Cycling

It was raining this morning, so breakfast was cooked inside. After oatmeal and coffee, we moved my gear and bicycle into the camper and began the drive to our next campground.

The eight-and-a-half-hour drive was stressful. Busy highways, rain, and construction eroded my patience.

We arrived about 7 p.m. The office was closed. Nancy got an envelope off the door with directions to our site. We pulled in and noticed that the RV next to us had hooked up to our water along with his. After a brief discussion, he reluctantly unhooked his hose from our faucet.

We set up and settled in. We walked to the small pond and discovered that on the far side is the tent-only camping area. Lots of shade and a large fire pit, this is unusual for an RV campground.

Rain was on the way for overnight and today. We woke up to a blue sky and dry conditions. The forecast changed to rain coming in the afternoon. We began the morning routine, setting up the outside chairs and starting the cook stove. I prefer this to cooking inside within the crowded space.

We finished the fried eggs and bagels and talked about which area to hike. John, in another site, walked by with his two Scotty dogs. We began to talk. The conversation was interesting, so we talked for a while. After we got busy, I forgot to make coffee.

I got in touch with the office for the Wildlife Protection Agency to confirm a campsite on the GGT. Then we met Kevin, in another site. He had information on the hiking trails. 

During our hike, I heard thunder in the distance. We decided to loop around on a different trail to head back to our campsite.  The thunder was now overhead, and drops of rain were on my skin as we entered the campground. We are now in the camper listening to rain on the roof.

Working on the blog before retiring for the night.

Nancy forgot her Atlas, so this morning we stopped at a Barnes & Noble to buy one for the tour.

We stopped at the Oak Barrel for gas and for lunch. This was a nice small deli with an ice cream shop right off Route 68. We had a nice, fresh-made sandwich. We both had milkshakes; mine was an espresso and vanilla. We bought cheesecake for dessert tonight.

We saw black clouds in the distance, and in Frostburg, MD, the rain dumped on us, making it almost impossible to see beyond the car’s hood. The rain cleared as we passed into West Virginia.

We are now in Coopers Rock State Campground by. The sun is shining, and it is hot and muggy.

Nancy and I are relaxing in the shade, and Moe is sleeping.

Heading to the route

I got up at 6 this morning. We leave as soon as all is packed. I checked the weather for Cape Girardeau. It looks like a week of rain and thunderstorms for the tour’s beginning.

We are ready, it is Monday, May 18. It’s almost 10 am, we drive out of the driveway and onto the road. We head west to New York to connect onto Route 87 and head south.

We stop in Newburgh, NY. for lunch at a rest stop on the highway.

At the connection to Route 81 south, the road work begins, and we slow to a crawl. I relaxed with this slow pace. The road finally opened back up, and the highway speed resumed. Nancy sees a yellow T@B up ahead of the row of four tractor trailers. The chase begins. We must catch that camper. As we pass, Nancy waves. My face is frozen with bugged out eye balls. The car slows a bit, but I’m shutting down.

Finally, we get to Mount Gretna and settle in for the night. Pizza is delivered, and I enjoy a few glasses of wonderful English Ale.

After breakfast and coffee, I loaded my panniers on the bike and rode a six-mile loop to see how the bike handled with some new gear that required different packing. There was also some strong crosswind. The handling was okay, not as good as I’m used to. I now have a baseline for where to adjust.

Adam came home, and we began the day’s ride at 3:13 p.m. This 40-mile ride took us over hilltops and into valleys.

About halfway into the ride, we were on a rail trail that brought us to Amenia, NY. We stopped at an ice cream shop where I asked and received the largest bowl of ice cream that they had a bowl for. My guess is it was a bit over a pint!

Then off for another long climb on our way back to Adam’s home. The sun set just before the finish.

Dinner was ordered from a nearby brew pub. Time to relax.

Debbie and I drove to Great Barrington to meet Adam for a ride he had planned for us. We stopped for a five-minute lunch at Dunkin before hooking up.

Leaving the city, we turned onto a nice side road at the other side of a closed bridge. Another gravel road brought us to another closed bridge that required us to climb with our bikes up and over a four-foot-high pile of large stone dump onto the bridge.

Now we rode up and over the ridge to Mt. Washington State Forest above Bash Bish Falls. The climbs here are steep and long with grades reaching 20%.

We dropped down off the mountain on what seemed to be an endless stretch of twists and turns to Salisbury, CT.

We are now heading back to Great Barrington, MA, on lovely gravel back roads.

We end satisfied with a strong finish. Off we go to a local brewery for a calorie-rich meal. I enjoyed a pint of beer followed by a large slice of chocolate stout cake.

The day was a bit different from the forecast of the rain clearing by 11:00 a.m. Eleven came, the clouds stayed. We, Debbie, Adam, and I began the ride.

Halfway through the route, the sun finally brightened the sky. With the sun came a sharp rise in temperature. The sweater came off. I was overheating at the crest of a very long, steep climb.

We began the descent to Macedonia State Park. The cool air with no sun cooled my core. Now it looks like rain! Yes, light sprinkles of raindrops begin.

In the town of Wassaic, NY, we stopped to look at the Borden Milk Factory.

The last long climb of the day brought us here.

Back at Adam’s house, a bit tired, I cleaned the mud off my bike and began to relax before dinner.

Summer tour prep

Today is day one of the test and prepping New York tour with my sister Debbie. Yesterday, we drove to her son Adam’s place in Stanfordville, NY. This morning, after Adam went off to work, Debbie and I began getting ready to tour some local roads. Adam put together a short loop with a nice mix of gravel and small paved country roads.

August 27, 2025

Moe is limping and not putting weight on his left front paw. Nancy calls a veterinarian in Perry, NY, a nearby town to the Park. Tomorrow Moe will go have his paw looked at. Today we stayed in the campground.

August 28, 2025

Nancy and Moe drive to the veterinarian office. I stay at the campsite to start the process of leaving Letchworth. It looks like rain, I leave the screen test up for the night. The weather report is showing the rain will clear by 8 AM. If this is correct the tent should dry after breakfast in time to pack before leaving. Nancy returns with Moe. Moe dislocated a toe and is on pain medication.

Nancy and I leave Moe resting in the camper while we drive to the Nature Center and Museum.

We also decided to hike to Inspiration Point.

August 29, 2025

Driving to Utica to spend the night with my sister.

We enjoyed a wonderful visit with my sister Corinne and brother-in-law Dan.

August 30, 2025

Utica is on the Erie Canal route so we opt to drive Route 5s instead of highways. We parallel the canal and relive some sights and views of our 2022 Tour.

We cross the Mohawk River into Waterford, NY and drive to the Visitor Center. We stayed a few days here while on our way home in 2022. From this point we followed the same route home as our first major tour.

7:00 PM

We arrived home to an overgrown lawn, unloaded our gear, and began opening up the house.

The grass is not greener on this side of the fence.