Selfie spots, Lucy the Elephant and other sights on a bike ride along the Jersey Shore

Bike at the Jersey Shore during the off-season. Rentals are cheap, streets are empty.

Reminder to self: Bike at the Jersey Shore during the off-season.

Rentals close to the beach are cheap, streets are empty, though yes lots of businesses are closed. (Our group based itself in Avalon.) But boardwalks during Easter week were busy, especially when temperatures hit 80. That’s where we ended up in our search for ice cream.

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I biked the entire 17-mile Cape May County bike trail — here’s what it’s like

Just tell me where the ice cream is.

My first reaction as I biked along this inland trail in Cape May County was jealousy.

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Blue sky, blue water — here’s what else I found along the D&R Canal

While I had no special destination in mind, it’s amazing what you discover when you’re just taking your time.

A gorgeous day — temps eventually topped 70, and it’s only the beginning of April! — called out for a bike ride. And while I had no special destination in mind, it’s amazing what you discover when you’re just taking your time.

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A bike ride to one of those 50 must-eat New Jersey dishes for 2023

This bakery makes a must-eat foodie list. So we biked there. Here’s what we ate.

Pistachio donuts on top, that chocolate hazelnut baklava below
The chocolate hazelnut baklava is on the bottom.

I’ve been entertaining myself with some of these “best” foodie lists on NJ.com, and the Baklava Lady in Englishtown popped up on the list of the 50 New Jersey dishes you need to eat in 2023 — specifically the chocolate hazelnut baklava.

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Schuylkill River Trail: A metric century from Philadelphia to Reading

The Schuylkill River Trail has had lots of upgrades since I biked from Conshohocken to Reading seven years ago. This time I started in Philadelphia. Here’s what I found.

Actually, make that two solid metric centuries — 62-plus miles each time — since we — my sister and I — biked back the next day.

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Arney’s Mount: another stunning Burlington County trail

This 2.2-mile trail is a loop that has the highest point in Burlington County as its backdrop.

Yup, that’s Arney’s Mount.

The climbing starts as soon as you leave the parking lot and hit the Arney’s Mount Trail. Climbing is a relative term, though, because this is flat, flat Burlington County, and the highest point is … Arney’s Mount. It’s all of maybe 249 feet, and that’s standing on tip-toes.

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Explore Burlington County’s new Rancocas Creek Greenway

How cool would it be to have this bike trail behind your neighborhood?

Burlington County formally opened the 4-mile Rancocas Creek Greenway in September. This trail stretches from Amico Island where the Rancocas Creek meets the Delaware River into Riverside, then across a bridge spanning the Rancocas Creek and into Delanco, then along the creek and past an over-55 neighborhood to beautiful Pennington Park.

How cool would it be to have this trail behind your neighborhood?

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E-biking in Piedmont’s wine country around Alba

A 25-mile bike ride through Barolo in Piedmont, one of Italy’s great wine areas.

Yup, an e-bike. Why not?

The hills south of Alba, vines dripping with purple Nebbiolo grapes that will be turned into Barolo wine, are steep. Why make this day hard on ourselves?

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Day 3 on Eurovelo 8 in France: We reach Narbonne

On Day 3 of our short DIY bike ride along Eurovelo 8, we pedaled from Beziers to Narbonne.

The first question of the day: how do we get back to the Canal du Midi?

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Day 2 on Eurovelo 8 in France: Sete to Beziers

We reach the Canal du Midi halfway through this 3-day DIY bike ride in France.

The goal on this day of my Montpellier-to-Narbonne bike ride is to meet friends for dinner in Beziers. Along the way, though, my goal is to reflexively say Bonjour Madame/Monsieur every time I enter a shop or otherwise approach someone. After all, one of these friends has explained, not doing this is considered the height of rudeness (and why perhaps Americans in France are seen as rude, not the other way around.) I know I was a bit remiss on Day 1.

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