51 miles
1,817 feet ascent
1,694 feet descent
2,098 calories
Two clear signs gave evidence I am almost in New York City. First, while riding through a Kingston residential area, I rolled up to a stop sign and noticed a car in my peripheral vision. We reached the sign together, stopped and started together. Then, the driver rolled along with me and yelled out through the passenger window "Obey the law!" I said "What?" He said "You didn't stop at that sign." I replied, "Yes, I did!" He yelled again "Obey the law", while gesturing at me with his cell phone in his hand. Good one. Later on, the second "NY welcome" came from a passenger in a truck that was passing me. He made some comment about my bike light causing seizures. Yes! That means it's working, i.e. it got their attention and they avoided the bike.
It was supposed to be an easy day today, but somehow it didn't turn out that way. Mother Nature decided to throw serious headwinds straight up the Hudson River Valley, which would have been great had I been traveling north. It didn't matter which side of the river either, so it was just a "shut up, and pedal" day. Even Bigfoot had a hard day too, and all he was trying to do was cross the street.
Bigfoot Sighting In New Paltz, NY
The only respite from the wind was along the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, but at only four miles long, it was short lived.
Hudson Valley Rail Trail
Hudson Valley Rail Trail Rest Area
But the trail had the most amazing finish with a walkway clear across the Hudson to Poughkeepsie, NY, on the east side of the river.
View Of Mid Hudson Bridge From Hudson Rail Trail Walkway
On the walkway the wind was whipping at around 20 knots steady and folks were walking with a tilt.
Hudson Rail Trail Walkway In Poughkeepsie
After crossing the Hudson, I chose to ride on the east side since the hills didn't look as menacing compared to the west side. About ten miles further downriver I returned to the west side on the Newburgh Beacon bridge, this time right alongside the freeway traffic, except on a catwalk.
Newburgh Beacon Bridge Pedestrian/Bikeway Catwalk
It was quite the ride several hundred feet above the river on sheets of steel with the wind blowing even harder now, hard enough to make whitecaps on the Hudson.
Hudson River South View On Newburgh Beacon Bridge
Shivering On The Newburgh Beacon Bridge
It is funny that I am now in Orange County. Orange County, New York that is. I noticed it as I passed a veteran's memorial.
Orange County, NY Veteran's Memorial
You got a taste of New York hospitality! Lance Armstrong recounted in his book all of the projectiles that were launched at him from moving vehicles when he was training in Texas. The projectiles were accompanied by expletives. They must have yelled pretty loud from their elevated pick-up trucks for Lance to hear.
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