Olga and BOB cross the Delaware

The towns of Riverton PA and Belvidere NJ sit right across the river from each other, connected by an old metal bridge. We had been told a few miles back that there was a B& B in Belvidere, so we thought we’d give it a try. After all, the town wasn’t that large, and it couldn’t be that hard to find.

Dismounting, we walked the team over the bridge. Metal grated bridges are unsafe for cyclists. The one time we mistakenly rode across one in New Hampshire, Matt said it felt like he was steering a car on ice, and it was all he could do to keep Olga going straight. We only needed to be taught that lesson once.

Reaching the NJ side, we stopped at the first house we saw that looked like a B & B. It was perched along the river, had a nice big deck, and there were folks sitting on it enjoying an adult beverage of some sort. Since our kickstand left us miles ago in Maine, Matt needs to stay holding the bike, while Mary Ellen goes and knocks on the doors to ask for directions/information. After a few minutes she returned with the news that there indeed is a B & B, but it’s back on the PA side of the river. We turn the entourage around, and trek back across the bridge.

We spot the B & B right away (in fact, we had passed by it the first time we crossed the bridge) and figured that our day’s journey was coming to an end. Good thing too, because it was nearly 6:30 and there was not much daylight left. Once again, Mary Ellen goes to knock on the door. No answer. She goes around back to look for someone, anyone to talk to. Nothing. Finally, she goes to the house next door and we come to find that the innkeeper is away. But, the kind lady offers that there may be a room available to rent back on the NJ side, and if that doesn’t work, there is the hotel. Hotel???????? Why didn’t we just go there in the first place?

So back we go across the bridge a third time. The Hotel Belvidere was actually quite easy to find…it just was a matter of asking the right question. In fact, it was one of the nicest places we have stayed. Originally built in the 1830s, it has been wonderfully restored and the hosts are most gracious. We sat on the 2nd floor porch, eating our hero sandwich we had purchased earlier, chasing it down with an ice cold brew. Once again, all was right with the world, and we drifted off into a wonderful, hard earned sleep.