After a little weaving around Atlantic City traffic, today's ride was through what seemed like
national or state forests........and rural parts of New Jersey. Usually I am chasing Marty, and don't always catch a name, so I may not have this town's name right, but late morning we entered what I think was Green Bank, NJ. So simple, small and down home. No public bathrooms in sight and I needed one, so I knocked on a door! Cindy graciously invited me in and soon all was well again! I shared our 'fundraising card' which we hand out often. Can you imagine - a bedraggled looking cyclist in need of a bathroom, and a stranger says, "Of course; please, come in." I love the character of rural America.
Around lunchtime, we encountered a group of cyclists headed the opposite way. We stopped for a second to say hi, exchange information and they encouraged us to stop at the 'hot dog stand' 30 minutes down the road. We were meeting Marty's brother around one, so we hadn't intended to stop, but on their encouragement, did. And am I glad!
This was literally in the middle of nowhere. This gal sets up this 'stand' 4 or so days during the week and not only offered yummy hotdogs (and I don't usually care for them) and all the fixings, but also offered a variety of other old-fashioned goodies like Stewarts Root Beer, snow cones, sugar waffers.
What was amazing was the line of people flocking to this food oasis. Though this was a town of a few houses, there were young mothers in line, truckers who stopped, many senior citizens who'd found their way to "Hot Diggity Dog"....and of course, cyclists!
The experience reminded me of when my kids were little and wanted to open a store on the side of the road This gal must have been one of those youngsters who wanted her lemonaide stand and as an adult, made it happen - except it turned it into a hotdog one!
Around 2 we met Bruce and Jill....Marty's brother and sister in law. Bruce rode with us for 30 miles to their home in Red Bank, NJ where we are for the next two nights. Wonderful, artistic and interesting people; it's nice to be in a home again vs. the hotels we've frequented for the last 10 days. We've set up massages, gifted from Massage Envy, for tomorrow night and will go sailing tomorrow afternoon. More generosity and after 1,000 miles since June 17th, so appreciated.
And to the donors of our fundraising ride whose contributions will go to cancer cure research, please know you count - a special thanks to my children for their contributions.
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