Great Outdoor Images

Today’s Highlights:
Nearly all 76 miles of today’s ride were along the Delaware River. Often, it was hidden just beyond the trees, but for many miles we rode along side it and several times we crossed it. It defines the border between Pennsylvania and New Jersey. About 70% of our miles were on the east side in New Jersey. One river crossing was on the Appalachian Trail. Our last crossing brought us directly into Easton PA where we finished for the day. Just seven miles into the ride, we entered the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, and rode on the quiet park road for many miles. Like the past several days, we cycles under the canopy of the forest. However, this forest is noticeably different compared to further north. The tree species were slightly different, and the second growth forest seemed to be much thinner and open. Maybe there are more deer here clearing the new growth. Many places were lush with ferns. I saw several deer and fawns today, and some riders saw a bear and turkeys. Outside the forest, we cycled passed small farms, most growing corn.
There was light rain in the morning, with temperatures comfortably warm. Although the rain stopped thirty or so minutes into our ride, the roads remained wet for a few hours under overcast skis. After that, we had a bright blue sky with big clouds. It was a little hot after 11:00, but fine for riding. Only the last five mile for me were very hot.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
The Poughkeepsie Grand provided an excellent, healthy breakfast this morning. It was appreciated by all the hungry cyclists. We set out at 7:45 and gathered on the Walkway Over The Hudson around 8:00. There, we met with Fred Schaeffer, the champion of the Walkway’s development and success. He gave our group a brief history of the train bridge and its resurrection from abandonment to its second life as the longest elevated pedestrian walkway in the world. We had a beautiful morning with clear views up and down the Hudson River to the distant mountains. Everyone enjoyed the bridge, the talk and the views. At 8:30, we were on our way across the Walkway and down the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and into New Paltz.
The ride through the Wallkill Valley with views of the Shawangunk Mountains and cliff was beautiful. I enjoyed the openness of the valley after several days enclosed on the forest lined roads of New England. After passing through Pine Plains around mile 20, we entered forest again, passing through little towns along the way. For the next 40 miles we climbed a lot of hills. There was a strong wind most of the day, sometimes in our face heading west, but helpful to us heading south. The wind also provided some welcome cooling, and the temperature was more comfortable today.
We are finished with New York now, passing through Port Jervis and over the Delaware River to Matamoras PA.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We had another 90-mile ride today. It was also the day with the most climbing of the tour. The weather was more typical of summer here – warm and humid, but comfortable for riding. Cloud cover also provided some relief from the heat. Showers passed through in the afternoon, and most of the cyclist had a refreshing 10-15 minutes downpour, followed by sunny skies to stay just warm enough. From mile 4 to 70, we rode up and down lots of big hills, some of which were very steep. The descents are always fun. The last 20 miles were mostly downhill, which was a great way to finish the long ride.
Most of the ride was on Rt 44. Since it’s a main state highway, there was plenty of traffic. The road was rough in several areas, but all that was manageable. All the towns we passed through were small – more like villages. It was a good route to get a feel for old New England towns. Our route also included 7 miles of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail and 3 miles of the Dutchess Rail Trail, both of which gave us a nice break from the hills and traffic.
I finished much earlier than I expected today, getting to the hotel at 1:45. We are staying at the very nice Poughkeepsie Grand, and had an excellent dinner at Amici’s.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
We rode 64 miles from Worcester to Windsor Locks today. The weather was much better than yesterday. The morning was very comfortable with temperatures mostly in the 70’s and dipping into the 60s in shady wooded valleys. It rose into the high 80s and above 90 after 11:00. I finished the ride at 12:15, so was not long in the heat.
We snaked through the city of Worcester for the first four miles, then suddenly transitioned to country roads, starting with Dead Horse Road. It was a very steep one-mile climb. For the next forty miles we climbed and descended hills. There was nothing flat. Riding in the Northeast is always hilly, but this stretch was one of the hilliest with about 3000 feet of climbing in 40 miles. It wasn’t hard though, and every climb was rewarded with a nice descent to get cooled off on. Some of the country roads were very pleasant, with almost no traffic. We passed a few lakes and little quiet towns. At mile 60, we crossed the Connecticut River.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Today’s Highlights:
I made the four hour drive from Poughkeepsie to Portsmouth today to meet up with the ABB staff and the other 16 riders. The first order of business was filling out a few forms and having the mechanic check out my bike and helmet. Then I had a special visit with my friend, Joe, who I have known since middle school. Joe and his wife Beth and son Jack took Sue and I to the Portsmouth waterfront for lunch. The historic downtown has been revitalized beautifully, and was bustling with visitors. We had lunch overlooking the port, and had some time to catch up on life.
Back at the hotel, all the riders met with our four staff people for orientation. We reviewed the ride procedures and tomorrow’s route. We followed that with a group dinner. Now I just have to rest up for tomorrow’s 95-mile hilly ride.

Pictures Of The Day:

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