scott showed me the community garden he is participating in, and i meditated there before before getting on my way. the simple reminder written on the wall told me i was in a good place.
as i proceeded northeast of philly on the bike route, another rider caught up to me and we decided to ride together. he was going to his parent's to borrow a car. he takes care of the vegetable garden at their house and showed it to me when i stopped there with him. very nice little example, with peas and strawberries producing well and blueberries on the way.
in trenton i almost missed the tow path, but found it by looking carefully. at one nice green spot with a couple mulberry trees i stopped for lunch. there was a garden nearby which looked like some kind of community vegetable garden. i decided to write a note encouraging them to harvest the wonderful nutrient source of leaves piling up on the path nearby. this is the response i got!
"Received your Paper-plate-O-gram, and would love to tell you about the garden. Thanks for the heads up on the compost…we often collect leaves to add to our tumbler. This is our third season for the YouthGrow garden, which is an extension of the alternative high school next door (part of the national YouthBuild program). We work with students as part of the afterschool program and also run a 15 member CSA from June-November. Funds from subscribers go directly to create jobs for graduates of the school, who tend the garden. They also assist with a multitude of other community and school gardens in Trenton. Let me know if you have other questions! I’m also a member of the Trenton Cycling Revolution…you just missed our annual bike tour."
it was sent by Jim Simon, Program Manager of Urban Agriculture at Isles, Inc.. he also gave me web address of the local bicycling organization, which looks pretty cool!
i love what happens sometimes when you reach out and make contact!
about half of the ride that remained was on packed dirt paths next to an old canal that is now an important wildlife corridor. i saw a great blue harron and deer. when i got off the towpath near princeton and went by the James Forrestal Campus as i tried to find my way to the roads i had written down to follow to east brunswick. someone i found walking told me which way to go. i got water and used the restroom in a gym. the country roads that google had advised led me through some pleasant scenery, and some just so-so. somehow right at the end i took a wrong turn and rode perhaps an extra ten miles. a guy in an SUV was able to help me with his i-phone. this device has helped me find my way perhaps a dozen times so far on this trip.
exausted after bicycling over 70 miles between philladelphia and east brunswick, i arrived at the home of family friends. there was no address on the mail box, but i guessed it was theirs from its rustic flavor. also the property looked wonderfully overgrown, rather than overly controlled.
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