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Day 15 - May 10 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
New York City
After a good night's sleep, and a nice continental breakfast at the Hampton Inn, the Ramblers again ventured out into NYC, with the additional twist of using the subway.
We arrived right on schedule at the Cardinal Cook Health Care Center, on 5th Ave. facing Central Park. We got an orientation from David Sax, the HD Unit Administrator. Originally the facility was the Flower Fifth Ave. Acute Care Center, serving outpatients, disabled children, and dialysis patients among others. A Cardinal O'Connor had become close to a family with HD, and realized the need to establish some sort of a facility to care for folks with HD. It was an evolutionary process starting in 1991, but the beds filled, and a second unit was opened in 1997. 48 beds are dedicated to the long term care of Phds. After walking through both units, and meeting a few of the residents, we had a lovely lunch prepared by the hospital culinary staff. Sandwiches, pasta salad, fruit, and cookies - yum! We visited with Ruth (one of the nurses), David, Nancy (Recreation Therapist), and Ayana and Sybil (two pre-med students who work at the facility part time). To top it off, a very generous donation of $200 was presented to our "HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies" fundraiser. We concluded our touching visit with singing with the residents "Kumbaya" with special words "for the cure."
J & M and I each went different ways. I walked through Central Park to the West Side to spend the afternoon with Ron's Aunt Ann Nemec, who is 91 years young. She is as sprightly and active a 91 yr old as can be found. We walked to the Central Baptist Church where she was secretary to the Pastor for 42 yrs. The church is very missions oriented. Saw a plaque for former congregation member Jonathan Golbe, the first Protestant Missionary to Japan. He joined the Navy and sailed with Commodore Pery to Japan as a sailor to see the opportunities for Christian missionary work. He later returned to Japan, and made the first translation of the Gospel of Matthew in Japanese. He also invented the Jinrikisha.
Aunt Ann took me on a walking tour of her neighborhood: the Senior Center, the markets she shops, the bank and post office.
Aunt Ann and I rode the subway to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and she made sure I got on the right bus back to Secaucus. What a dear lady!
Had a light dinner, and placed a number of phone calls.

Road Change - 12 cents
Miles - none by bike
With love from NYC, The Ramblers 3
Marie Nemec
John & Marie Elsner

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Day 16 - May 11 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
NYC
This is our last full day in NYC, and what a full day we had!
Took the bus into the Port Authority Bus Terminal, then boarded the subway South to Fulton St, where we surfaced and continued walking to Battery Park.
Bought our ferryboat tickets. When I passed through the security screening, my wedding ring caused an "alert" and operations were shut down while I was checked and re-checked. Went out to Liberty Island (formerly Bedloe's Island, until 1956). What a sight, to be so close to the Statue of Liberty, although since Sept. 11, tourists are not allowed to go inside her. There is such a story behind the beloved statue; here are some of the highlights.
A Frenchman, Frederic Bartholdi, designed the statue itself, to help get the message of freedom out. The statue was begun in 1875, made from copper from Norway. Lady Liberty was copper colored for about 30 years before the patination turned her green.
The right arm (the raised, torch arm) was displayed at the Philadelphia Exhibition in 1876. Altogether, 310 copper plates were formed, each a little thicker than a penny. Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (of Eiffel Tower in Paris fame) designed the infrastructure to which the copper plates were attached. The statue was a gift from the French, but the American people had to raise enough money for the pedestal on which she stands. Joseph Pulitzer was the main mover in that endeavor. The whole statue and pedestal are 23 stories tall. There is much symbolism; the 7 rays on her cap/tiara represent the 7 continents and seas. The tablet with "July IV MDCCLXXVI" is in the shape of a keystone. The broken chain shackles represent the abolishment of slavery in America.
The National Park Service administers both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. We took the ferryboat to Ellis, which is named after the last private owner of the island, back in 1780. It was a vital site in the defense of the NY Harbor in the War of 1812. It became famous for the processing of immigrants from 1890-1924. The registry room is huge, somewhat reminding me of the grand old railroad terminals. The displays about the immigrants were fantastic, with each immigrant's story unique and bearing witness to the courage and determination that enables men & women to leave their homes and seek new opportunities in an unknown land. My husband Ron's ancestors, from Eastern Europe, passed through there.
Took the ferry one more time, back to Battery Park. By then, it was 2:00 pm, well past lunch, and we were hungry. Ate in Liberty Gourmet Deli before walking to the Ground Zero Site. In order to walk on the viewing stand, a ticket was necessary. J & M walked 12 blocks round trip to get the tickets (free), which control access. Clean-up efforts were about finished, and we really couldn't see much. Many thousands of hats, posters, t-shirts, memorabilia, etc. are attached to the fences, walls, etc. just like they were at the Oklahoma City bombing site which Scott and I visited during BFTC2K. Near the site there was mass of humanity, all wanting to pay their respects.
Took the subway back to the Port Authority Bus Terminal, and then boarded the bus for Secaucus. The M & M's did a little grocery shopping for dinner, and lunch tomorrow. Then we returned to our rooms for the evening.
New York City is a great place to visit. We barely scratched the surface in three days, but tomorrow we move on farther into New Jersey.

With love and anticipation,
The Ramblers 3
Marie Nemec
John & Marie Elsner

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Day 17 - May 12 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
Secaucus, NJ to South Plainfield, NJ
Rain was predicted for today so we weren't counting on getting much, if any, riding in. When we woke up the ground was wet but it wasn't raining. J & M hung out in their hotel room while Marie N. ventured back into NYC to attend Central Baptist Church, where Ron's Aunt Ann was church secretary for 42 years. The congregation is mainly Afro-American, and my, were they dressed up! The worship team had awesome voices, and the preaching was on the first 20 verses of the Book of Ruth in the Old Testament. No racial prejudice in that church! It aims to be "the friendliest church in NYC."
Marie N. returned to the hotel around 1:00. As we were packing up the van it began to pour but it didn't last too long. We drove the van up the road about four miles to Nutley to get across two rivers that could only be crossed on major roads. Saw the football Giants Stadium - the Meadowlands.
Marie N. volunteered to drive the van today; J & M's bikes were unloaded off the roof rack in a parking lot in Nutley. We had some sandwiches for lunch and hit the streets of New Jersey at 2:00. John mapped out a route this morning as best he could with the maps we had.
After only four miles of riding John got his second flat tire of the trip. He had a large, triangular-shaped piece of glass wedged into the back tire.
We're not even going to attempt to describe the route we took today. It consisted of a lot of turns and unmarked roads. The map we had contained some detail but was sketchy at best. We wound our way through the streets and got lost numerous times. We went through some nice areas and some areas that were not so nice. The traffic wasn't too heavy probably because of it being Mother's Day and Sunday.
The first sixteen miles took us about two hours, not because of big hills or strong winds but because we had to stop at least once per mile to figure out where the heck we were. There were also a lot of traffic lights that slowed us down.
At this point in the town of Union we turned the wrong way on Hwy. 124 and went a mile or two before realizing it. We threw the bikes up on the van and drove to a point past where we made the wrong turn and past a busy, highway-like stretch of road. We got back on the bikes and finished the last seventeen miles of the day in 1 1/2 hours. There weren't as many traffic lights and turns to deal with. There was some misty rain but nothing substantial and the temperature was in the upper 50's.
At 6:00 we arrived at the Ramada Inn in South Plainfield, NJ where we had a donated room. We made it just in the nick of time because fifteen minutes after arriving it was pouring rain. We went to a Friendly's restaurant for dinner. It is a chain here in the Northeast (was started in Wilbraham, MA by two brothers) and we wanted to give it a try before we left Friendly's country. The food was nothing to write home about and the service was even worse. But they were friendly (although our waiter continued to say "You guys" - my unfavorite expression, esp. on Mother's Day) and their ice cream as tasty!
Miles ridden: 33.25
Riding time: 2:33:23
Average speed: 12.9 mph
Maximum speed: 28.0 mph
Total trip miles: 297.3
Road Change: 2 cents
With love from the road,
The Ramblers 3 John & Marie Elsner
Marie Nemec

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Day 18 -May 13 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
South Plainfield - Spring Lake NJ
Another misty, rainy day...
After the continental breakfast at the motel, John and Marie decided to try riding, even though it was raining a bit. With their riding speed at least 50% faster than me, and with no guest SAG van driver, it seemed best for me to drive the van again.
I am probably a better SAG van driver than rider. Age is catching up to me. I stayed pretty close to J & M, never more than 1-2 miles from them, trying to facilitate keeping them on route. No problems today. We got to a stretch of divided highway on which John didn't want to ride, so he put the bikes on the roof, and we drove a few miles. Then they decided they could ride some more, so down came the bikes, and off they rode.
Stopped at Tilton's Corner. While we were stopped, a man gave us a $15 donation. Bought some lunch supplies, then drove out to Sandy Hook, a barrier beach peninsula at the northern tip of the NJ shore. The Sandy Hook lighthouse is the oldest operating lighthouse in the US, dating from 1764. In the early days, the lighthouse was lighted by whale oil and mirrors reflecting the lamp's lights. Kerosene was used later, in the 1870's. Mirrors were replaced in 1857 with a Fresnel lens, which is still in use today. It can shine for 19 miles. In the 1920's it became electrified. In the 1960's it became fully automated. This all white lighthouse with a red top (where the lens is) is octagonal in shape, 29 ft in diameter at the base, and 15 ft diameter at the top. We viewed a good video about its history, from before the Revolutionary War. When it was built, it was 500 ft. from the tip of the peninsula, but now it's 1 1/2 miles.
We also drove through Ft. Hamilton, which was built in 1900, to help guard the New York Harbor. It was closed in 1974, but the buildings are now used for other purposes.
We drove close to "the shore" to Spring Lake, a beautiful town dating from before 1900. After checking in at the motel, we did a little driving tour of the beautiful homes of Spring Lake. Many are now B & B's, Victorian mostly, but many with columns, some Cape Cod style, some saltboxes.
Drove back to the motel to regroup. Marie napped despite the construction noise just outside our room.
Drove back into town to a "gourmet pizza" place. Not too "gourmet" to my thinking, but John ordered artichoke hearts on half the pizza.
Returned to the motel, and plotted our route for tomorrow, after talking to Pat Duskewich, our hostess tomorrow night.
Turned in about 10:00 pm.
Miles (J & M) - 20
Road Change - 64 cents
With love from the Jersey shore,
Marie Nemec
John & Marie Elsner

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Day 19 - May 14 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
Spring Lake - Mt. Laurel NJ
Windy day
For the third day in a row, it seemed better for J & M to ride, and for me to SAG. I have not been on my bicycle 'Hope' since last Wednesday, when I got brushed by the Blazer and had my glasses run over.
We got started about 8:15 am, since we had to travel across the state of NJ. While I was waiting alongside the road, a policeman from Brick Township stopped to check on me. J & M and I split up for 2 1/2 hours, while I drove to Toms River (where my husband Ron was born), to Seaside Heights (to see the carousel, but it was closed), then on to Lakehurst, NJ. Lakehurst was where the dirigible "The Hindenberg" crashed. It was my husband's boyhood home, 515 Poplar St., and Ron had asked me to find it and take some photos.
After that trip "down memory lane," I returned to the Ramble route, catching up with J & M near New Egypt. Got some deli turkey and provolone cheese in the "WaWa" Food Market. Isn't that a bizarre name? We had lunch near a park in New Egypt, watching the antics of the local waterfowl (Canadian geese, white geese, and some Mallard-type ducks.)
Once again, J & M ventured out, riding into a pretty heavy headwind, and we passed through some pretty rural areas. Also skirted Ft. Dix, an Army base.
Continued on towards Mt. Laurel. A Mt. Laurel policeman stopped to see why I was waiting alongside the road. These NJ policemen do a good job! Arrived at the home of Pat Dushkewich, from the Hunt-Dis list, just as a huge rainstorm passed through. We were greeted by Pat's husband Joe, who has HD. Their dog Ty, a black and white Shitzu, also helped us feel at home. Pat got home from her job as a school bus driver a little after 4 pm. We had some tira mizu (?) cake as a treat while the lasagna was still cooking. Justin (20) and Josh (17), Joe and Pat's two sons, joined us for a delicious lasagna dinner, complete with "Texas toast" in honor of the HDS Convention in 2003 scheduled for Houston TX.
After dinner, Pat drove us into Philadelphia to scout out the route, but it didn't look good for riding. The volume of traffic is a concern, and crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge looked too sketchy. So it looks like we'll have to drive in.
Safe and sound, just a few miles from Philadelphia,
The Ramblers 3
Marie Nemec
John and Marie Elsner
Miles - 58
Road Change - 10 cents
Cumulative - I lost track, and have deleted most past messages. Would someone count it up, and let me know, so I can get back on track?

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Day 20 - May 15 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
Mt. Laurel NJ - Philadelphia PA
Got to sleep in a bit at Pat's, because of just having 11 miles to go to Philadelphia. Had a great breakfast of French toast and ham after Pat returned from her morning shift of driving a school bus.
Fond farewells ... on to Pennsylvania, Hwy 38 and then 30, over the Ben Franklin Bridge. Philadelphia was the temporary capital of the US, from 1790-1800, while the Federal City (Washington DC) was being built. It was the only city in the colonies where all delegates to the Constitutional Conventions had a place to worship: Anglican, Jewish, Methodist, and Catholic.
Found a parking space just as the meter maid had completed her checking, so in effect, we could have parked for four hours, not just the posted two.
Walked a few blocks to Independence Hall, which has also been impacted by 9-11. Barricades are around the building, and there's a long waiting line to enter. Saw many groups of school children visiting. Didn't have the time to wait, so we walked on to the Liberty Bell bldg, but the same situation existed there.
Saw the lovely Tiffany glass mural inside the Curtis Bldg. called "Dream Garden," a representation of an oil painting of Maxfield Parrish (Dona, you would have loved it) Back to the van, to get the bikes, for our scheduled "photo op" meeting Bob Madden, Chapter Pres of Delaware Valley HDSA Chapter, and their Ex Dir Susan Arnold. No media showed up, but we got some photos before Bob etc. had to get back to work.
We had some additional time to tour, so we drove to the Boathouse Row along the Schuylkill River (pronounced Skookill). Tomorrow it will host the largest high school rowing championship in the nation. Also looked at the statuary near the Museum of Art, the one that movie icon "Rocky Balboa" ran up. Saw a lovely (but dry) fountain with "mer-horses" with wings, a gift from Italy in honor of the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Declaration of Independence (150 yrs, in 1926). Drove out to stroll around the Manayunk Shopping District, an artsy town up river a few miles.
Returned to Philly and worked our way to the beautiful row house of Linda Kaiser. It has four levels, a basement, a main floor, and two upper floors (2,700 sq. ft., about 16 ft in width). Linda is a former Chapter Pres and a lawyer, also former State Insurance Commissioner under then Gov. Tom Ridge, who now heads the Office of Homeland Security. Susan took us on a walking tour of South Street, and treated us to a cheese steak sandwich, for which Philly is famous.
Afterwards, we walked out to Penn's Landing along the Delaware River. Saw the USS New Jersey battleship moored across the river in Camden, NJ.
Some famous people from Philadelphia after colonial days are Mario Lanza (from "The Great Caruso" movie) and Walt Whitman. Philadelphia has four major sports teams: the baseball Phillies, the NFL Eagles, the hockey Flyers, and the 76er's. We all were impressed by the orderly layout of the city, and its cleanliness.

Road Change - 11 cents
Cumulative - $8.74 (Thanks, Gerri)

With love from "the city of brotherly love,"
The Ramblers 3
Marie Nemec
John and Marie Elsner

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Day 21 - May 16 - HD Ramble 'Round the Colonies
Philadelphia - Valley Forge PA
Although we were scheduled for a "Rest Day," we decided to put in some miles riding. I had not ridden in a week, due to the stay in NYC, and then driving the SAG van for three days, so I was anxious to get back into the swing of things.
Dropped J&M off at Boathouse Row, so they could ride longer (and faster) along the Schuylkill Bike Path. I drove up about 10 miles, parked the van, and then started riding on the same path. It is very popular, with walkers, roller bladers, and bicyclists. The macadam paving was excellent, and the miles flew by. For a fair amount of the way, the bike path was tree lined.
Crossed the Schuylkill River on a designated bikeway alongside the vehicle traffic. Never saw a sign for the Visitor's Center at Valley Forge, so I turned the wrong way and saw some of the other attractions first. Arrived there just about the same time as J & M (who also didn't see a sign.) After a snack for lunch, I then retraced my path, this time finding the Visitor's Center.
Saw an 18 min. video about the winter of 1777-78 that Gen. George Washington and the encampment his troops spent at Valley Forge. Despite odds, the ill-clothed, ill-fed, ill-trained army underwent a dramatic transformation slowly but steadily. A major influence was Baron Friedrich von Steuben, a Prussian drillmaster, who drilled the regiments into an effective fighting force. Although no battle was fought there, it became the "Crucible of Victory."
This refreshed my memory concerning the role of men from Europe (Lafayette, Kozkiusco, etc) who played key roles in the struggle during the American Revolution.
Retraced my ride, as did J & M. They rode all the way back to Linda Kaiser's home, while I loaded my bike into the van, and drove/navigated myself back. I got there maybe 15 min. before them, due to a wrong turn.
Showers were most welcome. Linda had said we could run some wash, so we did. J & M went out with Linda to get some salad for dinner, to complement the spaghetti.
They did a bit of route planning for tomorrow, but I needed my sleep.

Miles: J & M - 54
Marie - 30
Road Change: 10 cents
Cumulative: $8.84
With love once more, from "the city of brotherly love,"
Marie Nemec
John & Marie Elsner