August 8, 2025
Friday
When I mentioned taking the Old Croton Aqueduct Trail instead of the EST to Mark, he said he’d join me. We rode to the first rest stop of the day, re-upped our glycogen levels and pedaled another mile to the connector road we mapped out on Google. Mark and I were soon moving alongside the Croton Reservoir. We checked out the Croton Outtake and the dam.
Eventually, the OCA Trail thinned out to a single track. It was much more technical and roundabout than the EST.
There were a few detours. At one point, we walked our bikes down a washed-out section. There were quite a few road crossings and at the crossroads there was often a curb requiring negotiation. The trail did bring you close to a few riverside towns. We stopped for a Latin lunch in Ossining.
Another notable stop was the Lyndehurst Mansion. It had expansive views of the Hudson and many photo opps, as evidenced by the Instagram Queen in a sundress and floppy hat who asked me to take a series of Richard Avedon-like shots. In a few miles, we were at our last Tent City in Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry.
The Mercy College site seemed to be the least organized. The route to the dorm showers was much more roundabout than necessary. When I exited the shower, I heard the evening music…turned out the showers were only 100 feet from the dining hall. Originally, I’d walked across a quad through two buildings and had to decipher some scribbles taped to an elevator bank to find them. The showers had nowhere to put down your clothes or toiletry bag, no hooks, no benches. I never did find the water station. Someone I spoke to paid for a dorm room and he said the lights remained on all night.
Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 206 miles (332 km)
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