Tag: Camping

Woke up in our campground with everything soaked and puddles everywhere. We did our best to shake out the water and pack up. Luckily, we took care of our showers the night before because the campground lost power during the storm which of course turned out the lights in the bathrooms, but also turned off the water pumps. We resorted to the old latrine to take care of business and moved on.

We were closer than we thought to the actual Delaware Water Gap. I’d driven by the exit numerous times, but I ‘d never stopped to admire the beauty. There is a pedestrian/bike walkway to cross the Delaware River from New Jersey to Pennsylvania and the scenery is breathtaking with tall cliffs and rushing water from a bridge that shakes as the 18 wheelers pass you on the other side of a Jersey barrier.

Once across the bridge, our path continued to follow the Delaware River throughout the day. Sometimes, we’d lose sight of it for a while, but we always worked our way back. Some of the roadway was down in the river valley, while other times we were scaling the foothills of the mountains, with the river far below us. We passed through Portland and Riverton, PA and then crossed the Delaware River (again) back to New Jersey.

After following the winding river and the hills and valleys for a couple dozen miles more, we pulled into Phillipsburg, NJ our stop for the night. Had some delicious chicken parm at Rocco’s Italian Restaurant and settled in at “America’s Best Value Inn” (just a clarification …. it is not the best by any means, but it’s a place to stay for the night). I spent the evening doing laundry and Mark spent the evening spreading out our wet gear from last night to let it dry properly. We have a few nights left before we reach our destination and it looks like we are getting too close to populated areas to find anymore campgrounds, so cheap hotels it is.

Left the Oakland Valley Campground around 8:00 AM. Somewhat worried about the severe thunderstorm warnings coming out of the weather system in the middle of the country. Our campsite was located on an unpaved road at the bottom of a huge hill, so our first task of the day was to push the bike to the top as riding was not possible. Already out of breath and tired before we even started riding.

Went through the small towns of Godeffroy and Huguenot, following the path of the Neversink River. Missed a turn right after Huguenot, which took us into the cute little town of Port Jarvis. Luckily our mistake did not add significant mileage and we had a quick tour of the town before finding the bridge over the Neversink to get back on track. After crossing the river, we found ourselves in New Jersey where the Neversink merged into the Delaware River.

Still following the Delaware River, we passed a couple of campgrounds on the way to Montague. However, it was too early to stop for the day, the weather was still great, and we were making great time on the level roads through the valley. Outside of Montague, we got on Old Mine Road which led us into the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. The scenery was stunning, in particular the wildflowers coming up along the sides of the road. We stopped in Peters Valley to take a break and take a few pictures of a little artist enclave at the town’s lone intersection.

We set a goal of stopping to eat in Wallpack Village at the Wallpack Inn, which was probably the fanciest restaurant in our travels and then going to the Bear Creek Campground for the night. While waiting for our meal (French Dip Sandwiches made with good prime rib…. not just deli roast beef), we called the campground to find that while they had plenty of room for us, they weren’t really set up with amenities for tenters (meaning NO showers). Since that wasn’t going to work for two sweaty, stinky bikers, we pressed on.

As we continued through the Delaware Water Gap Recreation area, the hills got worse, and there were fewer signs of civilization. We got our hopes up when we passed the River Bend Campground, but it turned out to be for “group camping” only and required some special permit, so we pressed on. The severe thunderstorm warnings were still in the back of our minds. The hills on Old Mine Road continued to grow, and we were now WAY past our daily mileage limit. Once again, we were wondering if we had gambled too far by not just staying at the campground without showers and jumping in the river. Finally, we reached the Worthington State Forest Campground that had showers AND flush toilets. Hallelujah! We figure we did over 50 miles today. Exhausted, we showered, and set up our tent, and got settled just as the wind started to pick up. We had quite the lightening and thunder show until well into the night.

Took the second rest day (and hopefully the last) of the trip. Most people might consider this a strange way to spend your 34th wedding anniversary, but it’s pretty “par for the course” for us. We rested, read, napped, did laundry, and celebrated with a dinner of canned Chunky Soup. Did a little planning for the remainder of the trip and hoping we can reach our destination in another 5 days of biking. One of the campground employees just popped by to let us know there will be a bonfire tonight, and we’re debating whether to trek up to the top of the hill where the activities are, or just hit the hay for an early start. I know I talk about the weather a lot, but it plays a pretty important role in our travel and tenting. The next few days are slated for scattered and severe thunderstorms throughout the afternoons, so we’ll be biking early to try to avoid them.

Well, if yesterday was the most scenic day of the trip, today may have been the worst. Lots of unfavorable conditions: country roads, no shoulders, scary traffic, and unsafe passing. And did I mention the rain?

It wasn’t a favorite day for either of us. Lots of challenging hills and we both found ourselves losing steam. This was our seventh day in a row without taking a break, but the campground we were at was booked for the weekend, so we had to press on. We passed through several small towns without much in the way of services: Ulsterville, Burlingham, Bloomingburg, Winterton, and Otisville. Bloomingburg was the best bet for buying a few groceries and eating at a small deli. Once again, we were racing against the rain, which started up just as we made it to the deli to eat.

We rode in the rain to Otisville, but the rain stopped, and we were dry by the time we pulled into our campground in Cuddebackville. It’s a cute (but rustic) little campground with sites right along the Neversink River. I thought it was a funny name for a river. I had to look it up, and it turns out to be a “corruption” of the Algonquian language phrase meaning “mad river”. Because it is the weekend, the campground required a two night minimum, which was just as well for us, because we were ready to take a day without travel. We had a little sun shower while trying to set up camp, but otherwise the weather has been cooperative. These two tired bicycle campers went to bed early.

Absolutely glorious biking day. Quite possibly the best, most scenic day of the trip. The sun finally came out and the temperatures rose into the 60’s. We were able to shed our windbreakers, sweatshirts and cold weather bicycle gloves.

Because we had to ride off course into Millbrook last night, we started the morning by cutting back to our mapped route via 44 into Pleasant Valley, NY and then cutting over to 115 into the Poughkeepsie/Highland area.

On the Poughkeepsie side, we picked up the Dutchess Rail Trail which connects to the Walkway Over the Hudson, and then the Hudson Valley Rail Trail. The scenery and views were incredible, especially over the Hudson River. Well worth the trip if you are in NY and looking for a good bike trail to ride.

When the bike trail ended, we picked up 299 into New Paltz where we had lunch at Murphy’s Restaurant & Pub, and then walked through the downtown strip. The visit to New Paltz had special meaning to me because it is the town where my Mom re-started her life in her early 50’s. After years of raising a family she fulfilled a promise to herself to go to college and get her degree. After a couple years at MCC in Rochester, she moved to New Paltz to finish her Bachelors degree in Art History at SUNY. It was a big deal for her to get her own car, re-learn how to drive, and find roommates to live with while she went to school, without being dependent on anyone else. After obtaining her goal, she later joined us in Boston and made good use of her degree working for both the Museum of Fine Arts and the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston. We lost Mom to leukemia almost 6 years ago now, but I like to think her spirit was with us today as we looked around her old stomping ground.

From New Paltz, we got on the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail. Unlike the earlier rail trails today, this one was a lot more primitive. It was unpaved, with sections of gravel, sections of mud, and sections of grass with vehicle tracks. We were glad to ride out of it into Gardiner as our bike setup wasn’t really made for that kind of riding.

Once in Gardiner, we headed to our campground. Now that the weather has turned a bit, we are back in our groove. The most convenient campground turned out to be a Yogi Bear Jellystone Campground…. a little more developed than the average campground (complete with water park and arcade), but a place to rest our weary selves all the same. It’s pretty empty right now, but we are told they are fully booked for the weekend, so we are looking forward to a quiet night of laundry (again) and reading. More rain is forecast for the morning, but we are hoping for a window of opportunity to ride on, since we can’t stay here.

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.

Well, if yesterday was the “downhill day”, today was the uphill day. The uphill out of Granby on 219 seemed to go on forever. Just when you think you reached the top, you go around a curve and see that the uphill continues. Ugh.

Once again, we started early in the morning, because once again, we were trying to beat the rain coming around 2:00 PM (beginning to sound repetitive).

After finally reaching the top of the monster hill, we descended to the Saville Dam over the Barkhamsted Reservoir. It was a magnificent structure, and provided a nice stop to rest our legs. After crossing into Pleasant Valley, we began another long uphill climb following the Farmington River, and then the Sandy Brook, upstream. Saw several fisherman, braving the cold temperatures to stand in the river fishing as we passed through Riverton, Robertsville and Colebrook. The grade was easier to pedal, but it continued for over 10 miles.

Took a break in Robertsville at the General Store. Indulged in Diet Cokes and chocolate chip cookies just for the opportunity to come in and warm up for a few minutes. The temperatures continue to be unseasonably cold. Took a little walk in “Riverton Center” and stumbled upon the historic location of the factory for the “famous” Hitchcock chairs. Since neither of us know anything about antiques, we had to look up the history of Lambert Hitchcock and his chairs.

Took another break in Colebrook to eat a quick meal at the Colebrook General Store, which we were told to be the oldest continuously operating general store in Connecticut. We were a novelty there, as everyone else coming in and out knew each other. It was clearly the social center of the small town, complete with an old fellow having coffee outside (in 38 degree temperature) talking to everyone coming and going. After eating and charging our phones, we headed into our destination for the day, Norfolk, CT.

As luck would have it, my college roommate Shirley heard of our travels on Facebook, and realized we were passing within two blocks from her house. She and her husband Van, both from Clarkson University, kindly invited us in for a night of comfortable beds, delicious chili, homemade brew, laundry, and wonderful warm conversation. We had a great time, and were grateful to be spoiled so thoroughly after several cold days and nights. Mark and Van share a joint interest in sailing, and we made a commitment to get together this summer to sail together. As for me, I plan to spend more time with Shirley learning about her passion for quilting.

Much better ride today. First day since the beginning of the trip that I actually felt like there were more downhills than uphills. Also, just a lot of level riding. Probably the easiest day so far, but we deserved it after yesterday’s torture.

The cabin last night was cold, but still better than a wet tent. Mark got up in the middle of the night to investigate “bear noises” which turned out to be snores from Sidekick Sue (who rarely snores). Something in the spring air is aggravating a little allergies and causing some mouth breathing. LOL.

Rain today was predicted at 2 PM, so once again, we started early to try to beat the rain. Beautiful countryside in CT. Miles of well-kept houses and farms. Rolling hills, but few really tough grades. Rode past Crystal Lake and Ellington, before crossing the Connecticut River into Windsor Locks.

Stopped at a NAPA to get oil for our chain that has spent too much time in the rain, and adjust the brakes that took some abuse in the rain yesterday. Mark cleaned the chain and the gears to get out miles of road gunk. Rode into Granby and had a hearty meal at the Farmer’s Kitchen.

Still racing the rain, we had another 3 miles to the only accommodations around….. the Granby Motel. It’s a little roadside dive motel that looks exactly like the motel in your average horror film. We arrived shortly after 2 PM and the rain started shortly afterward. Supposed to rain until 3 AM. Any port in a storm.

Not much to say about today except that it was COLD and WET. Forecast was for rain all day, so we got up early to break camp before the rain started. Unfortunately, it was already drizzling , but we got on the road early. Took a wrong turn out of the campground which turned into a brilliant mistake, since we used Google to get back on the trail and shaved 10 miles off of the ACA route. We missed a little detour down to the corner of Rhode Island, but it saved us an hour in the rain. Well worth it.

The plan was to ride until it got miserable and then find refuge for the night. Staying where we were to wait out the rain really wasn’t an option since the rain would have trapped us in our tent all day and our tent would have been soaked. So we, pedaled into Connecticut, passing through Quinebaug in a light drizzle. Quinebaug had plenty of stores, restaurants, hotels, etc. It would have been an easy place to stop. But we were only 10 miles in and still quite warm and dry so we decided to keep going. Well that turned into a huge mistake because there was NOTHING for the next 30 miles and the intensity of the rain picked up so that we were both wet and freezing (temps in the high 30’s). My water resistant pants began taking on water. I knew I was in trouble when I was trying to remember the symptoms of hypothermia and Mark on the seat in front of me was whistling like he didn’t have a care in the world. We passed through several small towns that consisted of a single intersection, sometimes a stop sign or a signal light, but nothing to eat and nowhere to stay.

As we crossed I-84, Mark was positive that there were services at that exit (“I’ve driven this road thousands of times”), but it turned out to be possibly the only exit on I-84 without any services at all.

Finally, as we were headed into Stafford Springs, CT we approached civilization…. a fishing and bait store. We stopped to hide under the covered walkway, and popped in to ask the proprietor how far we were from food and shelter. He pointed us 6 miles down the road (luckily mostly downhill) to Stafford Springs (which had been our original planned destination for the day anyway. We found a laundromat to dry our clothes. The attendant was extremely helpful, allowing us to spread out all of our dripping gear and use her restroom to change. She even offered us donuts and coffee (first time I ever wished we drank coffee). Back in warm clothes, we walked down the block to eat some piping hot baked ziti at a pizza place and plan our next move.

Finally concluded that the closest shelter was the original campground that we had planned that was 4 miles north (mostly uphill). No choice but to brave the rain again. The campground owner felt so sorry for us that she gave us a cabin for the night for only $20 because she felt bad that it wasn’t heated. Did laundry for real, re-dried everything, and settled into camp for the night.

And how did YOU spend your Mother’s Day? LOL

Got up early today as we planned to do a 40+ mile day. Left the campground by 7:00. Made a quick stop to Dippin’ Donuts for breakfast sandwiches that was inside a local convenience store. Sorry, Dunkins, I know you are a New England staple, but their food was better than yours, hands down. Headed out through Harvard, Mass, making a stop at the Harvard General Store, which was a popular stop and hang-out for bikers. They were set up with bike racks, water, bike tools and a pump for 2-wheeled travelers. Because it was Saturday, we encountered lots of groups of bicyclists today, all along our route. Always friendly and quick to ask if you need any help when you stop to rest.

Harvard, Bolton and Berlin provided some challenging hills. I was glad they were during the first part of the day. We walked up the last big crazy hill in Berlin (Sawyer Hill Road), but it have us a chance to admire the scenery and snap a few shots of the horses at the Orchard Hill Equestrian Center. Lots of beautiful homes and estates, all bordered with old rock walls. Stopped outside of Northborough to snap a picture of a beautiful rock bridge. This area is so typically New England.

Crossed Route 9 in Westborough and, as luck would have it, there was a Stop and Shop to refill our supplies. We don’t carry much food with us because of the weight (power bars, breakfast bars, nuts, beef jerky).

From there, we headed into Upton. Ate lunch at “Rose Garden Restaurant and Pub”. It was a quiet afternoon in the restaurant except for the waitress that entertained us with a constant stream of expletives with every story she told to the folks at the bar. When she heard our story, she told everyone in the bar about our trip, and we had a great time answering questions for a good half hour. The staff was more than helpful, trying to offer us bottles of water and bags of peanuts from the bar. We declined their kind offers as we had just restocked and didn’t want to carry any more weight. The owner followed us out to the parking lot because he wanted to see our bike and setup. He called us “crazy”, said I was a “Saint”, and wished us good travels. On the way out of town, we passed by the local VFW carnival that was just opening for the day.

Several miles, and a several hills later, we arrived at our campground, Sutton Falls Camping Area, where we checked in the for the night (I will be missing my cozy cabin as it’s a bit chilly here).

Mark did a rough tally and thinks we have biked around 185 miles total so far. We think we have 400 miles to go.