CROSSING PENNSYLVANIA

Riding back roads at the right pace .

THERE IS A PERFECTLY SERVICEABLE BRIDGE on Interstate 84 that carries me across the Delaware River from New York into Pennsylvania in seconds . I know . I ’ ve crossed it many times over the past 28 years . But not today . Today is the sort of morning that gives June its good reputation . At the beginning of one of the Northern Hemisphere ’ s longest days , the morning ’ s warmth promises easy comfort , not the weighty humidity of late summer . More importantly , the day , and another after it , are my own . Time to spare is the greatest fortune . Today , I don ’ t need the expediency of the interstate , so I delay my crossing of the Delaware and aim north on New York Route 97 .

STORY AND PHOTOS BY LANCE OLIVER