Valley Forge Park map (PDF):
http://www.nps.gov/vafo/planyourvisit/upload/park%20map.pdf
It was quite an enjoyable ride, and to be honest, part of the excitement was exploring new areas. I didn't look at a map ahead of time, and happened upon the bridge that crosses the river. I didn't know what was on the other side, but I knew there was only one way to find out. (Okay, I cross that bridge every day in my car, but I wasn't keen on mingling with traffic since I wasn't wearing a helmet and wanted to stick to bike paths.) As I was deciding to go across, another biker* approached me and asked how to get onto the bridge. I pointed out the way and followed him across. The bridge was interesting, as it is barely wide enough for two bikes to pass each other, and it felt precarious being wooden and high above the river. (Not to mention the cars zooming by just on the other side of a chain-link fence.) The guy met up with buddies on the other side, and I continued toward Valley Forge Park.
I entered Valley Forge Park near the Visitor Center and chose to go South for no particular reason. Mind you, it all makes sense now, but at the time I was just riding with the assumption that at some point I would either double-back or loop back around. I didn't want to double-back, but I didn't want to tire myself out, either. It turned out well though, because I eventually stopped for a map at Wayne's Woods and decided to finish the loop. So I made my way North, then turned back East. I had ridden 10 miles at the point where I passed the chapel. I was glad I went clockwise at that point because the last "leg" was beautiful. And since it went gradually downhill and relatively straight, I got up to 26.9 mph (had I been watching my speed instead of where I was going, surely I would have punched it up to 27).
I was charged from my adventures for the way back home, and arrived back at the car after a total of about 1.5 hours of pedaling. My bike computer doesn't include stops in the trip time, so actual time gone was probably closer to 2 hours. I definitely want to take that route again.
As I was loading my bike onto the car, a park ranger (nametag "D. Smith") asked me about my ride and explained the plans for widening the bridge that crosses 422 at Trooper Rd., and “re”building a bridge next to it. According to him, the second bridge (right next to the current bridge) will be a two-lane bridge open to vehicular traffic during rush hour only and restricted to bicycles/pedestrians the rest of the time. Also, they are going to add TWO lanes EACH WAY on the existing 422 bridge for a total of 4 lanes each way during rush hour. He said the timeframe was probably 4-5 years. You can also see where there was previously a bridge, indicated by the roads that dead-end where they reach the river, and possible pylon remains in the water.
* I used the term "biker" as opposed to "cyclist" to differentiate between mountain biking and road cycling. The person who approached me was clearly a mountain biker as he was covered in mud. And he was riding a mountain bike. :)
