July 20, 2020
We are ready to begin our New Jersey miles by way of Pennsylvania. We are staying at Westwood Villas in the Poconos.
Just like with every other aspect of our lives, timeshares have changed. We have only spoken to one person since we checked in – that’s the person who checked us in. The villas had all linens sealed in plastic, not placed in bathrooms and kitchen. Coasters, placemats, center piece and most pictures on walls are gone. Toaster sealed in plastic, no basket of snacks, no salt and pepper. We came prepared to only bike and brought food we would need for the week. Normally we would shop when we arrive. Occupancy is at about 50%.
Our first adventure is the Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park. We parked along the Delaware River on the Pennsylvania side.
It was just a short ride on the D&L Trail to a bridge that crossed the river to Stockton, NJ.
We headed north out of Stockton. Our only views of Stockton were from the trail, but there were coffee shops and restaurants right on the river. The homes on the river were beautiful. Looked like a nice peaceful place to visit.
We traveled to Frenchtown, which is near the beginning of the trail and 14 miles from our car. The trail was very well maintained crushed stone and dirt. The temps were in the 90’s so we were glad to have a light breeze and shade for almost the entire route. We were just above the river at times, but enjoyed parts of trail in dense forest. We experienced more bikers and other trail users as we arrived in Frenchtown, busy little town with cafes and restaurants along the river. The river was busy with people tubing and rafting. Trailhead was busy with buses delivering equipment and passengers.
We stopped at about 5 miles from our car to refill water bottles and have a snack. Because of the hot weather we each fill 2 bottles with NUUN – hydrating electrolyte tablets. We had gotten into the habit of only using water, but NUUN was a lifesaver. Even with the 90 degree weather we felt refreshed.
TrailLink describes the Delaware and Raritan Trail as the crown jewel of New Jersey trails. We certainly enjoyed the portion of the trail we rode. The canal, river and forest kept things interesting.