Fanwood is one of those small, tidy New Jersey boroughs built around a railway station, with a compact centre, tree-lined streets and commuters heading for Manhattan each morning. On its own it offers little for a rider beyond a quiet road and a coffee, but its position at the foot of the Watchung Mountains makes it a useful starting point.
The Watchungs are a pair of long, low ridges of basalt, formed by ancient lava flows, that run across northern New Jersey like a natural wall. Their slopes are wooded, and from the top the views stretch east across the plain to the New York skyline. The Watchung Reservation, a large county park on the ridges just north of Fanwood, protects a stretch of forest with a lake, streams and the remains of a deserted village, and the winding roads through it are a pleasant escape from the suburbs. During the Revolution, Washington's army used these ridges as a natural defence, watching the British from the heights.
The riding around Fanwood is mostly suburban, with traffic lights, junctions and moderate traffic. The roads over the ridges are more interesting, with curves and climbs, but they can be busy with local traffic and are patrolled by police. Deer are common in the reservation, and the roads can be slippery with leaves in autumn.
Fanwood and neighbouring Scotch Plains have fuel stations, delis and cafés, and as everywhere in New Jersey, attendants pump the fuel. It makes an easy pause before heading north-west towards the Upper Delaware, where the river winds through forested hills and the road to Hawk's Nest clings to the cliffs above the water.