June 2, 2021 - High Falls, NY, to Pine Hill, NY

Start: High Falls, NY
End: Pine Hill, NY
Miles: 41.9
Feet climbing per mile: 90
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/68452916

I don't remember what time I woke but it must have been by 7:00 due to the sun streaming into the guest room in which I slept. Tom set up his work stand outside so that we could investigate the click I had experienced the previous day.

Tightening the cranks did not eliminate the click, so the next step was to tighten the adjustable cup of the bottom bracket in order to eliminate the excess play I had discovered. Tom attempted to loosen the lock ring securing the adjustable cup but was unable to do so with the hook tool he had. We quickly decided to leave well enough alone. I was confident that I could complete my trip without eliminating the clicking.

Tom had removed the rear wheel in preparation for working with the bottom bracket. Removing the rear wheel is not necessary to work on the bottom bracket, although it can be helpful in that it allows easier access. In this case it was fortuitous that it was removed. After I reinstalled the rear wheel I spun it around and heard a slapping noise with every rotation. I saw that a flap of the tread was hitting the rear brake. The tire was shot! Fortunately Tom had a spare of exactly the right size and in excellent condition. I installed the spare on the rear wheel and then noticed that the condition of my front tire was substantially less than that of the tire now on the rear. I removed both tires and swapped them between the front and rear wheels.

My rear tire after I removed the flap of the tread

We left Tom's place at about quarter to noon. Almost immediately Tom asked whether I'd like to do an additional short climb. I agreed, but the climb turned out to be longer than I had expected. Living in High Falls, where it's almost impossible to ride anywhere without significant climbing, Tom has become quite a climber.

Our first stop, unplanned, was at Big E's where I had a Mountain Dew and Tom had a brownie. We then headed northwest to the Ashokan Reservoir where we rode about a mile and a half on the Ashokan Promenade. The promenade had been closed when I rode to the reservoir last November 9th.

Entrance to the Ashokan Promenade

At the end of the promenade we saw the Ashokan Reservoir Fountain and then rode a half mile across the reservoir.

Ashokan Reservoir Fountain

Light rain started as we rode west and then north on Route 28. We stopped for snacks at Bread Alone Bakery in Boiceville, twenty-three miles into our ride. Chickens were running about just as they had been when I was there last November 9th.

A half mile after leaving Bread Alone, Tom and I parted, with him returning home and me heading to Pine Hill where I would spend the night with friends. Route 28 to Pine Hill runs roughly parallel to Esopus Creek, crossing the creek several times. In some places I would also see a railroad line running parallel to 28. I love riding along creeks and railroad lines.

Esopus Creek

I turned off Route 28 onto Main Street of Pine Hill. About one tenth of a mile before I would stop riding and walk the rough road into Chelsea Park, I realized my rear tire was flat. I was relieved to see the cause of the flat and that my rear tire itself was ok.

My rear tire and the cause of the flat

After walking a tenth of a mile on Main Street and a quarter mile of rough road into Chelsea Park, I arrived at the home of my hosts for the night, Dick Demenus and Jan Albert.

Dick and Jan also have a home a few blocks from where my wife (Lori) and I live in Manhattan. Lori and Jan met while walking through the neighborhood when they were both pregnant with their daughters. Lori and I had been to Dick and Jan's home in the Catskills thrice: twice when we came to stay with them for a weekend, and once when we attended the wedding of their daughter. Jan played an important role in my biking career (dare I call it that?) when she lent me Juliana Buhring's book This Road I Ride in May of 2016 which inspired me to take my first multi-day trip in more than 40 years (see This Road I Ride in How I decided to ride 4000 miles next summer).

After enjoying the dinner Jan prepared, I tried to make a reservation at the Harvest Inn in Pine Bush where I planned to stay the next night, but the website said there were no available rooms and nobody answered the phone when I called. I then made a reservation at the Super 8 in Montgomery, which would add about 11 miles to the day's ride. I had been looking forward to staying in Pine Bush which I had recently learned was the UFO capital of the world. I had planned to have dinner at The Cup & Saucer Diner. Maybe I would even be abducted and blog about my experience. I would ride through Pine Bush on my way to Montgomery, so there was still a chance for an abduction.

Knowing the cause of the flat I experienced at the end of the day and that the rear tire itself was ok, I planned to replace the inner tube in my rear tire in the morning. I would be riding about 70 miles the next day so I got to bed early enough to be able to rise about 7:00 so I could be on the road about 9:00.

My post about the previous day: June 1, 2021 - Garrison, NY, to High Falls, NY
My post about the next day: June 3, 2021 - Pine Hill, NY, to Montgomery, NY