As much as I enjoy traveling to races, it doesn't compare with just heading out by myself, to explore new routes or re-expererience old runs. After the alumni meet on Saturday, I spent several hours with good friends, followed by dinner. By this time, Kay and I didn't feel like driving home, or even as far as my parents house. We headed to King of Prussia, and got a room at the Macintosh Inn.
When I call Southeastern Pennsylvania my spiritual home, I'm sure not talking about King of Prussia in Upper Merion Township, but here I am amid the highways and malls. I do know where to run here though. Kay lived and worked in King of Prussia for a couple of years. I could always head to Valley Forge Park, but I'd rather run on some roads I remember, and towards our old home in Berwyn.
I start off negotiating some highways, underneath the Pennsylvania Turnpike, and past a Home Depot that's new, at least to me. I'm heading down Warner Road which is still a combination of corn fields, condos and office parks that is so common to newer, outer suburbs. After a bit I hit Pugh Road. Pugh Road is the intersection between my King of Prussia runs and my Berwyn runs. It's just a nice residential road with houses of various ages and size on wooded lots. I run past a fence of pink climbing roses Kay and I remember. The speculation is over. It's 'New Dawn', one of the most important roses of the century.
This run stays on the Schulykill River side of what I used to call the Crum divide. Water on this side of the ridge drains into the Schuylkill River (and eventually the Delaware). On the other side, where I used to live, water drains into the Crum Creek, past Mad Anthony Wayne's House, the Springton Reservoir, Swarthmore College (and eventually the Delaware River). It isn't exactly the Continental Divide, but it challenged and entertained me for several years.
In an open stretch, I can't see highways, but I hear the continuous whir of traffic. I look northward into the Schuylkill Valley. The large plume of steam I see is coming from the nuclear reactor in Limerick no doubt.
At the end of Pugh Road, it would be tempting to head south to Berwyn, but I've got family and check-out time to think about. I head north up Valley Forge Road.
After crossing underneath route 202, I need to figure out how to get back home. It would be nice to go all the way to Valley Forge, and home through the park, but I fear that would also be too long. I head east on Anthony Wayne Drive. As the drive turns northward, I convince myself it heads all the way to the park, and this is a reasonable route. It peters out with some suburban diddling. I backtrack a bit, and head east on Walker Road, another road I remember. I need to pee, and damn, I'm not used to running in an area that's built up enough that I can't find a place to do it. Finally I come to a sufficient bit of woods.
I pass a few roads that I remember, but don't trust the reliability of my memories any more. The endgame of this run is going to be tricky. If I were a crow, I know how I would get back to the hotel. When Walker ends, I head south on Old Eagle, where a woman is tending a huge garden/small farm, then east on the Swedesford Road.
With speeding traffic and corporate parks, this is a good road to avoid. Right now I have no choice. I hit a little lane I remember on the border of Chester and Montgomery Counties. I've got the Betzwood Expressway on my left, and some Golf Course on my right, but this road itself still looks quite rustic. Unfortunately, what traffic there is uses it as a time saving shortcut, and drives it in a time saving manner.
When this road ends I am more disoriented than ever. Maybe disoriented is not the correct word. I am still absolutely clear about what direction I need to run. I just don't know what roads will take me there.
As I head east on Gulph Road, I reach a point where I can see the hotel. I can also see countless lanes of highway and ramps between me and the hotel. Over, under, sideways, down, I make it back to the hotel. Kay and Claudia are already up, and enjoying complimentary continental breakfast. I shower. We checkout, and head to Coach Ehmer's for brunch.
Steven Cangemi
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