It’s a thrill to announce that we had our first Coffeeneuring Challenge participants from Delaware this year. 

Patti, a runner as well as cyclist, embarked on at least two of her coffeeneuring outings on the heels (ha ha!) of a trail run. Does that count as a brick workout? She also completed over half of her coffeeneuring with her husband, George, which means that he has earned an honorable mention. Well done to you both!

Ride 1: Saturday, October 20, 2012 – Central Perk, Main Street, Newark, DE (12 miles)

After running 21 miles on trails with my dog, giving him a bath, walking my rescue foster dog 2 miles, I showered and hopped on my bike to begin my Coffeeneuring Challenge. As tired as I was, it actually felt pretty good to stretch my legs on the bike.

I rode 6 miles to Newark’s Central Perk, and enjoyed a nice blended coffee drink: Chocolate-Peanut Butter-Coffee. Did that ever hit the spot! Saturday was homecoming for the University of Delaware and Main Street was packed to the gills with intoxicated college students. It was perhaps not the best day to cycle into downtown Newark, but I needed to get a coffee ride in for the day and didn’t want to venture too far on legs that were less than fresh.

Ride 2: Sunday, October 21, 2012 – Starbucks, Main Street, Newark, DE (58 miles)

My husband George and I headed out to Port Deposit, MD from our home in Newark, DE. We weren’t lucky enough to find a coffee shop in Port Deposit, so we stopped 6 miles from home at the Starbucks Coffee Shop on Main Street. Downtown was much quieter today, and the coffee shops were busier than the pubs! It was a little chilly, but thanks to some hill climbing, we managed to keep warm – so warm, that we treated ourselves to frozen mocha lattes!

Ride 3: Saturday, October 27, 2012 – Brew HaHa!, Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE (22 miles)

It was a great day to be outside!! I ran 21 miles of beautiful trail at White Clay before getting on my bike. I wanted to stop at a coffee shop in Hockessin, but after the hilly ride into Hockessin and not finding a coffee shop where I thought there would be one, I rode back to a Brew HaHa! location on Limestone Road. I made it just minutes before they closed. I had a nice ride, but it was starting to get chilly, so I ordered a hot cup of coffee to keep me warm on my ride back home.

Ride 4: Sunday, October 28, 2012 – Brew HaHa!, Ogletown-Stanton Road, Newark, DE (5 miles)

With Hurricane Sandy heading our way, I wondered if I’d be able to get a ride in at all. We spent the morning cleaning leaves out of already overflowing gutters and pulling in lawn furniture and other things that could go crashing around outside our house in the expected high winds.

Once that was done, we donned our rain gear for our coffee run. I’m not a fan of riding in the rain, so we opted for the closest coffee shop – a Brew HaHa! at Christiana Hospital. We rode 2.5 miles in the rain, stopped and had our coffees, then rode another 2.5 miles in the pouring rain back home. Hurricane Sandy would keep us stranded inside for 2 days. We were fortunate to get out for our short bike ride.

Ride 5: Saturday, November 3, 2012 – Brew HaHa!, Main Street, Newark, DE (12 miles)

Trail running and then bike riding has become my Saturday activity! It was cold for my 20-mile run. Still any day on trails is a great day.

Once I got home and showered, I drove up to Mt Laurel, NJ, to deliver my rescue foster (pictured on the sofa above) to his permanent home. What a great feeling!! On the 1.5 hour drive back, the weather got much colder and I wondered if I would be able to force myself back out on the bike.

As soon as I got home, I changed into my cycling gear and put on a couple of layers. It was cold and windy on my ride to downtown Newark. Living near a college town has its advantages with many coffee options. I elected to try the Brew HaHa! Coffee shop on Main Street. It was too cold to get a frozen blended drink, so I went with a nice, warm mocha latte instead.

Ride 6: Sunday, November 4, 2012 – The Perfect Cup, Lancaster Pike, Hockessin, DE (32 miles)

I am not much of a cold-weather cyclist, but in trying to stick with the coffee challenge, I’ve ridden when I normally wouldn’t. Fortunately, my husband can be talked into just about anything – even a ride in the cold for coffee.

We delayed getting started by 2 hours, hoping it would warm up, but eventually just headed out the door. We rode up some hills to keep ourselves warm and tried out The Perfect Cup Café. The special was a pumpkin spice latte and that’s what I got. It was really tasty!! George, not being much of a coffee drinker, went with his usual – a frozen mocha latte. How he could drink that as cold as it was is beyond me!

Ride 7: Sunday, November 11, 2012 – Java House, Main Street, Middletown, DE (58 miles)

We lucked out with a beautiful day for my final coffee ride! George and I began our ride by heading down to Chesapeake City, Maryland. We rode around downtown looking for a coffee shop, but didn’t locate one. We decided to ride to Middletown, Delaware to a little coffee shop on Main Street – Java House. There we enjoyed frozen mocha lattes and a pleasant conversation with the shop owner. It was a great place to end our coffee challenge.

Since the weather is definitely getting colder, we’re thinking about starting an Irish Coffeeneuring Challenge!

I’m with you. An Irish Coffeeneuring Challenge does sound appealing this time of year! Thank you for your coffeeneuring guest post, Patti, and congratulations on completing the challenge.