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Thursday, October 2, 2008, Mrs. Isles house, Monroeville, New Jersey
We decided to use regular road maps to speed up the process. We got onto Hwy. 30 as soon as possible because it was a straight route to Philadelphia. The wind was at our backs, so we made good time. John rode most of the way. Lancaster was fun. We saw lots of Amish people and businesses. Fall is in the air and it was cool riding even with the sun out. Towards evening, we stopped to eat a picnic dinner before riding the last 20 miles into Philadelphia. It was a Black neighborhood and some neighborhood kids were hanging around our bikes. Finally when it was time to leave, Willie, who had gotten another flat tire, was fixing it while we rode off. One of the kids came up and kicked him in the shoulder and ran off. Willie chased him, but Gloria called him back as there were four of them and she was worried something would happen. Gloria called me and I rode back to them. When I got there, she had already called the police and some neighbors had come out to discuss who did it. Apparently, some knew who did it, so when the police arrived, they wrote down his name. As we were only passing through, we would not return to court to press charges. Willie wasn't hurt anyway. It was just a dumb punk coward who was trying to pick on someone, but then ran off. Afterward I called up my old Liberty wrestling buddy who I hadn't seen in 27 years, Steve Isles, and made arrangements to see him at his mom's house in Monroeville, New Jersey, 30 miles away. During the summer of 1980, I lived at this house with Steve and his parents and attended summer school at Glassboro State University, so it brought back fond memories. After we secured our bikes at a nearby police station, we drove over to his house. It was dark by the time we got the bikes secured and 9:00 by the time we arrived in Monroeville. It was great to see Steve and his mom. I only wish we could have stayed longer, so I could have met the rest of his family. He looked the same, strong and trim. Mrs. Isles was nice as always and the house seemed basically the same. We talked for a while in the living room; then we set up the tent near the pond in a nice grassy area. 80 miles.