November 15, 2021 - New York, NY, to Danbury, CT

Start: New York, NY
End: Danbury, CT
Miles: 65.8
Feet climbing per mile: 75
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/78605751

I was up at 7:30 and out the door at 8:30 for a short ride to Penn Station where I would catch an A train to Washington Heights. When I was near Penn Station my hands felt cold so I decided to return home to get my warmest gloves. By the time I returned to Penn Station it was 8:45.

I had planned this trip to last five days, spending Monday night in Danbury, CT, Tuesday and Wednesday nights in Hillsdale, NY, and Thursday night in Brewster, NY. The weather forecast showed temperatures during riding hours (8:00 to 4:00) ranging from 32 to 64 degrees Fahrenheit. That range of temperature requires an enormous variation in clothing, so I decided that on Wednesday, the only day forecast to be lower than 40, I would wait to ride until the temperature rose to 40 (probably about 10:00). Wednesday's ride would be a loop starting and ending at my motel in Hillsdale, so the ride could be whatever I wanted it to be. I therefore planned on a range of temperature from 40 to 64, still quite large but easier to manage.

After arriving at the subway station in Washington Heights I used the bathroom in the adjoining bus station. I was finally on the road at 10:00, which was an hour later than I had wished it to be. While I was on the subway I realized there might be an easier route to the Henry Hudson Bridge than the one I had planned. I used Google Maps to find an alternate route which I then followed.

I entered Yonkers Avenue at mile 8.1. Previously I've taken the sidewalk for this 0.3 mile section of Yonkers Avenue and should have done so again. The traffic was fast and the drivers were aggressive.

Almost 15 miles into my ride I saw the beautiful tree in the picture below. Throughout the week I would see lots of fall colors.

Almost immediately after seeing the red tree I stopped to bless with holy water the rock behind the sign for the Stations of the Cross Prayer Garden.

Less than a mile later I stopped at the Starbucks in Scarsdale to enjoy a brownie and hot chocolate. I saw an empty seat at a community table next to a wall against which I could lean my bike. As I parked my bike I recognized one of my fellow Feldenkrais practitioners sitting across from where I would sit. Inge Unger and I were both surprised to see each other in Scarsdale. I told Inge about my trip and she told me she was on an errand in the neighborhood. What a pleasant surprise to run into my friend!

At mile 32 Farms Road was closed for construction just as it had been on my ride to Danbury last January 5th.

Actual ride in red, planned route in blue

The detour, which added about 3 miles to my ride, was through the beautiful scenery in the picture below.

June Road

About 38 miles into my ride I stopped on Mill Road to take another picture showing the fall colors.

Mill Road

The one-mile section of Silver Spring Road starting at mile 48.4 was indicated on my route as unpaved. Fortunately its surface was firmly packed gravel, so I was able to ride it without trouble, but I did take it easy. This one-mile section of unpaved road extends across a corner of New York State. I suspect it would be paved if the boundary between New York and Connecticut were moved so that the road was in Connecticut.

Silver Spring Road

I was feeling tired 50 miles into my ride so I decided to deviate from my route at mile 55 to stop at another Starbucks. Unfortunately it was closed, even though it was only 4:15. It was only 4:15, but sunset was at about 4:30 so I soon found myself riding in the dark, with plenty of traffic. Some of the drivers were blinding me with their high beams. Three times I had to stop because I couldn't see anything. After getting away from the traffic, I heard a woman in a car say, "I'm so nervous for you!". I arrived at Maron Hotel & Suites shortly after 5:30, a full hour after sunset. It was pitch black.

I had booked my room at Maron Hotel & Suites (the same hotel at which I stayed last January 5th and 6th on a three-day ride) through hotels.com because it offered a lower price than on the website of the hotel. The least expensive option was an accessible room with a king bed, so I reserved that, thinking that when I checked in I would say I didn't need an accessible room. I forgot to tell them, and when I entered my room I was surprised that it was a suite! In addition to a bedroom with a king bed there was also a living room, and each of those rooms had a TV. When I spoke with someone at the front desk the next day I was told that many people did exactly what I had done, and that the hotel is required by law to give a discount for accessible rooms.

When I started planning this trip I had thought that I might take 2-hour train rides between Grand Central Terminal and Danbury and ride Tuesday through Thursday for three days rather than five. But when Phil Igyarto, a friend from high school, told me he would be near Danbury on Monday and could meet me for dinner, I decided to forgo the train. Phil met me in the lobby of the hotel and we walked across the street to have dinner at Stanziato's.

Phil and I attended Lane Technical High School from 1968 through 1972. We've been in touch on Facebook for the last few years but hadn't seen each other since we graduated, so it had been at least 49 years. We were both on the football team as freshman. You can see us in the picture below which appeared in the 1969 yearbook. I don't know who drew the antennae on my head but I think I was the one who wrote "NO. 1" on my jersey. 

Lane Tech Freshman Football Team Fall of 1968

At dinner Phil told me he played football at Lane for two years or maybe a little longer. My career lasted only through the fall of 1968. I went to the school doctor for a physical before practice in the spring of 1969 began. When Doc Briney asked whether I had ever had any serious injuries, I told him I suffered a concussion in second grade. He immediately said, "No more football for you", probably saving my life. Just look at how big some of the other guys are! But given the frequency of concussions in football, Doc Briney could have said, "You're on your way to being a pro!"

Phil said me he didn't remember the day we were sitting in the balcony of the school's auditorium when he told me he was going to learn to play trumpet and invited me to join him. I accepted his invitation and somehow found myself studying trumpet in the section of the school devoted to stringed instruments. I have no idea how or why I went there. I soon abandoned the trumpet, maybe out of frustration for being unable to play the solo at the end of The Continuing Story of Bungalow Bill (I didn't realize trumpet was a B-flat transposing instrument which meant I needed to play in the key of D in order to match the key of C on the record). I tried violin, but found it too small for my fingers. I then switched to string bass because I was performing folk music, singing and playing guitar, and I thought that being able to play bass would be advantageous. That's how I learned to read bass clef and think like a bass player, both of which skills I have found useful in my arranging and composing. I'm grateful to Phil for inviting me to play trumpet. It was a pleasure to reconnect with him after so many years.

Next day: November 16, 2021 - Danbury, CT, to Hillsdale, NY

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