June 11, 2021
To North Chatham
I'd planned on a shorter ride today - I was meeting a dear friend in Hudson, about 18 miles north of Tivoli, and I wanted to leave ample time for a long lunch. However, I couldn't help but linger over a hearty breakfast on the wraparound porch, enjoying a second cup of coffee and chatting with Tara. By the time I left Tivoli, I was fueled but a bit pinched for time - and stopped only a few times for pictures. It's a bit of a shame, as the route took me along small county roads through a bucolic landscape of orchards and distant hills. It is an area of artisans and farm to table dining. Passing through the village of Germantown, I came across a farmer and restaurant owner/cook discussing the best way to prepare the fresh goat he was delivering to her restaurant.
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Linda and I were in graduate school together at University of Massachusetts in the late 70s/early 80s. As often happens when one shares the crucible of graduate school, we formed a lifelong friendship that has survived time and distance. Linda was waiting at the pre-ordained meeting place (I was about 10 min late), a market where we intended to buy picnic supplies and decamp to Olana, a NY State Park that is the former estate home of the renown painter Frederic Church. According to Tara of the Tivoli Hotel, Olana has the best views of the Hudson River Valley in the area. In the end, we decided to eat in Hudson so Olana will have to wait for another day.
Although I regretted missing Olana, I was really wanting to spend just a little time walking the streets of Hudson. Once a prosperous port city and factory town, Hudson fell into decline in the 1960s and 70s, similar to many cities in the northeast. During the mid-1980s, however, antique dealers were attracted by the quantity and architectural quality of Hudson's many historical buildings. Antique dealers flocked to the city and they in turn attracted others, new residents as well as tourists. In addition to the antique shops, which number near seventy, Hudson today is known for its active arts scene, galleries, and restaurants - all which stimulate tourism.
I was a bit schizophrenic as I walked with Linda along the main street of Hudson – trying to catch up on our respective lives, taking in all the architecturally stunning buildings, and finding a place to eat. We eventually found our spot – and enjoyed salads and a long conversation sitting curbside on Hudson’s main thoroughfare. Afterwards we headed to the park overlooking the river, but unfortunately it was undergoing renovation and closed to visitors. After our farewell hugs, I set off on my bike in search of a view – I’d imagined an expansive vista of river, mountains, and the valleys. It was not to be – the closest river access point was a group of sad, dilapidated huts at water’s edge. The best I got was at the high school, a few miles out of town. Disappointed, I pedaled north.
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The HVGT picked up the Albany-Hudson Electric Trail on the outskirts of town. The trail is built along an electrified rail line that connected Albany and Hudson. From 1900-29, high speed trolley cars made hourly runs between the two cities, stopping at 14 stations and traveling at speeds at up to 60 mph. The crushed stone rail trail spans nearly the full length of the original line, interrupted by dispersed “street sections” where the old rail line no longer exists.
The trail wound through a varied landscape, often following small rivers and creeks that once powered textile and paper mills. In other sections, I was surrounded by farmland and (potentially) shared the road with tractors – at least that’s what the signs said. In fact, there was little traffic on the trail, an exception being near the small rural towns that were once served by the rail line. Most commonly observed were seniors on recreational bikes and women with strollers, two groups always seeking safe places for outdoor exercise. I stopped at a deli in Valatie to pick up something for dinner - there were no restaurants within five miles of my Airbnb in the tiny hamlet of North Chatham. I had texted my pending arrival to my host Susan, and she was waiting to greet me at the foot of her driveway. She was a dear, letting me do laundry and giving me ice for my sore knee. I settled in early, knowing tomorrow I would complete Hudson Valley Greenway and head off to Buffalo.
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Today's ride: 43 miles (69 km)
Total: 193 miles (311 km)
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