October 11, 2022 - New Hamburg, NY, to Hudson, NY
End: Hudson, NY
Miles: 52.8
Feet climbing per mile: 43
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/105310559
I left home at 9:24 to catch the 9:43 Metro North train from Grand Central to New Hamburg. Just before boarding the train I spoke with the conductor and asked whether bikes were allowed on outbound peak trains, despite the official prohibition. He said that they were, so I could have taken a train earlier than 9:43, which was the first non-peak train. He told me the car at the head of the train was the best for bikes. By the time I boarded that car it was 9:42. Next time I will leave home 30 minutes before my train is scheduled to depart.
I had planned this three-day trip last January, a month before I started to experience the health problems (stiffness from inflammation) I described in Health Report - September 13th, 2022. My original plan was to ride from Garrison, which would have been 71 miles to Hudson. I was still dealing with the stiffness from inflammation and my longest ride since last November was only 40 miles, just two weeks ago, so I thought that reducing the distance by taking the train farther north would be a smart thing to do. Furthermore I wanted to be sure to arrive before sunset which would be at 6:21. The train would arrive in New Hamburg at 11:21 so I'd have seven hours to ride 53 miles.
As soon as I started riding from New Hamburg I noticed clicking at regular intervals that seemed to be coming from my drive train. I checked the adjustment of my rear derailleur and determined that wasn't the source of the problem. Because of the length of the intervals between the clicks and because I had installed a new chain the previous day, I guessed that the chain might be the culprit. I saw that one side of the master link was not connected properly. I easily fixed the problem and was on my way. I'm glad I followed my rule of Zero Tolerance for Anomalies which you can find in Aphorisms and Exhortations. If the chain had separated it could have gotten tangled in the spokes of my rear wheel and done serious damage to my bike or to me.
There was moderate traffic for the first 42 miles, but the surfaces of the roads were excellent and usually there was a useable shoulder. I was never overwhelmed by the traffic, but I did find the noise tiring. Throughout the day I enjoyed the varied colors of the trees.
Three hours into my ride I stopped at the Stewart's in Red Hook to enjoy a black raspberry ice cream cone.
After riding 42 miles I finally found myself out in the country with little traffic.
As I was riding by a man putting the finishing touches on his paved driveway, I yelled, "That looks great". He replied, "Do you want to help?".
About a mile before I reached my hotel I saw a wonderful fixer-upper. It's seen better days, but with a little work it could be a great place to live.
I arrived at my hotel at 4:32, almost two hours before sunset. The climbing had been minimal. Having ridden my longest ride since last November I was tired but felt good.
I was pleased to discover that the St. Charles Hotel was better than I had expected. It's an old hotel, and I had thought it might be somewhat stuffy, but my room had obviously been renovated and was both clean and spacious.
After a shower and a shave I walked the entire length of Warren Street to check out the restaurants. I was surprised to see many of them closed, as were all of the many art galleries. The town of Hudson seemed deserted and was less charming than I had imagined. Maybe during the summer there would be more activity.
Eventually I decided I would have dinner the next night at American Glory, an attractive restaurant specializing in BBQ and also offering psychiatric help for just 5 cents.
For this night I chose to eat at La Mision, a Mexican restaurant close to the St. Charles. The black bean soup, chicken enchiladas, and flan were all delicious. Because I'm a wimp with spicy food, I appreciated my waitress's statement that since I could handle the salsa I would have no problem with the red sauce on my enchiladas.
On my walk I had noticed that the train tracks near my hotel were rather wavy (beyond the steps in the picture), and I wondered whether they were still in use.
After returning to my room I thought about my plan for the next day to ride to and from Albany, a distance of 70 miles if I were to ride north on the east side of the Hudson and south on the west side. I learned that there was an Amtrak train running between Albany and Hudson, which would allow me to cut my ride by more than half if I were to take it from back from Albany. After watching a few episodes of Law & Order, amazingly none of which I had seen before, I fell asleep about midnight.
Next day: October 12, 2022 - Hudson, NY, to Albany, NY, and Return
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