John Aylward Photography

Today’s Highlights:
We left the hotel in Easton at 6:45 AM on this quiet Saturday morning. It was our first cool morning with temps in the low 60s, which was very comfortable. After a short pedal through town, we were once again on quiet country roads. It was another hilly day, with over 3700 feet of climbing in 63 miles (also our shortest ride so far). Some sections were very hilly, but we also enjoyed miles with mildly rolling hills. There’s no such thing as flat so far.
After 25 miles, we broke out of the woods and into Amish farm country. It was refreshing to see the big vistas and open sky. We passed crops of corn, soybean, tobacco, and a few others. I also saw many interesting stone houses, each one unique in design and stone.
By 10 AM, about 45 miles into the ride, the temperature was in the 80s. My bike computer registered 98 degrees on the open road 10 miles from the end of my ride. It wasn’t uncomfortable though, as we are getting conditioned now. The scenery made it enjoyable too.
We have completed one week of the tour now, covering 510 miles.

Day 07

Statistics:
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Time: 8/20/2016, 3:48:3

Duration: 05:31:49

Ascent/Descent: 3789 ft 3453 ft

Distance: 63.86 M

Today’s Highlights:
Our 73-mile ride today took us from Easton to Pottstown, Pennsylvania, with about 20 miles in New Jersey just across the Delaware River. The morning started out hot as we rode through the cities of Easton and Phillipsburg. Once in the country, the shady, flat road along the Delaware River gave us a comfortable fifteen mile ride with only a few hills. At mile 20, we climbed a very steep hill, reported to be up to 18% grade. It didn’t take long though, and the first rest stop was shortly after the top of the hill. From there, we remained at the higher elevation moving further away from the Delaware and deeper into Pennsylvania. It was all up and down hills, and we logged in more than 3700′ of climbing. We passed by some farms and rural neighborhoods. The town of Skippack was especially nice. Some days, the ride is more about doing miles, and less about scenery and sites. This was one of those days.

Day 06

Statistics:
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Time: 8/19/2016, 4:10:2

Duration: 06:10:51

Ascent/Descent: 3752 ft 3932 ft

Distance: 72.81 M

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.

Day 05

Statistics:
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Time: 8/18/2016, 3:47:1

Duration: 06:50:09

Ascent/Descent: 3876 ft 3985 ft

Distance: 75.98 M

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.

Day 04

Statistics:
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Time: 8/17/2016, 4:47:3

Duration: 06:16:54

Ascent/Descent: 2804 ft 2614 ft

Distance: 70.43 M