Mahopac to Litchfield

May 31, 2015

And then there were hills. God, do I love hills.

Yesterday actually wore us out a bit, but today we thrived! The flats are not easy. You are constantly pedaling. And yesterday, once north of the Bronx, was one long, slow climb. But today, in spite of the greater elevation demands (3,300 feet), we spent a lot of time descending and enjoying the beautiful scenery that rolling terrain and hills and mountains will give you.

Today's ride to Litchfield

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Oh, and we were supposed to get rain today. Hmmm, what a novel concept. Well, it started out raining, but by the time we headed for breakfast at the local diner (we are north of the Mason-Dixon Line, after all), it had stopped.

Then we were back on the trail. But not for too long.

Finally we broke out into open country near Carmel, where the trail bears went right, but we went left.

We hit some nice, but hilly, country roads on our way to Connecticut.

Jerry and Happy about to take on a long descent to NY-22.

NY-22 provided good riding with a wide shoulder and mostly level riding with gradual climbs. It was overcast and threatening, but no rain yet, and we were almost halfway to Litchfield. So far, so good!

From NY-22, we veered right to NY-55, which becomes really quiet where it takes a hard right and follows the Ten Mile River into Connecticut. More hills and nice viewsheds:

After passing this interesting landmark, we took a few more turns and ended up on an unpaved (i.e., dirt) road. We had done dirt roads before, and it still had not rained, so we proceeded and were rewarded with more beauty.

An odd structure that some locals say was built as a protest against a state action!

The road to Halifax is sometimes unpaved!

But may lead to some beautiful remote viewsheds. Bike touring is all about serendipity.

After we returned to an all-weather road and peaked on a climb, my rear tire went flat . . . my first flat in many, many years (Germany 2009). Of course, I carry spare tubes. But if you're going to have a flat tire, it also helps to have it in front of a bicycle-friendly house.

So, as I worked on my tire (this is involved when you're fully loaded, as everything needs to come off), along came Brigette and Laura with their dogs. Observing the situation, they offered (jokingly) that they had a real pump, to which I responded incredulously that I had a real pump, at which point the five of us fell into a quick conversation and found out that Brigette was an avid cyclist/racer type and actually did have a real pump. A floor pump with a gauge. Much better than my hand pump, for sure.

Tom with Laura and Brigette. And the repaired wheel. Oh, and the two delightful dogs! Serendipity!

As the five of us (seven if we count the dogs) discussed our trip and Brigette's bicycle racing, Laura discovered a fierce snapping turtle that was unwisely attempting to cross the road.

This turtle was having none of this "you need to be rescued" stuff.

But we did rescue him nonetheless. It took Laura with a broom to ultimately push him (maybe her) down the slope, snapping and snarling the whole time. I have never seen such a nasty turtle before!

Shortly afterward we were on our way. It was downhill from there to US-202, and from there about 10 miles into Litchfield. The rain started somewhere around the turn. And it was unrelenting for the next hour pretty much, at least till East Bantam. So the extra bucks we sprung for our accommodations (not that we had many choices) was well-deserved!

The Litchfield Inn was very bike-friendly, letting us store our bikes in their ballroom. We ate dinner that night in their bistro/pub and had a full breakfast in the morning. So no traveling for food!

Today's ride: 55 miles (89 km)
Total: 2,171 miles (3,494 km)

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