Today's tiny ride was a breeze. We got back on to route 40. We discovered a new hazard here. The little shops and conventient stores in the east don't provide public restrooms. I broke a final spoke today. My bike was telling me how tired it was. All in all I'ld say the $300 bike I chose was an amazing bargain, and handled the continent quite well.

The roads got busier and busier today. Delaware and New Jersey provide ample paved shoulder so the going was pretty good. Still, we couldn't quite make it into downtown Wilmington to our Marriot. We crossed I95 on route 7, which is officially closed to cyclists. We made it across, dodging hordes of fast fast cars. We took a breather on the other side to consider the construction and traffic leading north into the city. To our surprise, we were resting practically in the parking lot of another Marriot. We went in, and the very helpful manager helped us change our reservations and leave directions for our parents, who would be expecting us at the other Marriot.

Meanwhile our parents arrived at the downtown Marriot. They had never met, but instantly recognized each other. We met them as we made ourselves tea in the lobby, after a swim in the hot tub. The last familiar person we had met was my Cousin in Portland. It was so good to see our folks!

We ate dinner and then planned out our final days ride with the help of my father and Patti's mother. We also checked out the Delaware Memorial Bridge. It was too trafficked to ride across on a bike. The access highways were equally frightening. We determined to have my father cart us across, and then head south east to the shore, avoiding the casino traffic on 40..