Somerset, NJ to Hammonton, NJ - 81 miles

We started the day by upsetting several New Jersey commuters.  Our route took us out of the hotel at 7:30 along a very busy two-lane road with no shoulder.  And it was raining.  As has become the case when it rains, I was leading the group.  As I rode along, I was amazed at how many cars were  lined up bumper-to-bumper going the other way.  But there weren't too many passing us.  A mile or so down the road my cycling buddies yelled at me to pull over.   After we did, I realized that several trucks couldn't get passed us and that we were holding up a long line of traffic.  Today's route again took us through more neighborhoods and the elevation gain is beginning to taper.  This was the first day with less than 1,000 feet of climbing on the trip.  The highlight of the route was seeing Grover's Mill (see picture above).   This is where aliens landed on October 30, 1938, according to the CBS radio broadcast by Orson Welles.  The radio show was performed as a series of news bulletins, which apparently scared several people who turned on their radios on in the middle of the broadcast.  The show was an adaptation of The War of the Worlds, written by H.G. Wells in 1898.  We were fortunate with the weather again to day.  After the early rain, skies were dry until just after noon.  Fortunately, one of our riders wanted to find a bathroom about that time, so we pulled into a restaurant.  Just as we were about to leave, the skies opened up with a classic east coast downpour.  We stayed for lunch.  Normally, we wouldn't have a big lunch with 30 miles to go, but this was an exception.  By the time we finished, the skies had cleared.  Several other riders were not so lucky and got drenched.  Tomorrow we leave New Jersey and head for Dewey Beach, Delaware, the site of our first rest day.  After eight days of riding, my butt could use a break.