Randoms
Post by Adam:
Alright, there's been a couple things we meant to get up here, but haven't had the chance. So, let's get a couple of things out of the way.
First 
off, if you're ever in Philadelphia, you have got to check out Koch's Deli in west Philly. This place is amazing! Tiff had never had a Cheesesteak before, and since we were in Philadelphia it was on the must-do list. We were recommended this deli, but told not to order ahead or anything, because the wait is what it's all about. The owner cuts you samples of meats and cheeses with pickles to cleanse your palate. By the time we got our sandwiches we were halfway full!
Secondly, we'd like to thank Next Adventure for hooking us up with some great gear. Our MSR Hubba Hubba tent has been awesome; the full mesh upper portion is great for the warm weather and star gazing, and while the Big Agnes Copper Spur claims to be bigger, the truth is that for someone who's 6'4", the MSR wins. (we tried 'em both)I'm also really enjoying my Petz'l Tikka headlamp (with the Core USB rechargeable battery). I usually just use my bike lights for illumination, but the handsfree nature of the headlamp is great, and it also holds a charge WAY longer than my bike light. The Core USB battery is a great addition for bike tour, cause most of the things we need to keep charged use USB cables anyway. We just had to buy an outlet to USB adapter and we were set.
Finally, I didn't really expect there to be much in the way of bicycle amenities or culture on the east coast. Boy was I wrong. To begin with, I'm not sure if it's the bikes or just the culture, but everyone here has been extremely friendly and helpful so far. Aside from that, there's been a ton of great rail-trails and riverside paths to ride on, and we even saw one group of folks that were going bike camping.
The Marg
olis, Weatherby and Knightly-Castle families comprise 9 children and 6 adults. We met them just north of Manayunk (a northern suburb of Philadelphia) and asked where they were going. They informed us that they were headed to Valley Forge for a camping trip. Can you imagine trying to get 9 kids to ride their bikes 26 miles to go camping?
off, if you're ever in Philadelphia, you have got to check out Koch's Deli in west Philly. This place is amazing! Tiff had never had a Cheesesteak before, and since we were in Philadelphia it was on the must-do list. We were recommended this deli, but told not to order ahead or anything, because the wait is what it's all about. The owner cuts you samples of meats and cheeses with pickles to cleanse your palate. By the time we got our sandwiches we were halfway full!
Secondly, we'd like to thank Next Adventure for hooking us up with some great gear. Our MSR Hubba Hubba tent has been awesome; the full mesh upper portion is great for the warm weather and star gazing, and while the Big Agnes Copper Spur claims to be bigger, the truth is that for someone who's 6'4", the MSR wins. (we tried 'em both)I'm also really enjoying my Petz'l Tikka headlamp (with the Core USB rechargeable battery). I usually just use my bike lights for illumination, but the handsfree nature of the headlamp is great, and it also holds a charge WAY longer than my bike light. The Core USB battery is a great addition for bike tour, cause most of the things we need to keep charged use USB cables anyway. We just had to buy an outlet to USB adapter and we were set.
Finally, I didn't really expect there to be much in the way of bicycle amenities or culture on the east coast. Boy was I wrong. To begin with, I'm not sure if it's the bikes or just the culture, but everyone here has been extremely friendly and helpful so far. Aside from that, there's been a ton of great rail-trails and riverside paths to ride on, and we even saw one group of folks that were going bike camping.
The Margolis, Weatherby and Knightly-Castle families comprise 9 children and 6 adults. We met them just north of Manayunk (a northern suburb of Philadelphia) and asked where they were going. They informed us that they were headed to Valley Forge for a camping trip. Can you imagine trying to get 9 kids to ride their bikes 26 miles to go camping?