God Bless America!

Nyack, NY to New York, NY
36 miles
1,526 feet ascent
1,700 feet descent
1,468 calories

When I left the West Gate Inn in Nyack this morning, there were very few cars on the road, and about seven or eight miles out of town I began seeing lots of people on road bikes.  I took this as a good sign in that it was a route the locals liked.   But then came Talman Mountain.  I'm not sure what they would enjoy about it, but by the time I finished it and crossed the New Jersey State line, there were cyclists everywhere.  Another good sign that cars should not be plentiful.

New Jersey State Line

A few miles into New Jersey, the route followed Palisades Park along the Hudson.  It was a nice forest ride that offered an occasional view of the river.

Validates Park, NJ

It was the perfect way to come into the city, and the almost non-existent traffic was a worthwhile tradeoff for all the ups and downs through the palisades.  The road ended just south of the George Washington Bridge.

George Washington Bridge From Below

One last climb of the trip and I was on the bridge crossing back into New York and the city.  When I reminisce about this trip, I will tell people I crossed the state of New Jersey in less than two hours!

From the bridge I got my first glimpse of NYC and the New Jersey side, which has really grown into another skyline.

New York City From George Washington Bridge

After navigating a couple of streets in Harlem, I was on the Hudson Bike Trail that goes all the way to the southern tip of Manhattan and a long way back up the east side.  I was home free.  Then I ran into a road blockade and protesters on the bike trail with petitions and a sign that said "Open Our Bridge".  When I asked what it was all about, they told me the trail was closed because a bicycle bridge repair that was supposed to be finished in August was still not done, the trail was closed, and the only way to get back on it was "through the woods"  and down some stairs.  I said "Give me the petition and point me to the woods."  As if that would stop me at this point.

Protesters/Petitioners To Finish Bike Bridge Repairs

It was fun going "through the woods" in the city, however, the stairs were a bit more challenging, but I managed.

"The Woods" 

The Stairs

From then on, it was smooth sailing all the way to Battery Park at the tip of Mannattan, but I checked out many sights on the way.

Hudson Bike Trail

West Harlem Park Pier

Public Clay Tennis Courts!  Yea!

Cool Building

First View Of One World Trade Center

Closer To One World Trade Center

One World Trade Center

9/11 Memorial North

9/11 Memorial North

From the World Trade Center it was a quick hop to Battery Park and the view of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty!

Statue Of Liberty & Ellis Island

I have to admit, when I got to the shoreline, the Statue of Liberty seemed small, but there it was!  It always seems much bigger in pictures--must be those photographers playing with perspective to make it look that way.  Rain was closing in from the east, but there was one more landmark to hit to finish this off, the Brooklyn Bridge.  I planned to ride over it, but at this point staying dry took priority.

Brooklyn Bridge

I am now officially finished with the ride!   I'm going to relax and play tourist a few days before taking the Amtrak back to Rochester and spending some more time unwinding in Honeoye, NY in the real "woods".  The final odometer reading says 3,424 miles.

Thank you to everyone who "came along" for the ride.  Your words of encouragement, support, prayers, cajoling, comments, and needling were a great motivation and helped keep me going.  After I have a chance to compile all the statistics, I'll post them at a later date, but until then, as Sean said to me in a text "keep the rubber side down".