I was up early today, with no breakfast in sight. Well, no close breakfast in sight. But I had a plan. But I first had to "re-cover" (or maybe it should be "recover") my steps from last night, as that was the path forward. It wasn't starting out too pretty either, and you can see why I took an Uber back the night before!
It wasn't really too bad. I have ridden worse. And there was a construction zone at the bottom of the hill, at the bridge crossing, which closed the right lane. So as I got closer, the cars were moving further away from me to use the open left lane. Good for me, until I had to pass through the lane closure myself. But I just waited for a substantial break in traffic, which came soon enough, and then it was back to the far right. But not for long. I had a left turn coming up and my own left-turn lane to help me, so with the next break in traffic, I scooted over and waited for my turn. All in all, pretty easy.
And that turn put me on a nice little back road into Cornwall-on-Hudson, where (I hoped) breakfast awaited me. And it did, but it required climbing a steep, 10% grade up to "Main Street," which is more properly called Hudson Street. That woke me up! And from there, it was a short ride to 2 Alices Coffee Lounge, where breakfast consisted of a little of this and a little of that, cinnamon rolls, quiche, and, of course, coffee. Not a breakfast per se, but fuel for the engine nonetheless.
I guess I lingered there for about an hour, sitting outside in the beautiful morning weather. But I couldn't linger forever, and after my "allocated" one-hour or so for breakfast, I was ready to hit the hills. There were two major climbs on today's ride and lots of minor ones. But the biggies, and the ones I was looking forward to, were around Storm King Mountain and the road around Bear Mountain/Bald Mountain. I didn't actually climb those mountains but followed the roads along the river, which had various route numbers depending on where you were. And where I was now meant NY-218 . . . a very nice climb with a slight grade and almost no traffic (because, for sure, US-9W is the quicker way).
The climb up NY-218, a slight grade of 5%-6% and almost no traffic. Good thing, too, as there is no shoulder!
The selfie and view at the top, looking up the Hudson River (north). Note that I had my light system on, giving me a good steady flashing red for cars approaching from behind.
And the road itself . . . like I said, no shoulder! But no problems either. Now, if it were a weekend and the leaves were turning, it might be a different story.
I did not get to pass through West Point. And based on my conversation with the "visitor's center" personnel the day before, it is most likely a lost cause to ever do so . . . unless you approach from the south. There is no way to apply when approaching from the north. Now, if you're a regular in these parts, it's worth getting a permanent pass, but if you're just passing through, they really do not make it easy. So I had planned for that scenario and continued past Washington Gate on NY-218 until it merged onto US-9W.
US-9W looking south. Not much shoulder, and what is there is not always good riding quality.
You probably have to be crazy to ride this part of US-9W. And while there are sections with much wider shoulders, about three miles after the merge, I would say the above picture is fairly typical of what you will have to ride with, at least as far as Fort Montgomery, another two miles or so down the road. There, US-9W becomes a little bit more civilized because the road actually passes through the center of small towns. I stopped there at a food mart for more food, just in case, and then turned off US-9W for some back roads. And I was starting to see other cyclists . . . and you can see them on Google Street View as well, so this section of road is not exactly unused to seeing cyclists! There was even a crazy circle to navigate through where Bear Mountain Bridge crosses the Hudson River. And then you are on US-202 around Bear Mountain . . . an "almost" parkway-type setting. Not as nice a road as NY-218 — it's a US highway after all, and US-9W runs concurrent with it — but a bit more serene than earlier sections. Traffic also seemed to dissipate a bit, as there are, no doubt, easier roads to use.
So onward and southward. Soon, after getting round Jones Point, I was riding mostly level and near the river. But the railroad has beat the highway. What a great rail trail that would make! Probably never to happen!
CSX, chugging along the Hudson River, on a right-of-way they have owned for a very, very long time (or at least their precursor has).
But after getting to Stony Point, there is a large flat area near the river, and the railroad stays inland. So I crossed the railroad tracks and hugged the river as best I could. That was four or five pleasant miles, but then, back onto US-9W.
The further south you go on US-9W, the busier it gets, but there are also more opportunities to jump off and ride through the riverside communities. So at Upper Nyack, that is what you do! It's also where the new Tappan Zee Bridge is being built. And me and bridges . . . well, if you follow my blogs, you know already.
The new Tappan Zee Bridge over the Hudson River. Quite majestic. And it will be more so once they open the pedestrian/bike piece of it . . . coming soon.
But that was the end of the easy riding, at least until New York City proper. I was now about to get into the Palisades, which meant a long climb up and a welcome to New Jersey. And from there — a drop down . . . and onto Henry Hudson Drive.
I have to admit, this took me by surprise, but only because I am not familiar with this part of New Jersey . . . I was headed for the George Washington Bridge after all, and I knew this side of it was in New Jersey, but it was still 12 miles away!
It's a beautiful ride with significant rock cuts. It is also relatively hilly . . . OK, enough of the hills! And I still need to climb up to the bridge!
Karen PoretWonder what the purple items are on the lower right side. Flowers? Or , a stuffed toy? It does not look like trash. Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Tom FlournoyTo Karen PoretYou really do have a good eye, Karen. I blew it up, and it does look like flowers. It seems odd to just have it spring in through the cracks of the rocks. Well, I guess it's not that odd, but usually when plant life does that, it's not so vibrant like this, assuming it's flowers. -Mark Reply to this comment 1 month ago
Karen PoretTo Tom FlournoyThank you, Mark.. I am glad it was something worth “blowing up” to view..😬 Reply to this comment 1 month ago
It was a bit of a steep climb up to the bridge! But nothing a low gear couldn't handle. But I was starting to feel the miles and the hills. Once at the top, it would be easy cycling, but still ten miles to go before I could lay my head to rest. As if one does that in New York! But this stretch was "old hat" in a sense, at least once I was on the Hudson River Greenway . . . as that was the route we followed north in 2015 when leaving the city.
The approach to the bikeway on the George Washington Bridge. It was a bit mysterious due to the construction activity. And this was real activity, not Chris Christie's made-up shenanigans.
One of the better stretches of the Hudson River Greenway. Parts of it are hard to follow, owing to the infrastructure that needs to be avoided . . . and parts of it felt rougher than my last ride on it. But then, that was at the start, not the end, of a long day in the saddle.
Finally, a turn into Chelsea and towards my lodging for two nights, the Chelsea International Hostel. Very good accommodations for a solo cyclist and very affordable in an entertaining part of town.
