Copyright, 1895, by Harper & Brothers.
This week we have divided the trip from Philadelphia to Atlantic City into two parts, of thirty-one and thirty-five miles each. It is perfectly possible for a good rider to go from Philadelphia to Atlantic City in one day, but if he can take two days to it, the ride will be pleasanter, he will see more of the country, and he can then take the train back to Philadelphia instead of riding the return.
Leaving Philadelphia by Market Street, go east, across the ferry to Camden, and thence proceeding by Federal Street turn into Haddon Avenue. Upon reaching Line Street, keep to the left until the city line is reached; then take the right fork. The rider passes through Collingswood, Haddonfield, Greenland, to Kirkwood, a distance of ten miles or more over a reasonably good road, though not of the best nor in the best condition. Keep to the left in going out of Kirkwood, and be careful of the railroad crossing, which is a bad one. After passing over this crossing, turn to the right at the paint works, passing by Lakeside Park to Gibbsboro, a distance of two miles. Here the grade is very good, but the road is in a pretty bad condition, and the rider had better keep to the side paths when outside of the town. From Gibbsboro to Berlin is four miles over a gravel road not in any too good condition, and side paths will again be a boon. The road is direct. It is also direct through Wilton to Blue Anchor, a distance of eight miles. There will be no difficulty in recognizing the road, it being very straight, and in most cases showing by its size, as compared with branch roads, which is the main road.
Running out of Blue Anchor, the rider takes the middle road of three forks, and shortly after passing this main fork he arrives at another, where, keeping to the left, he runs two miles into Winslow Junction. Crossing the track, he will find the road to Rosedale, a distance of a mile and a half, still gravel and not in the best of condition, but it is perfectly easy to tell which is the correct road. At Rosedale the tracks are crossed again at the station, and the run into and through Hammonton is made, the road being pretty good if you keep to the side paths. This makes in all about thirty or thirty-one miles, and the rider can stop at Hammonton for the night, though there are very few good accommodations, or even passable ones, to be found anywhere on the route from Philadelphia to Atlantic City; but the lack of good accommodations is really the one objection to making a two-days-trip of the Atlantic City route.
A word should be said here as to riding long distances. Any one who practises on a bicycle, i. e., any one who rides a certain number of miles a day for a certain number of days, depending on the particular make-up of the individual, will get himself into such a condition that he can ride any reasonable distance; i. e., up to one hundred miles in a day. It is not, therefore, a particularly desirable or difficult-to-be-attained facility to ride long distances in a day. Some men like to ride long distances fast; others like to ride a short distance fast, and then stop and walk or make a detour; while still others like to do a certain amount, say thirty or forty miles, taking a whole day for it, at a slow gait.
Note.—Map of New York city asphalted streets in No. 809. Map of route from New York to Tarrytown in No. 810. New York to Stamford, Connecticut, in No. 811. New York to Staten Island in No. 812. New Jersey from Hoboken to Pine Brook in No. 813. Brooklyn in No. 814. Brooklyn to Babylon in No. 815. Brooklyn to Northport in No. 816. Tarrytown to Poughkeepsie in No. 817. Poughkeepsie to Hudson in No. 818. Hudson to Albany in No. 819. Tottenville to Trenton in 820. Trenton to Philadelphia in 821. Philadelphia in No. 822. Philadelphia-Wissahickon Route in No. 823. Philadelphia to West Chester in No. 824.