Monday July 7 52nd Day Tom's River NJ to Atlantic City. 66 miles

Off about 9:00. I rode along Rte 9 which is busy and noisy, but with wide shoulders almost everywhere. The riding was uneventful. At lunch I stopped in a little sandwich place, but just as I was about to set out again a heavy rain began. It kept me there for an hour and a quarter or an hour and a half. I guess I have been pretty lucky not to have been more impacted by rain so far. Both the other times that I got rained on hard I was near my destination and just persevered until I got where I was going. Today it finally lightened up and I set out. Within a few miles Rte 9 conjoined with the Garden State Expressway and since there was no notice forbidding it, I went onto it as well. I planned to exit at the first opportunity, but before that came I heard a siren behind me and when I looked around there was a trooper waving me to stop and come back to him. When I got close he said, "Where do you think you;re going?".

I replied, "I'm following Rte 9". Well he was having none of that and in a kindly manner insisted that I load my bike into the trunk of his cruiser and he drove me to the off ramp. I finished out the day riding into Atlantic City where in a moment I will go take a walk on the board walk.

I just made my first projections of when I might leave DC and start home and when I might reach Pittsburgh. I was taken aback. I am going too slowly..
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