Bicycle Trip: Lincoln NH to Phoenixville PA – Day 10: Millbrook, New York

It was hard leaving the warmth and hospitality of Shirley’s house to get back on the bike and brave the cold temperatures.

For our efforts, we were rewarded by a huge downhill out of Norfolk. Went 6 or 7 miles in no time at all and found ourselves in North Canaan where there was a much needed grocery store and a much appreciated Dunkin Donuts. As with most of our stops, the locals were curious about our “set up” and asked a lot of questions about our trip, our origin, and our destination.

After taking a break to stock up (and enjoy a donut), we attacked a long, steep hill into Salisbury. The side-by-side towns of Salisbury and Lakeville were very quaint, some of the most beautiful scenery we’ve seen in Connecticut. About 4 miles past Lakeville, we crossed into the lower, east corner of New York State. In Millerton, NY, we enjoyed some lunch specials at Four Brothers Pizza Inn & Restaurant.

After lunch, we picked up the Harlem Valley Rail Trail, a beautiful 10 mile converted rail line alongside streams, bogs, and farms. The best part of the Rail Trails is the level grade, easily the most enjoyable part of today’s ride. I highly recommend this trail to any locals in the area if you haven’t yet explored it. When we reached the end point in Wassaic, we started making plans to get to a motel in Dover Plains (it’s going to rain again tonight).

We were disappointed to find that the motel in Dover Plains was full, so we had to find another alternative.

Unfortunately, we weren’t finding many motels or open rooms, so the only option we could find added another 10 miles to our day. Ugh! To add insult to injury, the “shortcut” we choose brought us up Deep Hollow Road which was a HUGE hill (Google Maps fooled us on the elevation profile). We finally rolled into the Cottonwood Motel in Millbrook, NY around 4:30 PM (a long day). Our search for accommodations took us about 5 miles off our route, so we’ll have to figure out our way back tomorrow.