July 22, 2021 - Monticello, NY, to Garrison, NY

Start: Monticello, NY
End: Garrison, NY
Miles: 72.8
Feet climbing per mile: 63
Records of the day's rides:
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/71760113 (Monticello to Garrison)
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/71766556 (Grand Central Terminal to Home)

After calling Joe Fix It's and learning they had 25mm Continental Gatorskin tires in stock, I compared two possible routes to get there from Monticello. Following the reverse of the route I rode to Monticello on Tuesday would have been 29 miles with 2131 feet of climbing and 3146 feet of descending. Following the route I had originally planned to take back to Garrison would have been 37 miles with 1767 feet of climbing and 2781 feet of descending. I decided to ride the longer route because the reduced climbing and descending would be less stressful to my rear tire. I also knew the longer route would be more scenic.

I started my journey at 9:15. I was glad that it was both sunny and cool, in the 60s. The roads on this route were beautiful, as I had expected. About a half hour into my ride I saw a pair of wild turkeys which ran into the woods before I could take a picture. Shortly thereafter I came across Stephen Crane's Pond.

Like the day before, this day I rode along a kill, this time Bush Kill, which was flowing the same direction in which I was descending.

If you look carefully you can see the kill over my shoulder.

Two hours into my ride I came across another fixer-upper. What do you think would be its best use?

Shortly before I approached the Sonic at mile 29 where I stopped to have a smoothie, route 211 became four lanes with aggressive traffic. The traffic was even worse for the two miles following the Sonic. Google maps had given me a route avoiding all this trouble, but instead I followed this other route. In the future I will remember that if Google maps offers a route longer than a more obvious one, there is probably a good reason.

Having ridden 37 miles I arrived at Trailside Treats Creamery shortly before they opened at 1:00. My plan was to stop for ice cream before heading to Joe Fix It's which was in the same town of Goshen. While waiting for Trailside Treats to open I examined my rear tire and thought it looked good enough to make it to Garrison.

The Ultimate Chocolate was delicious!

After enjoying my ice cream I continued to Monroe. At mile 47.3 the traffic on North Main Street seemed especially heavy, so I found an alternate route on the Gilbert Street Extension which had me riding on a path with signs saying a portion of it was closed. Fortunately I was able to make it to the Orange-Heritage Trail which I rode for three quarters of a mile before reconnecting with my route. I continued to Harriman where I stopped for ice cream at Suzy's Sips & Scoops.

A quarter mile after leaving Suzy's Sips & Scoops, I encountered a half-mile section of River Road that two days before had been torn up in preparation for paving and was still in the same condition. I found an alternate route through Mary Harriman Park. I was then on Route 6 for three miles, half of which was a steep climb. The shoulder was narrower than I'd prefer given the fast, heavy traffic. I wish there were a way to have avoided this section of Route 6. What a relief it was to come to Route 293 with its wide shoulder and light traffic!

Because of signs I had seen two days earlier I was concerned about whether I would be allowed to ride Mine Road (starting at mile 59), but nobody stopped me on its five-mile length, most of which was a descent. Due to the rush-hour traffic it was more challenging than usual to ride through the traffic circle at the west end of Bear Mountain Bridge.

I wanted to enjoy a Mountain Dew on my train ride back to Manhattan, so I called the Garrison Pizza Cafe a little north of the train station and was told they didn't have my favorite biking beverage but they did have root beer in a can. Just before the cafe I saw a gas station and stopped to buy a bottle of Mountain Dew instead of the root beer. I arrived at Garrison at 5:00 and was home shortly after 7:00.

On this three-day trip I rode a total of 184 miles and climbed an average of 77 feet per mile. Although there were some sections of my route that I would prefer to have avoided, most of the roads had light traffic and were surrounded by plenty of trees.

My post about the previous day: July 21, 2021 - Monticello, NY, to Port Jervis, NY, and Return