November 16, 2021 - Danbury, CT, to Hillsdale, NY

Start: Danbury, CT
End: Hillsdale, NY
Miles: 70.1
Feet climbing per mile: 62
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/78651878

When I awoke at 6:30 and planned to sleep for another hour but didn't wake again until 8:30. I was on the road at 9:15. It was about 40 degrees and sunny. The first 20 miles I followed the same route I rode last January 6th. I remember that I had to walk Candlewood Lake Road and hoped that this time I might be able to ride it. Maybe it doesn't look very steep in the picture below but the 11% grade was again too much for me. I walked for about a third of a mile at mile 14.

Candlewood Lake Road

I had decided that because of the cold weather I would make more stops than usual. My first stop was at a Starbucks 17.5 miles into my ride. The traffic on Route 7 was rather heavy for a few miles after leaving Starbucks, but soon it lightened up and the scenery was that shown in the videos below.

My second stop was in Kent, 32 miles into my ride. When I asked two women outside of a restaurant whether hot chocolate was served there, one of them recommended I go to Kent Coffee & Chocolate Co. nearby. There I had a hot chocolate and bought a brownie to eat later. Sharon, who, I believe, is the owner, gave me two single-serving packages of UnTapped maple syrup.

Two miles after leaving Kent the horse below would not turn around and pose for me.

On the other hand, two cows were curious about me.

At mile 47 the copper flashing on the roof of a home caught my attention. I presume it will be covered with shingles. But wouldn't it look great if it weren't?

In Millerton, 52 miles into my ride, I stopped at Irving Farm Coffee Roasters. I asked the man who made my hot chocolate about the traffic on Route 22, which Michael Alcamo had recommended I avoid but which would be a shorter route than what I had planned. It was already 3:15, sunset would be at about 4:30, and I still had 18 miles to ride. I did not want to repeat my experience of the previous day riding in the dark. The man who made my hot chocolate said 22 was ok, but he also told me there was a newly-created section of rail trail (not yet on the map) that ran parallel to 22. Because I generally dislike trails I chose to ride 22, but as I was doing so I saw the excellent surface of the rail trail and got on it after three miles on 22.

Unlike many trails, on this rail trail I was able to ride fast. Furthermore the area around the trail was open, so I could enjoy the scenery rather than feel like I was riding through a tunnel.

Harlem Valley Rail Trail

Mileage Marker on the Harlem Valley Rail Trail

While on the rail trail I saw a beautiful sunset.

Even more beautiful was the effect the sunset had on the trees.

I was on the trail for about seven miles, after which I returned to Route 22 for just a mile before entering back roads without traffic that I rode for all but the final quarter mile of the day. About a mile before the end of my ride I heard what I thought was a large flock of birds, maybe in a pond to the west of Yonderview Road. I made an audio recording with my iPhone but it didn't capture well what I heard. Maybe I can find a small microphone to connect to my phone to make better such recordings in the future. Play the video below to hear the recording I made. Can you identify the birds?

I arrived at my destination at 5:00, about 30 minutes after sunset. It was darker than I would have liked but I had avoided riding in pitch black as I had done the day before.

The Holiday House Motel was an old but comfortable place to spend two nights. The room was clean, the bed was firm, there was plenty of hot water, but none of the outlets held the adapters for my charging cables securely. I solved that problem with a roll of paper towels.

After my usual shower, shave, and change of clothes, I walked a quarter mile to Four Brothers Pizza Inn where I had a dinner of a Greek salad and a meatball casserole, both of which were delicious. I was full, so I wisely forwent having dessert.

In Gear Update - April 10, 2021 I wrote about how I installed a snap to close the neck of one of my jackets. I was wearing that jacket on this trip, and in the first two day of the trip had gotten good at snapping the neck shut with my just my left hand while wearing gloves. All sorts of skills are needed for bike tours.

I carry with me sunglasses, goggles, and reading glasses, each of which is stored in a cloth bag that is used for cleaning the lenses. The bags have cinch cords but no cord locks to secure them, so the contents of a bag doesn't always stay in the bag. I had the idea to install a cord lock on each of the cinch cords.

Previous day: November 15, 2021 - New York, NY, to Danbury, CT
Next day: November 17, 2021 - Hillsdale, NY to Lenox, MA, and Return

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