turning Basin Park, there he was again, explaining he should have taken a photo of all of us, which he then proceeded to do.
The ride turned out to be 17.1 miles. An interactive map of the ride is available on ridewithgps.com.
Clicking on a photo below brings up a larger version. You can also activate a slide show.