October 5, 2020 - Stroudsburg, PA, to Port Jervis, NY, and return

Start and end: Stroudsburg, PA
Turnaround: Port Jervis, NY
Miles: 83.3
Feet climbing per mile: 62
Record of today's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/57227489

Without an alarm I was up at 8:00 and on the road at 9:00. Before I left I repaired the toilet-paper holder in my bathroom which had come apart because a set screw had come loose. I was able to reassemble the holder and tighten the set screw. My 2 mm hex driver was a little too small and my 2.5 mm driver was a little too large, so I presume the correct driver would have been 3/32 inches, but I was able to do the job with the 2 mm driver.

My plan for the day was to ride to Port Jervis on the Pennsylvania (north) side of the Delaware River and return on the New Jersey (south) side, for a total of just over 80 miles. In case I wanted to shorten the day I could cross the river at Dingmans Ferry, making a total of about 52 miles, or at Milford, making a total of about 66 miles.

Just a few miles into my ride I encountered a sign saying "no winter access", so I knew I was off the main road. The surface was excellent and there was almost no traffic. I saw a young black bear who scampered into the woods as soon as he saw me. Shortly thereafter I saw a deer do the same thing, but the color seemed dark for a deer so I wonder whether it was a moose. Perhaps it was the same moose reported in this 1996 article in The New York Times. I also saw a bird, as black as a crow, with a wingspan of maybe six feet. I have no idea what sort of bird it was. If you know what sort of bird it might be, please leave a comment. Unfortunately I was not able to get a picture of any of these animals.

Eleven miles into my ride I was on PA-209 which had a moderate amount of traffic and usually a usable shoulder. I stopped at Dingmans Ferry and considered crossing the river and turning back (I was still tired from the previous day's ride), but it was only 11:00 so I decided to continue until at least Milford. When I arrived at Milford just before noon I decided to continue to Port Jervis. At about 12:30 I crossed the Delaware River into New York. Because I had used google street view when I created my route I knew to ride the sidewalk in order to avoid the open grates of the Pike Street Bridge.

Pike Street Bridge

Looking south into the Delaware Water Gap from the Pike Street Bridge

I stopped at a fountain in Port Jervis to rest and enjoy a snack.

After leaving Port Jervis I almost immediately crossed from New York into New Jersey as I entered River Road which had a excellent surface, little traffic, and lots of green. I saw three horses grazing, and thought about how much work horses have to do in order to eat.

The beautiful conditions of River Road continued as I entered Old Mine Road at the Milford crossing. But at mile 55.5 my route instructed me to turn right to continue on Old Mine Road which was now gravel. I didn't know for how long the gravel would continue, but my map showed what appeared to be options to get off Old Mine Road, one in about a quarter mile and another in about a mile. I took a chance and continued on Old Mine Road.

The start of the gravel on Old Mine Road

After riding three quarters of a mile on gravel, without having encountered any sign warning me, I saw that Old Mine Road came to a dead end.

The dead end of Old Mine Road

After retracing my path on the gravel of Old Mine Road I found a new route that would allow me to continue. I reconnected with my route at mile 67.7, at which point Old Mine Road had a new surface and a grade as high as 13%. I walked up the first three quarters of a mile. After riding the remaining mile up the hill I enjoyed an exciting three-mile descent during which my speed was as high as 31 miles per hour.

For my 4,500-mile solo trip in 2019 I had considered spending a night at Worthington State Forest but forwent doing so because of its distance from the closest restaurant. I wanted see its campsites close to the Delaware River, so at mile 77.7 I turned off onto Campground Road. Two campers I met told me the road was paved all the way through the campground. That turned out to be false, and I rode maybe a half mile on gravel before I rejoined Old Mine Road which became River Road. Starting at mile 80.2, I rode a half mile on the Appalachian Trail on which I crossed from New Jersey back into Pennsylvania. Friends have told me this is not the only section of the AT that consists of sidewalk. I stopped to take a few pictures, including the only selfie of the day.

The Appalachian Trail from New Jersey into Pennsylvania

Looking north into the Delaware Water Gap from the Appalachian Trail

The state line on the Appalachian Trail

As I rode into Stroudsburg past the restaurants I had seen the previous night I again enjoyed the familiarity of riding somewhere known to me. I had hoped to have dinner and enjoy live jazz at the Deer Head Inn but was disappointed to learn they offer dinner and jazz only Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

After a shower, shave, and change of clothes I walked to the Sycamore Grille where I had eaten the night before. Instead of repeating last night's dinner, I had a large spinach salad with grilled chicken, feta, apples, cranberries, and walnuts, accompanied by an enormous serving of sweet potato fries. I forwent having dessert.

On my walk back to my motel I stopped at the Village Farmer and Bakery (aka Apple Pie Bakery) to buy a bag of almonds covered with dark chocolate for my ride home. After packing as much as I could in preparation for the next day, I watched an early episode of Law & Order (one with Lennie Briscoe) and fell asleep about midnight.

Go to OCTOBER 4, 2020 - NEWARK, NJ, TO STROUDSBURG, PA to read about the first day of my trip.

Go to OCTOBER 6, 2020 - STROUDSBURG, PA, TO NEWARK, NJ to read about the third day of my trip.