Going with father to Egg Harbor, I saw, at John Schwinghammer's General Store, the owner's son with a new invention, a large wheel with a small one trailing in the rear. It was a bicycle. That was quite a few years before the safety bicycle was invented with two wheels of equal size. Long, I wished for one of those, but had to wait until they were more common.
When I was 18, I bought one. At that time there were no roads to ride on and I had to look for footpaths along the railroad. About the time the first gravel road was built, The White Horse Pike, bicycles became quite popular. Most all the younger folks, and even some of the elders had wheels. The bicycle clubs of Philadelphia had "Century Runs," -- trips to Absecon and back. These were seen most every Sunday and also on holidays. One could see them approaching amid a cloud of dust. Refreshment stands and taverns did a rushing business all along the line.
Many pleasant trips I took on the bicycle with friends, and sometimes alone, to places that were far away in those days. Some of these were Atlantic City, Vineland, Cape May, Tom's River, Philadelphia, Bethlehem, Trenton and New York.
The long walks to Egg Harbor, Mays Landing and other nearby places were no more since the bicycle took care of them.