July 21, 2021 - Monticello, NY, to Port Jervis, NY, and Return
Turnaround: Port Jervis, NY,
Miles: 49.8
Feet climbing per mile: 67
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/71692023
For the second day of this trip I had originally planned to ride a 66-mile loop that would include 14 miles winding along the Delaware River, passing the scenic overlook at Hawk's Nest. (My early plans for my 4,500-mile trip in 2019 included those 14 miles after passing through Port Jervis, but I later decided to not ride so far north through Pennsylvania.) I expected that the ride along the river would be beautiful but I was concerned that it might be unsafe due to the lack of a shoulder. Furthermore I felt tired from the previous day's ride and maybe 66 miles was too much. So I made a plan to ride south to Hawk's Nest that would include only a mile on the potentially dangerous road. After that I would ride to Port Jervis and then return to Monticello. This plan would shorten the ride to about 50 miles.
I wanted to avoid the cramps I had experienced the previous day, so I followed the advice of Tom Reingold to drink pickle juice. I bought a jar of pickles from Mountain Food next to my motel and drank some of the juice and ate a few pickles.
I started my ride at 10:15. For most of the day I was on Route 42, which was beautiful, as you can see in the picture below.
Just as I was thinking that I hadn't seen any wild animals since leaving Garrison, I spotted a deer running into the woods. It was gone before I could take a picture.
As I had expected, Route 97 that I would take to Hawk's Nest was unsafe for riding due to the heavy traffic and lack of a shoulder. I walked uphill opposite traffic for a quarter mile and then rode (also opposite traffic because for a while there was a shoulder on that side of the road) for another fifth of a mile. It started drizzling as I approached Hawk's Nest.
After shooting the video above and taking some pictures I headed to Port Jervis. I was able to ride where I had just walked because I was now descending and was able to ride nearly the speed limit of 35 miles per hour. The rain stopped and the sun came out just as I started to ride. I noticed the immediate improvement in both my mood and the apparent beauty of the world. I thought about what's known as seasonal affective disorder and found it interesting that I could observe the sun's effect on me on a very short time scale.
From Route 97 I turned onto Sleepy Hollow Road. Do you think there's any connection to the album Sleepy Hollow by the Siegel-Schwall Blues Band?
I'm not sure why, but underpasses like the one through which I passed on Sleepy Hollow Road fascinate me.
As you can see in the two pictures above, the sun was now out, making for a gorgeous 2-mile ride close to the Delaware River. When I arrived at Riverside Creamery I told the man who served me that I had been planning to come there for three years because it was on the original route for my 4,500-mile trip in 2019, and that I had been to Port Jervis last October when they were closed. I enjoyed my ice cream while sitting at one of Riverside Creamery's tables close to the river.
Shortly after leaving Riverside Creamery I rode into a park with a beach on the river. As I've done on several of my trips, I took off my shoes and socks and put my feet in the water to be refreshed.
Just before I came to the end of Sleepy Hollow Road I saw a hazard which of course I removed.
Almost immediately after returning to Route 42 I passed a building with a sign that said OPEN. I turned around to see whether I might be able to fill the empty one of my water bottles. I had only 20 miles left to ride but it was hot and I knew there would be a lot of climbing. The building turned out to be a barbershop. The barber gave me a cold bottle of water which I used to fill my bottle. I asked him what he knew about Monticello, which I observed to be an enclave for Hasidic Jews. He told me Monticello used to be a thriving resort town similar to Lake George, but that many businesses had closed. I neglected to ask him when that happened, so I don't know whether it was related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Without me saying anything about ice cream the barber recommended that served by Stewart’s in Monticello. I've stopped at a few Stewart's for Mountain Dew but I had never noticed their ice cream.
For several miles riding north on Route 42 I could see Shingle Kill to my right. The pond shown in the picture below seems to have been created by a dam on the kill.
On my return I passed an old barn that had caught my attention in the morning. Wouldn't it be a great fixer-upper? Imagine the possibilities!
The barber was right about the ice cream at Stewart's, and I will remember that whenever I encounter one of their shops.
After finishing my ice cream I saw another fixer-upper on Broadway, one of the businesses the barber said had closed.
I arrived back at my motel shortly after 5:00, having been out for almost seven hours. It had been a leisurely day, despite the substantial amount of climbing. I walked only to Hawk's Nest, and that for safety reasons.
After a shower, shave, and change of clothes I walked to La Fondita Mexicana. The guacamole contained cilantro, as is often the case, so I passed on that. Would it be so hard to also make guacamole for those of us who love the food but whose genetics create an aversion to cilantro? The chicken enchiladas suizas were the best I've ever had.
Immediately after dinner, as I was signing the credit card slip, I experienced cramps in my right hand. These were the only cramps I would have all day, so maybe the pickle juice had helped.
Walking back to my motel there was a big bright moon. Unfortunately the camera in my iPhone SE (1st generation) was unable to fully capture what I saw.
Before going to dinner I noticed a loose patch of tread on my rear tire. David Finlayson, President of Prestacycle, advised me to use one of their PrestaWrap Tire Boots around the tube. Tom Reingold offered the same advice. I did what they said and also used some Seal-It Super Glue I bought at Family Dollar on my way back from dinner to secure the patch. The picture below shows the loose patch before applying the glue. From now on I will carry Super Glue with me.
Even with the tire boot around my tube I was concerned about my rear tire. I found that Joe Fix It's bike shop, 30 miles away but on my route to Garrison, would open at 8:30 in the morning. I planned to call to see whether they had a tire I could use.
My post about the previous day: July 20, 2021 - Garrison, NY, to Monticello, NY
My post about the next day: July 22, 2021 - Monticello, NY, to Garrison, NY
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