At a McDonalds in Teaneck, NJ for my midmorning break. Rode out of Manhattan this morning over the George Washington Bridge. That was a bit of a challenge because of pedestrian bridges at the entrances on both sides of th bridge itself. They involved steep long stairways. Not too hard with a light road bike, maybe, but tough with a fully laden touring bike. On the western side I actually took most of the gear off the bike and did the portage in two steps. I am heading across suburban NJ (pretty urban really) for a state park tonight, then a Warmshowers host in Princeton tomorrow. I ought to arrive in Princeton early enough to have a look around the campus, which I have never seen.

Yesterday was a free day which I spent riding around Manhattan, which turns out, surprisingly to me, to be a pretty fun biking town. On the way to New York I spent some time with a college friend (and some others who joined us) in Westport.

Riding across Rhode Island and eastern Connecticut involved hills and forests, farms and rivers. I crossed the Connecticut River on a little ferry at the town of Chester. Should I ever, by some mischance, become a billionaire, I will make Chester one of my homes. The more urban segment from New Haven to Manhattan and onward is of course less charming. But it is exciting and challenging and I am really enjoying it.

The weather this week has included some cold mornings and some rain. I definitely feel the pressure to get out of the northeast before the weather is really uncomfortable.

During this leg I enjoyed three Warmshowers stays, one a two-nighter. I cannot overstate my appreciation for the organization and for the individual hosts who have helped me along the way. The site is Warmshowers.org if you want to know more about how it works.