[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Maestro

Rick, I live in Doylestown and driven some of the same roads and obviously missed most of what you found. I guess I need to slow down and look around more. Thanks for the inspiration, my wife and I been looking for some idea of things to see in the area on the weekends and you have giving me a few ideas to say the least.

Maestro,

There's a definite trade-off between speed and spotting things along the road. Fortunately, the 335i seems happy to either potter along at walking speeds or leap from corner to corner at warp speed. I took my Z4 on many a rough road that would have been more suited to a Jeep, and it never complained--but I'm hesitant to do that with a brand-new car. (This reservation will probably wear off the first time I want to find an old railroad station or abandoned mansion that can only be reached by such a road…)

Have fun with your own explorations in the Delaware Valley. If you'd like a GPS file that has all the sites I visited in this area, just let me know.

Rick

[hockeyplayer]

That was very entertaining and a great read. I also enjoyed the link to OpenSeaMap and will definitely be using that in the future.

Thanks for posting.

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by kdbryce

wow great thread! thanks so much for sharing.

some really cool buildings out there... and looks like great weather!

kdbryce,

Thanks! Yeah, it was a great area for finding neat old mansions and other buildings. Yesterday's wealth provides today's sightseeing opportunities.

And the weather was perfect--warm enough for top-down driving in shirtsleeves, but not so hot that you sweated all over the countryside. However, BMW touring is so much fun that I'll gladly accept whatever weather is on hand. Except maybe today, where it's absolutely pouring rain in the Mid-Atlantic area…

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Built My Way

I'm only half way through and really enjoying your history lesson of the area. I'm an American Civil War buff at heart but all American history interests me. Well done.

Built My Way,

In this area, it's pretty hard not to run across Civil War sites wherever you go, and I've used a lot of them in my reports over the years. It's an endlessly interesting topic.

Last summer, my wife and I had the opportunity to do a Smithsonian tour of the Battle of North Ana, led by Ed Bearss, and it was fascinating. Even though Ed was 90 at the time, we all had to work to keep up with him, and he knew every detail and every critical spot.

If you look through some of my other reports at BMWBMW.org, you'll find a lot of current and historic photos relating to the Civil War. Good luck with your own tours!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by pspressart

My grandparents lived in Churchville when I was a child. I have many fond memories of walking from their house on the top of the hill on Bustleton Pike down to the general store that was across the road from the train station. Thanks for the pictures and the story.

pspressart,

Glad you enjoyed the walk down memory lane. It's quite interesting how towns like Churchville change over time, thriving or declining at one time or another.

Years ago I thought it would be fun to try to find the house that my family lived in when I was ages 2 through 5, in Morgantown, WV. It took some doing, but I eventually did locate it. It looked smaller than I remembered… The general store that I used to walk to is also gone. Dang progress!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by DJtoad

Really enjoyed the post, Rick! But the Neil Peart story is simply AWESOME. My son's an avid drummer and huge Neil Peart fan. I just sent him a link to your 2007 "The Drummer, the Private Eye, and Me" post. Pretty cool that a "local" inspired my favorite Rush song.

DJ,

Great! And I'm glad you liked the NEP story as well; we've been friends ever since. I still smile uncontrollably whenever "Red Barchetta" comes on the radio, and I particularly enjoyed hearing Rush perform it live at one of their concerts a couple of years ago. (Alex threw me a salute at the end of the song, which was really nice of him.)

Fun how some things just work out.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by bluescoupe

Fantastic post with photos and fascinating corroborative history. Bravo!
I have spent a lot of time in New Hope, Lambertville and the environs as a younger man in the 70's-80's. I am enlightened by your details.
Even tried to cross the Delaware with 2 friends in a small raft one day. Current is much stronger than anticipated...

Thank you for sharing your adventure! more please.

bluescoupe,

Hey, I'm glad to help bring back some good memories for you. As for trying to cross the Delaware on a small raft, well, it's a wonder that any of us survive childhood! (Uh, your friends did survive, I hope!)

Rick

[rohitsja]

Excellent write up and great pics, thanks for sharing

[E92 M Sport]

Excellent pics. Thanks for sharing. May I ask what camera/lens you used?
Thanks!

[SHEEDI]

Rick........ you again, I remember your tours on Z4 forum,i used to have Z4 and used to read your tours on Z4 forum ....
The moment I saw first pic in this thread,i had feelings that this guy sound familiar, still using same camera !!!

[jcf1]

I just wanted to say thank you so much for sharing this! As a college student who's currently studying in Massachusetts and is ready to go home, this really makes me happy. I grew up in that area and we've never moved, so that's where I go when I go home from college. It's a truly beautiful, remarkable place and seeing that other people are able to appreciate that really makes me happy. It's a truly fantastic place to live that's rich in history and full of beautiful, quiet areas.

I'm from Yardley, PA by the way.

[BMW335iOn18s]

No way!! I'm from Richboro (Churchville). I drive by the churchville station several times a day - kind of surreal seeing it on the internet! Next time you're in the area say hi!

[Dackelone]

Very nice road trip! Love your "then and now" photos.

[Ghetto2315]

I didn't like his thread...














I absolutely LOVED it. Thank you for sharing. I have lived in NJ for 30 years and your trip makes me want to get in my M3 and do something similar. Thanks again!

[Beemer_Boi84]

By far one of the coolest write ups I've seen, LOVE IT, Thanks for sharing

[3M TAPE]

Wow thanks for sharing!

[spuntyb]

Beautiful write up and a great looking car! Not the usual fare around here, so this was a refreshing read.

My heart skipped a beat when I realized you wrote A Nice Morning Drive. I'm an avid Rush fan and a drummer, so it was a real kick to learn you were the one writing this post. Thank you!

I hope Neil is lurking on the boards and stumbles across this...

[BenTrovato]

Fantastic report, well done! Thanks for sharing.

[P1]

What a write up and what an adventure. Thanks a million for posting all this. I know it takes time. There is so much to see in this wonderful country, and although I'm not from here originally, I'll need another lifetime to see it all. I'm partially obsessed with train, railroad tracks and trains stations. Good to see a few of them in pictures.

[Franko's B]

NO eating in the car!!!!!! Sorry thought about my kids when we go for scenic drives.
Not just a fantastic post but also filled with beautiful photos and great American history. Thanks for sharing and I look forward to read some more of your stories this weekend while I drive my 335 as well.....jk jk

[inFamousKicks]

Nice write up, and awesome photos. That last shot of you driving over the bridge almost makes it look like a video game or something lol

[kdbryce]

I was hoping this would be posted to the homepage.... there ya go!