It has been a good long time between entries. I was at Steve and Kit's for a week. Could have blogged but took the week off. I had a great time visiting them. I am so impressed with the great life they have together. Simple life style but full of interesting, good lifestyle choices and never standing still, quiet and centered on what is important. They will soon celebrate one year of a formal commitment in Niagara Falls, and may they have many happy ones in the future. I so appreciated their hospitality. I got a chance to explore some of Wilmington on short bike rides each day. I rode out to historic New Castle, DE one day. It was once the largest city in the country, before Philadelphia and New York started to grow. William Penn landed there when arriving from England. It was a key spot on the underground railroad. I learned many other interesting tidbits from my tour of the city museum, which I entered looking for a restroom.
So finally the day to leave, Sunday, arrived and I got up and organized and fed and on the road by 8:45. It was difficult to leave. I was leaving this very comfortable place to connect with fellow riders who I knew only through email, and a brief introduction to Jim Smith when I came out to start the trip. Mostly, I was following a route which I had found on the internet and really had little information about. I was not even completely sure how long it would be, although I thought about 60 miles. I was also concerned about how my legs had been feeling the first part of the trip with Paul Kezmoh. I was not feeling very strong on the climbs and this had continued to be the case on the ride to Wilmington. So I contacted my 'coach' Ben Popp who had some good recommendations for me during the days off in Wilmington. I followed his recommedations and, guess what, they worked!
I rode to Delta, PA from Wilmington. Felt great all day. Went through Newark, DE, where Steve works at the Univ or Delaware. Stopped for coffee and bagel after that 18 miles and then on through lovely Maryland countryside. Rolling hills and horse farms. Then I got to Rising Sun, stopped for lunch. From there it was a somewhat hair-raising crossing of the Susquehana River on a two lane US Hwy 1 (busy) on the top of a dam. Crumbling concrete roadway and no shouler for about a mile. Speed limit was 30 but no one was going close to that. Nice relief to get that behind me.
It was another 20 miles through rolling countryside to the state line and into PA where I stayed at the Peach Bottom Inn, where I had stayed on the 2005 trip. Connected with Jim and Denny on the cell phone and we arranged to meet the next morning in the Delta Family Restaurant for breakfast. We did indeed and from there our approach to the Sky Line Drive and Blue Ridge Parkway began. We had a great ride that day through Maryland again, until the end. The campground we planned to ride to wanted $32 per tent. On general principle we refused and got directions to a Ramada Inn which were faulty and we ended up on some very ugly busy roads in the outer suburbs of Baltimore. All turned out well in the end. Jim carries a laptop with him and has a great mapping program which found us a good route out of town for the next morning.
The forecast was for thunderstorms, moving in from the nasty stuff in the middle of the country. It was overcast and some spitting rain was falling but other than a brief period in the middle of the morning no real steady rain. We had some great roads once out of the urban area. One interesting spot was a via duct over a reservoir so we stopped to take a picture. I reached in my handle bar bag for the camera and looked around and could not see my wallet. This was about 10 miles into the morning. I knew I had put it in there, but it was not there. I emptied the thing partially. We moved off the viaduct to take more time to look. I had terrible deja vu from experience in 2005 but could not see a good way out of this one. As I pulled up to stop Jim held out his hands over my bag. He said, "It is in there". I opened it up and pulled everything out and there it was, the black wallet on the bottom of the black bag, had reappeared. Jim explained this was his wife Joan's technique for finding things which are lost in plain site.
We stopped at Mt. Airey for second breakfast (one is not enough) and visited a huge and accomodating bike shop next door.
The remainder of the day was really interesting riding through some historic areas and again, beautiful horse farms on rolling acres, and an historic crossing of the Potomac into Virginia at White's Ferry, where Lee and his army had crossed during the Civil War. Then things turned not so fun with a 30 mile jaunt down US Hwy 15 to our campground. The ride through Leesburg was interesting. Very pretty little downtown area. The route was very busy and very noisey and the shoulder varied from nonexistent to almost adequate. The campground was a little further than we thought and the day was getting long, well over 80 miles. When we finally turned on to Shelter Lane and arrived at the Greenville Family Farm Campground there was great relief. The campsite in the woods was great, the hot shower was great, the camp dinner was great and I slept well too.
Today we rode just 40 miles to Front Royal, base camp, not that we plan to return. In the morning we assault the climb up to the Sky Line Drive through the Shenendoah National Park. Everyone says it is beautiful, you will love it, but you can have the first 4 miles. Guess it's a big climb. Thanks to Ben, I think I have the legs for it.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
Passing through Manayunk
The rest day in Phoenixville was a good one. It rained all day, I went to the library to do email and the blog, caught a pint at the Irish pub on the corner and went to dinner and early to bed. I talked to Paul late in the afternoon to see how he made out in the rain and getting through Philly and making all the connections. He managed it while drowning in the rain, getting lost and getting inundated by a huge prep school rowing regatta on the Schulylkill River. He got lost when the bike trail hit Manayunk, a recently incorporated part of Philadelphia where the US Pro Cycling championships have been held for years. For that to be the point where you run out of trail and can barely find your way back to it if you are not familiar, is indeed ironic.
For me, the next day, I really lucked out. The weather was perfect, and as I rode along approaching Manayunk on the trail a rider rode up to me and asked the usual questions and I asked him, how do I get through Manayunk. And he said, I just happen to be going there to meet my son and I will show you. And he did and I did not get lost. I did get inundated by the still continuing regatta. There must have been 500 schools and a half dozen supporters/spectators for every participant and none of them knew the meaning of 'coming through, on your left'. Well, it just slowed me down a little and I soon found my bridge and got on to the streets of Philadelphia and the route to Wilmington, where I am now. The route was found on Bikely.com and was designed for a nice challenging recreational ride, not a fully loaded touring cyclist. So, it had some nice detours, with lots of hills and dales, off well traveled roads which were more direct. This made for many turns and 25 individully printed maps which I had organized for the ride. I needed to stop about every 10-15 minutes to look at or change maps and it slowed me down a lot. I figured out to stay on some more direct roads after a while but I did ride through some wonderful countryside and through some really nice areas with large houses and horse farms. Beaver Valley Rd presented a great long downhill and lovely countryside and I knew I would pay for that. The uphill was not so long and way too steep. I ended up pushing the bike up a part of that one. I need to lose some weight.
Sixty-eight miles later I was at my brother Steve and partner Kit's house in a historic section of Wilmington and glad to be there. I even made it in time for us to get to our 5:30 dinner reservation.
Today, Sunday, we visited Longwood Gardens outside of Wilmington, actually in PA. It was the estate of Pierre S. duPont. You may have heard of his family. Wow. If you are ever here do not miss it. It is a little spendy to get in but, actually, it is worth it. That is all I will say.
Thought I would put in a few random comments about bicycle touring. If you read my 2005 account you know how impressed I was by the curiosity and interest everyone had with my endeavor. Well by this time it has become less endearing in its nature. Paul and I came to call it 'grilling'. The questions are always the same: Where are you from, where did you start, where are you going, how far do you ride everyday, how much does all that stuff weigh,etc. When it is a truly interested person on the street and you are resting and in a mood to chat, it is great. This kind of activity intrigues almost everyone. (It pisses off a few too.) But I have to say there is a limit. The three best examples from this trip include the guy who stopped his car in the middle of the highway, not side road or street, but highway, turned on his blinkers and began driving the speed I was going (probably 15 mph) and grilling me while he was driving. I could not believe it and finally just told him that this was not safe and turned away. The next one was a pick up driver stopped a light on a busy highway intersection who did his grilling while we stood by the road discussing routing and plans and finally there was the guy at the restaurant, who had just finished his meal and would not let us pass to go in to get ours until every one of his investigative reporter questions had been asked. Enough ranting.
I will be resting and getting smaller chain rings on my bike over the next few days.
Later.
For me, the next day, I really lucked out. The weather was perfect, and as I rode along approaching Manayunk on the trail a rider rode up to me and asked the usual questions and I asked him, how do I get through Manayunk. And he said, I just happen to be going there to meet my son and I will show you. And he did and I did not get lost. I did get inundated by the still continuing regatta. There must have been 500 schools and a half dozen supporters/spectators for every participant and none of them knew the meaning of 'coming through, on your left'. Well, it just slowed me down a little and I soon found my bridge and got on to the streets of Philadelphia and the route to Wilmington, where I am now. The route was found on Bikely.com and was designed for a nice challenging recreational ride, not a fully loaded touring cyclist. So, it had some nice detours, with lots of hills and dales, off well traveled roads which were more direct. This made for many turns and 25 individully printed maps which I had organized for the ride. I needed to stop about every 10-15 minutes to look at or change maps and it slowed me down a lot. I figured out to stay on some more direct roads after a while but I did ride through some wonderful countryside and through some really nice areas with large houses and horse farms. Beaver Valley Rd presented a great long downhill and lovely countryside and I knew I would pay for that. The uphill was not so long and way too steep. I ended up pushing the bike up a part of that one. I need to lose some weight.
Sixty-eight miles later I was at my brother Steve and partner Kit's house in a historic section of Wilmington and glad to be there. I even made it in time for us to get to our 5:30 dinner reservation.
Today, Sunday, we visited Longwood Gardens outside of Wilmington, actually in PA. It was the estate of Pierre S. duPont. You may have heard of his family. Wow. If you are ever here do not miss it. It is a little spendy to get in but, actually, it is worth it. That is all I will say.
Thought I would put in a few random comments about bicycle touring. If you read my 2005 account you know how impressed I was by the curiosity and interest everyone had with my endeavor. Well by this time it has become less endearing in its nature. Paul and I came to call it 'grilling'. The questions are always the same: Where are you from, where did you start, where are you going, how far do you ride everyday, how much does all that stuff weigh,etc. When it is a truly interested person on the street and you are resting and in a mood to chat, it is great. This kind of activity intrigues almost everyone. (It pisses off a few too.) But I have to say there is a limit. The three best examples from this trip include the guy who stopped his car in the middle of the highway, not side road or street, but highway, turned on his blinkers and began driving the speed I was going (probably 15 mph) and grilling me while he was driving. I could not believe it and finally just told him that this was not safe and turned away. The next one was a pick up driver stopped a light on a busy highway intersection who did his grilling while we stood by the road discussing routing and plans and finally there was the guy at the restaurant, who had just finished his meal and would not let us pass to go in to get ours until every one of his investigative reporter questions had been asked. Enough ranting.
I will be resting and getting smaller chain rings on my bike over the next few days.
Later.
Friday, May 16, 2008
By the time I got to Phoenixville......
...I'll have ridden 500 miles. Or so. It has been a week since internet access so there is some catching up to do. Overall we have had a great week. This morning I saw Paul off to ride into Philadelphia, find a bike shop, get to the airport to rent a car, pack his bike in a shop supplied box, take it to FedEx to ship home and then collapse in a motel to get his flight back to Tempe tomorrow morning. And he took off from our motel this morning in a steady rain. Such is the life of cycling tourist. Now you can see why we do it!
I am taking a rest day here in Phoenixville, PA across the river from Valley Forge, before riding to Wilmington, DE tomorrow to visit Steve and Kit (bro and partner). I will be there for a few days before the second chapter, riding the Blue Ridge Parkway begins after meeting Jim and Denny.
The highlight of our week's ride came yesterday, on the last full day of the trip with Paul. We were in Intercourse, PA, in the heart of Amish country and we rode a back road that was used almost exclusively by the Amish in their horse drawn carts and buggies. We saw young folks driving a Shetland pony drawn wagon and farmers with huge work horses going down the road to work fields. Most intriguing was a one room school house at a country crossroads with the probably 3-5th graders bustling around the yard before the bell rang to begin the school day. Outdoor toilets in the yard and some play equipment, hand built. The children were surprisingly friendly as we asked if we could take a picture. One of the most charming things we saw many times was children transporting themselves along the roads and highways on large wheeled scooters. They are seen often and several were parked in front yards and in the school yard.
Both Paul and I were somewhat taken aback by the approachability of the children. Not far from where we were is where earlier this year a man had killed five schoolgirls in a school much like the one we had come across. The story of the Amish response, to forgive and embrace the family of the perpetrator, who of course killed himself as well, is at the same time nearly unbeliveable and inspiring. They have raised huge amounts of money to support the family of the murderer and have sought not a bit of retribution. It is a lesson for the world, no doubt. And a testiment to the power of their faith.
This last day was a terrific ride. Nice temperatures, partly cloudy, a bit of a tailwind and riding back to Phoenixville, closer to sea level, mostly down hill. The day before, going the opposite direction out of P'ville, was quite the opposite. We spent the day riding into rolling country that was, in general, higher elevation. So it was uphill and we felt it. We then we reached a point where we needed to turn to go to the campground which we thought we would stay at. Earlier, in an old red schoolhouse, now Mennonite/Amish information center, we were told that the road we were to embark on now was hilly, "but they are not too long". It is a lesson learned over and over that those who do not ride bicycles do not know what steep, or long really mean. We rode over Welsh Mountain and it was long, and in places, steep. I did my usual stop midway and I might have even stopped again, I do not remember. Paul however, steamed right over that sucker. During the course of the week he has definitely found his legs and has been riding strong. My legs, on the other hand had better get stronger fast.
We decided that, after all that, we would not stay in that campground and since we were already over the top and it was down hill to the next one, where we really wanted to be, we would go on. That brought us to Intercourse, PA. And no that is not a typo and no I do not know the story. Maybe some one can Google it and tell me. We then discovered the alternate route, not over the mountain that took us out the next day to witness the heart of Amish country. It was fascinating and since this had been Paul's primary goal for the trip, quite a welcome experience.
Since my last post we rolled through countryside I had seen before, but enjoyed no less the second time around. We rode past the Shawangunk and Kittatinny Mountains and along the Delaware River. We passed through Middletown, Mount Hope, Cuddebackville, Godeffroy, Huguenot, and Port Jervis. We awared the grumpy waitress prize in Delaware Water Gap, and then rode further on down to Riverton, PA, where the motel was booked and thus went on to the other side of the river to Belvidere, NJ. There we found the Belvidere Hotel quite accomodating. It has been recently restored by one Sidney Deutsch, who shares Kelli's maiden name, and, I believe, her grandfather's first name. I am not sure that sweaty bikers are the clientele that Mr. Deutsch is seeking but he is on the Adventure Cycling list of accomodations so I think he will continue to see this crowd roll up to his front porch.
The day we left Belvidere started with a gentle sprinkle that some expert said was to become less through the day. Wrong again. It turned in to a tough day with cold wind and increasing rain. We only did less than 40 miles and got to Frenchtown, NJ where we stayed in the Widow McCrea's B&B, except we were on the cheap so we did not get the &B. The next day was beautiful and we rolled through the NJ side of the Delaware and along the Delaware and Raritan canal to Lambertville, where I had some back pain misadventures in 2005. We got out of there unscathed and crossed to New Hope, PA and Buck's county and some the the most beautiful riding of the trip. And on through Norristown, which got very bad reviews in 2005, and along the Schuylkill River trail to Phoenixville, for the first time.
So there we are. I will be at Steve and Kit's and will relate the trip through Philadelphia to Wilmington at an early date.
Nap time now.
I am taking a rest day here in Phoenixville, PA across the river from Valley Forge, before riding to Wilmington, DE tomorrow to visit Steve and Kit (bro and partner). I will be there for a few days before the second chapter, riding the Blue Ridge Parkway begins after meeting Jim and Denny.
The highlight of our week's ride came yesterday, on the last full day of the trip with Paul. We were in Intercourse, PA, in the heart of Amish country and we rode a back road that was used almost exclusively by the Amish in their horse drawn carts and buggies. We saw young folks driving a Shetland pony drawn wagon and farmers with huge work horses going down the road to work fields. Most intriguing was a one room school house at a country crossroads with the probably 3-5th graders bustling around the yard before the bell rang to begin the school day. Outdoor toilets in the yard and some play equipment, hand built. The children were surprisingly friendly as we asked if we could take a picture. One of the most charming things we saw many times was children transporting themselves along the roads and highways on large wheeled scooters. They are seen often and several were parked in front yards and in the school yard.
Both Paul and I were somewhat taken aback by the approachability of the children. Not far from where we were is where earlier this year a man had killed five schoolgirls in a school much like the one we had come across. The story of the Amish response, to forgive and embrace the family of the perpetrator, who of course killed himself as well, is at the same time nearly unbeliveable and inspiring. They have raised huge amounts of money to support the family of the murderer and have sought not a bit of retribution. It is a lesson for the world, no doubt. And a testiment to the power of their faith.
This last day was a terrific ride. Nice temperatures, partly cloudy, a bit of a tailwind and riding back to Phoenixville, closer to sea level, mostly down hill. The day before, going the opposite direction out of P'ville, was quite the opposite. We spent the day riding into rolling country that was, in general, higher elevation. So it was uphill and we felt it. We then we reached a point where we needed to turn to go to the campground which we thought we would stay at. Earlier, in an old red schoolhouse, now Mennonite/Amish information center, we were told that the road we were to embark on now was hilly, "but they are not too long". It is a lesson learned over and over that those who do not ride bicycles do not know what steep, or long really mean. We rode over Welsh Mountain and it was long, and in places, steep. I did my usual stop midway and I might have even stopped again, I do not remember. Paul however, steamed right over that sucker. During the course of the week he has definitely found his legs and has been riding strong. My legs, on the other hand had better get stronger fast.
We decided that, after all that, we would not stay in that campground and since we were already over the top and it was down hill to the next one, where we really wanted to be, we would go on. That brought us to Intercourse, PA. And no that is not a typo and no I do not know the story. Maybe some one can Google it and tell me. We then discovered the alternate route, not over the mountain that took us out the next day to witness the heart of Amish country. It was fascinating and since this had been Paul's primary goal for the trip, quite a welcome experience.
Since my last post we rolled through countryside I had seen before, but enjoyed no less the second time around. We rode past the Shawangunk and Kittatinny Mountains and along the Delaware River. We passed through Middletown, Mount Hope, Cuddebackville, Godeffroy, Huguenot, and Port Jervis. We awared the grumpy waitress prize in Delaware Water Gap, and then rode further on down to Riverton, PA, where the motel was booked and thus went on to the other side of the river to Belvidere, NJ. There we found the Belvidere Hotel quite accomodating. It has been recently restored by one Sidney Deutsch, who shares Kelli's maiden name, and, I believe, her grandfather's first name. I am not sure that sweaty bikers are the clientele that Mr. Deutsch is seeking but he is on the Adventure Cycling list of accomodations so I think he will continue to see this crowd roll up to his front porch.
The day we left Belvidere started with a gentle sprinkle that some expert said was to become less through the day. Wrong again. It turned in to a tough day with cold wind and increasing rain. We only did less than 40 miles and got to Frenchtown, NJ where we stayed in the Widow McCrea's B&B, except we were on the cheap so we did not get the &B. The next day was beautiful and we rolled through the NJ side of the Delaware and along the Delaware and Raritan canal to Lambertville, where I had some back pain misadventures in 2005. We got out of there unscathed and crossed to New Hope, PA and Buck's county and some the the most beautiful riding of the trip. And on through Norristown, which got very bad reviews in 2005, and along the Schuylkill River trail to Phoenixville, for the first time.
So there we are. I will be at Steve and Kit's and will relate the trip through Philadelphia to Wilmington at an early date.
Nap time now.
Thursday, May 8, 2008
New Paltz, NY--Day 4
No easy internet access until today so here is the first post of the trip.
On Sunday the 4th I flew to Hartford/Springfield Int'l (Bradley) to be picked up by Jim Smith, one my riding partners in chapter 2 of this trip. Leaving MSP, just after passing through security, there at the Travelers Assistance podium was my Aunt Barbara. It was great to see her and it made for a fun and reassuring departure. On the leg from Chicago to Bradley I was in seat 1A. You might think that was first class, but you would be wrong. Just a puddle jumper jet with one class of passenger. It got me there safe and on time so no complaints.
A short drive to Jim's in Southington later I met the dogs and unpacked my bike. All was in good order. It is always a challenge to organize myself when getting ready for these trips and to do it somone else's garage adds a little extra measure of confusion. But we got it done. Joan made a really wonderful dinner of good old steak and potatoes and baby carrots. Real comfort food for the start of an adventure.
Jim and I started out the next morning from Southington to get to Granby, where he would turn around and I would continue on, supposedly to meet Paul. 'Supposedly' because after lunch as Jim and I were taking some photos to mark one waypoint in the trip, up rolled Paul. At first I thought it was just another fully loaded bike tourist but then I recognized that it was him. I had not expected, nor did we plan to meet at that location.
The ride to Granby with Jim had been really pleasant. I learned from Jim that in CT, if you ride north/south the roads are flat. If you ride east/west, not so flat. As it was, our route was almost all no/so, good way to start.
From Granby Paul and I rode to Westfield, MA. There because not too far up the road in Southampton, is a brewpub. One of Paul's ambitions in life is to attend as many brewpubs in as many states as one can reasonably accomplish. This trip is planned for brewpubs and Amish country. I, of course, have no objection to finding brewpubs. There are some really nice brewpubs here and there. By the way, if you are ever in Southampton, skip the brewpub.
The cab ride to the brewpub, on the other hand, was really entertaining, if a little frightening at first. The cabby, when we got in the cab, was obviously in a bad mood. He kept getting cell phone calls from someone to whom he was not the least bit friendly. After we stopped for gas, which would make any of us grumpy, I asked him if he was having a rough day. He then launched into the tale of his recently returned girlfriend (this guy was in his 60s) who was a drunk and got the cops called to his house last night. He was driving like a maniac and I almost said something but thought better of it. We tried to be supportive, you know how men like to be supportive, and I gave him a big tip, because we needed him to pick us up after the brewpub experience, which we knew would be grand. Not. Anyway, on the way home he regaled us with tales of his BIKE RACING DAYS. No kidding. I think he was telling the truth and it was a hoot.
Next morning we rode back to CT and started a series of hills which, literally took our breath away. I had ridden this at the end on my 2005 cross country trip and must have been in a fog because I did not remember so much climbing. For Paul it was hard because he was still adjusting to the time zone change and getting his legs back. We made it a shorter day than expected and camped at Lone Oak campground in East Canaan, CT.
Next day we went through some more hilly countryside, some of it quite steep and long (especially Winchell Mtn), both the ups and the downs. Lovely countryside in western CT and upstate NY. We crossed the Appalachian Trail near Salisbury, stopped in Pine Plains, NY for lunch. Chatted with a native German who cycled a lot in Europe in his youth. He was fascinated with our trip and our gear, bikes, etc. It is always fun to have interaction with people who seem just amazed by what we are doing. I guess it must be a little crazy.
Last night we were in Rhinebeck, NY in the Hudson River valley, not far from West Point. We stayed in the same inn I had been in on the 2005 trip. Went through Poughkeepsie and across the Hudson this morning.
It might seem like it would be repetitious doing the same route that I did in 2005 again, but we are going the other direction and it is just as interesting and I like knowing a little about what is ahead.
Tonight we are motelling again, Super 8, in New Paltz. Guess what is here. A brewpub!
It is all good. More later.
On Sunday the 4th I flew to Hartford/Springfield Int'l (Bradley) to be picked up by Jim Smith, one my riding partners in chapter 2 of this trip. Leaving MSP, just after passing through security, there at the Travelers Assistance podium was my Aunt Barbara. It was great to see her and it made for a fun and reassuring departure. On the leg from Chicago to Bradley I was in seat 1A. You might think that was first class, but you would be wrong. Just a puddle jumper jet with one class of passenger. It got me there safe and on time so no complaints.
A short drive to Jim's in Southington later I met the dogs and unpacked my bike. All was in good order. It is always a challenge to organize myself when getting ready for these trips and to do it somone else's garage adds a little extra measure of confusion. But we got it done. Joan made a really wonderful dinner of good old steak and potatoes and baby carrots. Real comfort food for the start of an adventure.
Jim and I started out the next morning from Southington to get to Granby, where he would turn around and I would continue on, supposedly to meet Paul. 'Supposedly' because after lunch as Jim and I were taking some photos to mark one waypoint in the trip, up rolled Paul. At first I thought it was just another fully loaded bike tourist but then I recognized that it was him. I had not expected, nor did we plan to meet at that location.
The ride to Granby with Jim had been really pleasant. I learned from Jim that in CT, if you ride north/south the roads are flat. If you ride east/west, not so flat. As it was, our route was almost all no/so, good way to start.
From Granby Paul and I rode to Westfield, MA. There because not too far up the road in Southampton, is a brewpub. One of Paul's ambitions in life is to attend as many brewpubs in as many states as one can reasonably accomplish. This trip is planned for brewpubs and Amish country. I, of course, have no objection to finding brewpubs. There are some really nice brewpubs here and there. By the way, if you are ever in Southampton, skip the brewpub.
The cab ride to the brewpub, on the other hand, was really entertaining, if a little frightening at first. The cabby, when we got in the cab, was obviously in a bad mood. He kept getting cell phone calls from someone to whom he was not the least bit friendly. After we stopped for gas, which would make any of us grumpy, I asked him if he was having a rough day. He then launched into the tale of his recently returned girlfriend (this guy was in his 60s) who was a drunk and got the cops called to his house last night. He was driving like a maniac and I almost said something but thought better of it. We tried to be supportive, you know how men like to be supportive, and I gave him a big tip, because we needed him to pick us up after the brewpub experience, which we knew would be grand. Not. Anyway, on the way home he regaled us with tales of his BIKE RACING DAYS. No kidding. I think he was telling the truth and it was a hoot.
Next morning we rode back to CT and started a series of hills which, literally took our breath away. I had ridden this at the end on my 2005 cross country trip and must have been in a fog because I did not remember so much climbing. For Paul it was hard because he was still adjusting to the time zone change and getting his legs back. We made it a shorter day than expected and camped at Lone Oak campground in East Canaan, CT.
Next day we went through some more hilly countryside, some of it quite steep and long (especially Winchell Mtn), both the ups and the downs. Lovely countryside in western CT and upstate NY. We crossed the Appalachian Trail near Salisbury, stopped in Pine Plains, NY for lunch. Chatted with a native German who cycled a lot in Europe in his youth. He was fascinated with our trip and our gear, bikes, etc. It is always fun to have interaction with people who seem just amazed by what we are doing. I guess it must be a little crazy.
Last night we were in Rhinebeck, NY in the Hudson River valley, not far from West Point. We stayed in the same inn I had been in on the 2005 trip. Went through Poughkeepsie and across the Hudson this morning.
It might seem like it would be repetitious doing the same route that I did in 2005 again, but we are going the other direction and it is just as interesting and I like knowing a little about what is ahead.
Tonight we are motelling again, Super 8, in New Paltz. Guess what is here. A brewpub!
It is all good. More later.
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