Despite staying up too late, which tends to happen in motels, I leave at 5:50. It's a slightly foggy morning with very high humidity. I take MA41 southwest and then south to Sharon, Connecticut. It's a beautiful ride, with rolling hills, nice scenery, and no traffic! I feel like I'm experiencing the best of Massachusetts - quite different from yesterday. I ride by Everett Mountain, through Salisbury, CT, and Lakeville. Sharon is a cute town, over 200 years old. I find this corner of CT quite charming, although my whopping sixteen miles in the state is hardly enough to form a solid opinion.

Back in New York, I take NY343 through Amenia, the "Gateway to the Berkshires." Seems like Gateway to the Taconics would be more accurate, but probably less advantageous to tourism. Then I take county roads, and these are well-marked and smooth. 86 is a gorgeous ride through horse farms, with lots of climbing through the Taconics. Soon I have some nice descents to Bangall, and I reach NY82, a fast, flat ride before heading west on county roads again. These turn out to be another fine ride with just rolling hills, and I reach Hyde Park without any big descent or view of the Hudson valley. I stop at the FDR National Historic Site, intending to hike down to the river, but whole clouds of biting flies drive me crazy and change my plans. I go in the museum instead, and find it to be very nice! It has the Big Three going for it - air conditioned, cold drinking fountain, and free!

When I leave I realize how bad the heat and humidity are. Instead of fog I now have haze - visibility is just a few miles. The morning has been grand, but the day starts to going downhill from here. My helmet mirror, after surviving dozens of falls, finally breaks, so I have to stop again in Hyde Park for super glue. Heading south on US9, I never have a good view of the Hudson north of Poughkeepsie.

The FDR Mid-Hudson Bridge

Once in town, I get off 9 to see the river, valley and one of my favorite bridges - the Mid-Hudson. It's being worked on! The shrouds and scaffolds, in addition to the haze, pretty much ruin the look, but I take photos anyway. I manage to climb back up the hill and get on the bridge, on the sidewalk, which will work out well since I want to take my time.

At the east tower, which still needs painted, I nearly run into a workman - I'm quite surprised to see the name Modjeski, the designer of this bridge, on his shirt. He's equally surprised that I know who Modjeski is, and we talk about bridges for a short while. Before coming here he was up at the Blue Water Bridge. I think the towers on this bridge are the most beautiful anywhere, although the rather heavy truss detracts from the bridge as a whole.

On the west side of the Hudson, I climb to Highland and get on 9W heading south. I pass restaurants but decide to wait a little longer for lunch, a big mistake. 9W is another road marked as scenic, but it's anything but. The entire ride until I get off south of Newburgh is ugly, without a single valley view! I also have the five H's: hot, humid, hazy, hilly, and headwind, so overall it's a very unpleasant ride - another big disappointment. Incredibly, I find nowhere to eat in Newburgh. I also never see the Newburgh bridge. South of here I eagerly exit 9W for 218. I'm hoping to eat in Cornwall, but nothing is here but a trendy café - not even a convenience store! 218 becomes the Storm King Highway, which is a winding road on the edge of Storm King Mountain high above the Hudson. At last I have some great views, but the haze severely limits visibility.

The wide Hudson narrows between Mt. Storm King on the west, and Breakneck Mountain on the east side, part of a granite mountain range extending from northwestern Mass. to the Catskills. The result is very scenic, although it's unclear how the gap was formed.

Breakneck Mt. from Storm King Hwy.

West Point is located along here. It's miles long, and takes me at least twenty minutes to get around it. Some of the gates have been closed and barricaded.

9W is the only road south now - it's almost a freeway, but usually has a shoulder. Again I find nothing to eat. I pass the Bear Mountain bridge; nice setting, ordinary bridge. The sky is really threatening now, so I pull into Bear Mt. State Park for shelter. It's raining when I reach the lodge, but I make it before the heavy rain starts, luckily. The lodge is huge, and I stay there awhile writing this, waiting for the rain to stop. Some girls' group is there - incredibly loud and screechy. The lodge has a cafeteria, but it's now closed. Most people are now leaving the park, which has a small lake with a beach.

I get a list of campgrounds. Although the southeastern corner of New York has a dozen state parks, only one has a campground. It's in Harriman State Park, several miles southwest of here. I'd rather be more south and less west, but it will do. Back on 9W the road is more pleasant now, but still with the expected traffic.

Bear Mt. Bridge

I see the Bear Mt. bridge from a distance. The road is partly dry now, but very hilly for a major route. The sky is threatening again, and starts sprinkling. Still there is no food on this sparsely-populated stretch. The rain picks up, so I stop at a Citgo in Stony Point.

I ask the clerk about restaurants - he tells me W. Haverstraw has fast food, which sure beats a convenience store meal. I write this as it stops raining, but with the high humidity and lack of sun, the road won't dry, so I finally leave anyway. Between Haverstraw and West Haverstraw (which is south, not west, of Haverstraw), I eat at a Wendy's, including two baked potatoes. I'm hungry, and it is delicious. However, it pours more, and won't stop. Getting a frosty is a mistake, as the place is overcooled, and once I cool down, I'm shivering. Still the rain continues, and I look over maps. My map collection always seems adequate until I'm actually at the place.

Now it's getting late, so I finally leave with wet roads, but no rain. I have only a bad park service map, and naturally the campground ends up being farther away than I expect. Far worse, it's nothing but climbing up from the Hudson valley. About halfway there it starts raining again. It's not my best moment.

It's quite a relief to get there. I see nobody else around, but thank goodness the bathroom is open and lit. Although 'only' 8:30, it's quite dark in the woods. The sites have huge wooden platforms - I suppose these are to put tents on, but I choose the nice grass. I don't have time for a real shower or to wash clothes. My crotch is extremely sore. It should be a fun night. The air mattress feels good tonight! It's been a long, tough, interesting day, but wait 'til you see tomorrow.

Oh, what a day! It never did rain again after I set the tent up last night - it just dripped from the trees. The tent is nearly dry this morning! A British family I didn't see last night is here, and the dad is up as early as I am. I leave about 6:20, although I didn't sleep enough.

I head back down 106 from Welch Lake to Stony Point - much easier going downhill! I pass some absurdly large houses. I eat breakfast at McD's, right by the Wendy's, then continue heading south on 9W. Traffic isn't too bad, considering I'm into rush hour now. The towns I pass, such as Congers and Nyack, look east-coast-ish. I am detoured right through one of them, and the hills it lies amongst are short but steep. Even 9W continues to be very hilly. Somewhere along here I have to stop to replace my front derailleur cable.

South of Nyack I catch a glimpse of the Tappan Zee bridge, which spans the Hudson at its widest point of three miles, but between the haze and the distance, it's barely visible. Nearing the New Jersey border, I start the climb onto the Palisades, which are cliffs along the west bank of the Hudson in New Jersey, between the New York border and the GW bridge. The humidity is very high. New Jersey becomes my 22nd state cycled in. 9W is now in the woods and next to the Palisades Parkway, a freeway, and so has little traffic. This road is flat and shaded, and is really a great ride. I pass many local cyclists heading north.

About twelve miles later I reach the George Washington bridge, but it takes me a few minutes to find the bike entrance. I notice eight lanes of traffic backed up as far as I can see to cross it, even though the usual rush hour is over. Cars pay $6 round trip, but bikes and pedestrians are free, with no wait! I can't understand why more people don't take their bikes instead of cars.

The Brackish Hudson Estuary

The ride across is simply amazing. This is my only view of the Palisades, and midtown Manhattan in the distance is hazy but very cool. When I look up at the towers of the bridge I can't believe I'm here.

Once off the bridge I take Fort Washington south, and soon I'm on Broadway, which I stay on for several miles. North Manhattan is rather hilly. One of the hills, which bottoms out at, I think, 139th St., is big enough that the subways emerge from the ground and end up forty or fifty feet up. They're quite loud. I'm only one of dozens of bikes on this street, but most seem to be locals just getting around. Traffic is not bad at all at this point.

Some of the streets have bike lanes marked off, and that's particularly true in Central Park. In the park, stoplights are placed periodically (that is, not at cross streets) - apparently just to slow traffic down. Of hundreds of bikes in Central Park, I seem to be the only one stopping at the red lights.

Central Park

The park has ponds, bridges, ball diamonds, huge trees and boulders, etc. I simply love the contrast at the edge, where the giant trees meet the giant buildings.

The whole time I'm in Manhattan it's so incredible I just can't believe it. Everything is so amazing - so different from anywhere else I've been. I see literally hundreds of cabs - virtually all late model Crown Vics, and all the same shade of yellow. People hold out their arms, and the cabs stop.

They drive aggressively, sure, but not as bad as the stereotype. A couple of times they actually yield to ME.

Riding around New York City with panniers certainly feels odd. Back on the regular streets, I soon learn I must be aggressive to get anywhere, but a bike is really ideal. The streets are often blocked by a delivery truck or construction, but with a bike it's easy to get around. And, traffic speed is rarely over 25.

Queensboro Bridge and Tram

I take 59th street east to the East River to see the Queensboro bridge, an elegant but rather sinister-looking cantilever. It's the most approachable of the four East River bridges, and I'm rather in awe of it. A cable tram runs next to it, which was added in 1976 for pedestrian access to FDR Island.

South of here I take Park Ave. south around the Met-Life building, and then all the way to Union Square, where it ends. I'm still getting used to riding here; I never know what to expect. The whole city smells faintly of rubbish - presumably this is less noticeable on cool days. The avenues run north-south, have more traffic, and generally house the businesses.

The streets run east-west and are mostly residential. Heading east again, the brownstones are so perfect and never-ending they put the likes of Sesame Street to shame. It's really remarkable.

Reaching Delancey St., I approach the Williamsburg Bridge. This is the 'engineer's bridge', and it is indeed plain - just the basics to hold the road up. I continue down the East River, and here the fishy smell gets pretty strong. This part of town is more run-down, and construction along the river has diverted much of the traffic. Trash is everywhere in this area.

Manhattan Bridge, Brooklyn behind

Finally reaching the edge of the river, the view of the Manhattan and Brooklyn bridges is so classic I can hardly contain myself. The Brooklyn is, of course majestic and all that, but the Manhattan is so elegant. It was the first large suspension bridge to have flexible towers, which is why they're so thin. I continue under it, for additional views, then head west. Along the way, on a narrow street with tall buildings on both sides, I feel tiny drops of wetness. Looking up, I decide it must be condensation from the window air conditioners. At least I hope it is!

I reach city hall. This square is also where the Woolworth Building is, a beautiful, semi-gothic skyscraper. At this point I'm a stone's throw from the World Trade Center complex. Although it was never a beautiful building, it must surely have been impressive. Now there really isn't much sticking up in the downtown anymore.

I take the Avenue of the Americas, with its international flags, north through Greenwich Village and all the way to 34th street. This island is pretty long! Now I'm at the Empire State Building. Impressively tall, but architecturally not very exciting. I see lots of tourist buses. Earlier, looking north on Lexington, I had seen the Chrysler Building, so I head to it. Midtown is really the place to be. The sidewalks are packed with people, the streets are now jammed with cars, and the whole scene is just as I had imagined it would be from all the movies. Again I am in awe at simply being here. I notice that horns are honking constantly - it's part of the ambience. You can't go more than a few seconds without hearing one, and this despite the signs posted "$350 fine for honking"! I wonder how people can have any idea who is being honked at, and who isn't? I couldn't tell. I ride on Madison and Fifth avenues - lots of fashion stuff on Madison.

With the heavier traffic as we approach noon, riding is tiring both physically and mentally. I have to continuously watch every direction, accelerate and brake constantly, and avoid being hit. It is absolutely a blast! Fortunately a bike with panniers can bump the side of a car without any damage, and in fact this happens once or twice. I start laughing at people's impatience and honking, but admittedly that's easy to do when you're on a bike and on vacation. I see every kind of people. It really is fabulous.

Other than the southeast corner, the streets are really quite clean, and the pavement in general is in astonishingly good condition. The number of cabs is incredible, but at this point in the day they're nearly all occupied, so an arm wave is no longer getting people a cab. Trucks are blocking roads all over the place, but I always manage to get around. I see a very unusual number of new black Lincolns. All the stoplights are getting a little tiresome as I approach the Park again, so I ride around it some more. Now even more people are jogging, playing baseball, etc. I see lots of playgrounds. Most people simply ignore me, but this is no surprise. While in Manhattan I never feel threatened, but I also never leave my bike alone.

West of the park now, I take West End Ave. north. It looks incredible uniform, and I start counting the number of floors of the buildings. Every one on both sides of the street for several blocks is between 12 and 15 stories. The result is so consistent it's a spectacle - a canyon with bricks for walls and asphalt for a floor. I ask a cop how to get to the west side bike path, and he tells me. I find it - what a difference! It's so quiet, and the Hudson doesn't smell bad at all!

Bike Path and GW Bridge

I realize it's about time to leave, so I continue north back to the GW. When this bridge was built around 1930, its main span of 3500 feet nearly doubled the previous record holder. By today's standards it's still impressive. I ride about 150 feet below it, and then have a lot of trouble getting back up the hill and finding the way to the entrance ramp. Once close, there are signs directing bikes. I head back over the bridge, looking again toward the south end of the island, which is out of sight in the haze. I would never want to live here, but I'll always remember my brief, but amazing, time here.

Back in New Jersey, I take 9W north. Now my job is to get out of the extended city sprawl and find somewhere to spend the night. I turn west on county 502, and right away start climbing. This road stays very hilly and has tons of traffic. It's mostly residential, and I ride through Closter, Westwood, Waldwick, and Wykoff. Approaching Ho-Ho-Kus (interesting name), I see a veritable wall in front of me. I check the signs, and sure enough 502 continues straight up it. It's about a 25% grade, but only about 1/6 mile, so I make it without stopping. I eat lunch in one of the W towns.

It's a pretty interesting ride even with the traffic. Eventually I reach NJ208, which is freeway-like. I stay on this, which merges into I-287, for about three miles, still not sure which way I should head. Before the trip I had been unable to find campgrounds north or west of here. I decide to get off on Skyline Drive. The name should have been warning enough! Wow, what a steep climb! About 800 vertical feet in 1.8 miles. Soon I come back down. The moronic cars keep me on my brakes, but at one point I still hit 49. Without the cars, I would definitely have broken my all-time record of 54. I seem to have managed to hit most of the steepest roads in the northeast!

Now I decide to continue north to Ringwood State Park. Once there I see it's an historical park with no camping. I get a list of NJ parks and see no camping anywhere near here. I haven't seen anyplace to camp from the road, either - and there's just too much traffic. Aargh. I continue on the narrow roads west with rain threatening, and then stop in West Milford. I stop at a strip mall and decide to try Blimpies for advice. The girl there is very nice and tells me West Milford has no motels or camping, but thinks Warwick, NY has motels. Warwick is on my way, and a customer tells me how to get there, as my map of this area isn't detailed enough. It doesn't look like any of the roads are at all direct, and they both refer to having to "climb the mountain." Oh, goody! The employee lets me fill up my bottle with ice water, and I'm off.

The climb is not terrible, or maybe I'm just used to it by now. It's humid, but no longer sunny as the sky is still threatening. A couple of times I think I'm about to get drenched, but it only sprinkles. The road stays high for a few miles, and I pass Upper Greenwood Lake. Near the New York border the descent starts, and I soon reach NY94 and roll into Warwick. I'm a little distressed to see lots of cutesy shops downtown, as this will probably mean higher prices. I find the Warwick motel, and she quotes me $65. At this point I'm in no mood to try to find some woods to camp in, so I get her to agree to $60 including tax. While I'm washing my clothes in the bathroom (both sets as I didn't get anything washed last night), the pouring rain finally starts, and doesn't stop, so once again my timing is good in that I'm not in a tent. I walk to the nearby store for food - it's still raining hard enough that my paper bag is soon useless. The prices are obscene. I notice that I'm only 15 miles west as the crow flies from my camping spot last night.

Overall, a spectacular day.

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Day 9 - June 28

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