In order to ride from coast to coast, I am told you need to start at one and end at the other. Accordingly, today I took a ride from my hometown in South Jersey to a barrier island on the Atlantic I have visited each year of my life thus far. Since I’m heading down the east coast I would have had a fair amount of other chances to get to the ocean, but for sentimental reasons the trip starts here. I start heading south on Sunday.

—

Below: Throwback photo from my first day of 3rd grade; I thought the sign for New Freedom Road, also on my route today, was too on the nose to photograph…this one is, too, in its own way, but I took the picture anyway; meandering through the Pine Barrens.