Garden State Grand Finale

   With the incredible "Indian summer" continuing, I wrapped up my tour of New Jersey's Atlantic coastline with a ride from the city of Perth Amboy down to Atlantic Highlands, where I had started this adventure back in May. Along the way, I would be backtracking a bit on the Henry Hudson Trail, to finish the only segment of that 22.6-mile, crescent-shaped route that I hadn't ridden previously.

   As it turns out, I would have been better avoiding that trail, but it was the most convenient and safest way to skirt Raritan Bay. However, I'm getting ahead of myself.

   I again took along my Saeco-Cannondale bike, which I had purchased the day I began this Jersey journey. As I slipped on my cycling shoes at the attractive marina in Perth Amboy, I looked up and was startled by a huge oil tanker charging down the Arthur Kill (the river separating N.J. from Staten Island) into Raritan Bay.

   Perth Amboy was once the capital of the Province of New Jersey, from 1686 to 1776. Its current moniker is a combination of two former names, one being a corruption of the word "Omboge" that the Lenape called the area, and the other was "New Perth", as the 1683 settlement was established by the Scottish. During the area's industrial heyday, Perth Amboy was the marshaling area for Lehigh Valley Railroad hopper cars full of anthracite coal, ready to be loaded onto barges bound for New York City and other ports.

   After years of decline, the city is experiencing a harborside revitalization, taking advantage of its location at the meeting of the Raritan River and Arthur Kill, where the two waterways empty into Raritan Bay. Although a sign marks one of the darker periods of Perth Amboy's history, as New Jersey's primary port for inbound slaves, the marina is now home to one of the oldest yacht clubs in the U.S.

Looking from the point across Arthur Kill to Staten Island

   Because my mom was a fan of his music, I know that Perth Amboy was the birthplace of John Francis Buongiovi, Jr. and his guitarist pal Richard Stephen Sambora. I'm fairly sure they haven't headlined there, but on Sunday summer afternoons, the city hosts Concerts by the Bay at the park bandshell. Thursday evenings are the Mayor's Concert Series, and there is also an annual Waterfront Arts Festival.

   The historic ferry slip that once served as an important way-station for travelers between NYC and Philadelphia has been restored to its 1904 appearance, and a replica ticket office hosts a small museum. 

   I was respectful of the signs asking cyclists not to ride on the marina walkway and instead pedaled along Water Street to the riverside park. I made my way up 2nd Avenue, crossed Market Street and added another train station to my "collection":

    I continued west on Market, instead of the much busier main drag of Smith Street, and eventually met Route 35, and the grueling climb over Victory Bridge into South Amboy. The ascent was made worse by a nasty headwind that I looked forward to enjoying at my back during the return leg! The bike lane on the bridge was a generous ten feet wide, providing a bit of security from what would otherwise be rather intimidating traffic - both in scale and speed.

   At the base of the bridge I turned left on Main Street and passed a monstrosity of a warehouse/distribution center under construction, then headed east on Broadway into the downtown of South Amboy. Although much smaller, the city had the feel of Phoenixville, only with active commuter rail!

   I turned right on Bordentown Avenue, through an attractive neighborhood of clapboard houses that seemed very appropriate to a harbor town, then continued east on Pine Street. I wouldn't necessarily recommend my route as it continued onto NJ-35, but considering it was early afternoon on a weekday and offseason, it wasn't horrible to ride there for just a couple miles.

   Soon after crossing the Cheesequake Creek drawbridge, I made a right turn on Amboy Road and passed through the lovely borough of Keyport. It had all that typical seaport town vibe, and because it was nearing lunch time, I was treated to the aroma of fried food being prepared at some of the waterside restaurants!

   I zigzagged from Front Street over to 3rd Street and follow it to the end, where it intersected the Henry Hudson Trail. I was hoping the conditions had been improved since my last visit to this segment of the trail in 2017, and I did see many spots where buckling had either been scraped down by grading machinery or cut out and paved over. However, the joints weren't perfect, and there were plenty of new areas of damage that gave my body a proper beating!

   The dappled light that was coming through the autumn trees would have made it difficult to spot the badly buckled areas anyway, but the leaves that had fallen added another level of camouflage to the "traps". There wasn't too much to talk about as far as scenery along the trailside, though it may have just been a case of my attention being directed to the asphalt. There were a few pretty crossings over marshland streams on wooden bridges, and a couple of times I was able to look out over the bay for a hazy view of the Manhattan skyline way in the distance.

   When I finally reached my turnaround at Avenue D in the Highlands, I made the quick decision to detour around a large portion of the trail and ride on parallel NJ Route 36 instead. There was a decent shoulder, traffic was fairly light, and most importantly, I wasn't being jostled by poor pavement!

   I took the same diversions through Keyport and South Amboy on my return trip, since I had my fill of riding on busy roads, and as predicted, I greatly enjoyed having the wind push me over the Victory Bridge back to Perth Amboy.