It was adieu to the borough of Jim Thorpe as a contingent of 340 Greenway Sojourn pedalers heading into the homestretch of the week-long, 350-mile, 2010 Greenway Sojourn as the pedalers took a two-day respite from cycling to enjoy the history, culture and recreation of the 19th Century-styled historic town.

The Greenway Sojourn is covering 30 to 50 miles a day. It began Saturday evening July 17 at an overnight berth on the Battleship New Jersey in Camden, N.J., where it will conclude on Saturday, July 24 after covering 350 miles—pedaling 250 of those miles by bicycle with the balance by bus and train.

After leaving Battleship New Jersey on Sunday morning, the Sojourn loosened up on the Schuylkill River Trail to the John James Audubon Homestead, and continued on the Perkiomen Rail-Trail to Pottsville—arriving Monday evening July 18 on a 20-mile completed section of the Schuylkill River Trail just north of Reading. On Tuesday, six buses and several trucks ferried the Sojourn to the Lehigh Gorge State Park trailhead at White Haven for a ride to Jim Thorpe.

Brutal pedaling days peaking at 96°F proved to be too much for some of the less durable pedalers, who opted to forego the 26-mile Lehigh Gorge ride and instead took a bus directly to Jim Thorpe. Those who remained, enjoyed a downhill, tree-lined rail-trail featuring scenic stops at the remains of the Lehigh Canal locks.

"We chose Jim Thorpe as a destination because of the great trails: The Lehigh Gorge, the D&L, and the Switchback," said Tom Sexton - northeastern director for the Rails to Trails Conservancy. "It's got so much to do: Music at the Opera House, the #9 Mine and Museum, the Mauch Chunk Museum, the Asa Packer Mansion. Plus, it has enough restaurants to support a group our size."

"In Jim Thorpe, it was a little cooler," said Sexton. "We found people were extra friendly, knowing that the Sojourners are coming a long way and its hot conditions. People have gotten rides up the hill from strangers who just stop and say, "You're going up to the campsite, now that they know that there's this odd campsite at the Sam Miller Field, you want a ride?"

The Sojourn spent two days relaxing in Jim Thorpe. "That's the topping for all the great attractions here," Sexton continued. "We've had a special setup with the Old Mauch Chunk Jail, which is usually closed midweek, but they opened up. We went early to the Asa Packer Mansion. They accommodated us there. The #9 Mine opened early for us. We had half our group go there. A lot of people went to the Mauch Chunk Museum. Quite a few folks went out to Mauch Chunk Lake Park."

"The Sojourn was a place for meeting people and making friends. Relationships are built by the Sojourn—people keep coming back because it is such a unique ride," Sexton said. "It is not your normal bicycle ride where you are on the road going from town to town. It is really different."

"This Sojourn has been one of the hottest ones. July is always hot, but we haven't had a good soaking rain to cool us off. There's nothing better when it's really, really hot, just to have a nice rain while you're bicycling, although it's not good when you are setting up or taking down your tent."

This year's heat was a factor in causing some early drop-outs. "A 90-year-old man—I'm not kidding, he hung it up today," said Sexton, "He was with his daughter and his 12-year-old granddaughter. The granddaughter has asthma, so they didn't want to push it. They made the ride to Jim Thorpe."

The Sojourn sported a parade of pedal power variants: Bicycles, tandems, tag-alongs, recumbents, trikes, and tandem recumbents. Half the throng bested 50 years old while a handful were under ten years old. The youngest, a five-year-old, rode in a pull-along basket.

The Greenway Sojourn's last visit to Jim Thorpe was in 2006, when they stayed at Mauch Chunk Lake Park. "We decided that instead of running busses back and forth, we'd camp at Sam Miller Field," noted Sexton. "The Jim Thorpe Athletic Association really made this trip to Jim Thorpe possible for us. They opened the field and were really helpful. It's another unique place that we stay that people are surprised at, and it's only four blocks from the downtown—although that last block requires us to climb a mountain."

During their two-day Jim Thorpe respite, the Sojourners enjoyed dinner/theater with an exclusive booking of the Australian band, the Greencards, at the Mauch Chunk Opera House, and rafting the Lehigh River with Pocono Whitewater—a sponsor of the event.

On Thursday, July 22, the Sojourn continued on to America On Wheels in Allentown where they spent the night. On Friday, the pedaling resumed on the Delaware Canal Towpath for the longest mileage day, spending the evening on Bull's Island—part of the Delaware & Raritan Canal State Park, and concluding on Saturday, July 24—with a 22-mile bicycle ride into Trenton, rapping-up with a chartered ride on the RiverLINE railroad returning to the Battleship New Jersey.

The 2010 Sojourn is the eighth for the Rails to Trails Conservancy. "We hope to return to Jim Thorpe when the towpath trail across the Lehigh River by the train station is completed," said Sexton.