September 27, 2023 - Cold Spring, NY, to Lake Taghkanic State Park, NY

Start: Cold Spring, NY
End: Lake Taghkanic State Park, NY
Miles: 74.1
Feet climbing per mile: 66
Records of the day's rides:
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/135849627
https://ridewithgps.com/trips/135867194

I left home at 7:10 to ride a mile and a half to Grand Central where I caught the 7:39 train arriving in Cold Spring at 9:02. It was sunny but only 52 degrees when I left home. I knew it would get warmer through the day, so I wore my windbreaker over a short-sleeved t-shirt and shorts.

As I was riding to Grand Central I noticed how accustomed I've become to carrying 18 pounds of gear in my three bags and wrote these alternate lines to the song Sixteen Tons:

I carry eighteen pounds, and what do I get?
Another day older but stronger I bet

What might be the next two lines? Please write your suggestions in the comments.

Here's what I added for the two final lines after publication of this post:

Saint Peter, don't you call me 'cause I can't go
I owe my soul to riding the road

See Alternate Lyrics for all the songs I've rewritten.

When I got to the train I asked a conductor which car would be best for my bike. He told me two useful pieces of information:

• Cars with odd numbers have a restroom and extra storage space
• Cars with middle doors have extra storage space and sometimes a restroom

I entered a car with a middle door that had both extra storage space and a restroom. When I used the restroom I noticed that the toilet paper was installed backwards so of course I corrected the installation.

I had initially planned to ride 9D north from Cold Spring, but thanks to Michael Alcamo's suggestion I did not do that. Instead I took Main Street and then Fishkill Road, which immediately put me on a fairly steep hill a half mile long. I was pleased that I did not need to walk it.

At mile 20.4 I rode over Wappinger Creek.

A half mile later I stopped at Stewart's. They have delicious ice cream, but it was too chilly for that so I had a hot chocolate made with Swiss Miss and whole milk. The milk boiled over in the microwave, making a mess. I was surprised how good the hot chocolate tasted.

About two miles after leaving Stewart's I was intrigued by the entrance to Carriage Hill Lane.

As I've written before, I tend to avoid bike trails, but I do enjoy riding them when they are well paved and they allow me to avoid heavy traffic. I thought the Dutchess Rail Trail which I rode for a mile and a half was beautiful.

Dutchess Rail Trail

Shortly before mile 31, I saw a surprising trio of two horses and a cow. What sort of ménage à trois is that?

I neglected to ask the chickens I saw at mile 39 why they crossed the road.

I had included in my route at mile 39.8 the choice of whether to continue on 9G or to take instead Ackert Hook Road. I'm glad I took the latter, which I rode for four beautiful miles.

Ackert Hook Road

I wasn't sure a photo would be sufficient to capture the beauty, so I also took a video.

At mile 43.6 I saw what I think was a turkey vulture. Does that seem right? Please post your thoughts in the comments.

I stopped at Gary's Dairy & Deli at mile 44.7. I had planned to have ice cream but since they had only pints I chose a brownie instead, which I enjoyed at their picnic table.

Late in my ride, at a location I haven't been able to determine, I saw a man using a leaf blower on his lawn. As I rode past I looked at him and shook my head. He said something in response that I think might have been "Get out of here!".

Just as I thought I was only a few miles from my campsite, I encountered a gravel road at mile 63. It well well packed so I proceeded.

After riding a very short distance I saw that the road was flooded.

Furthermore I was prohibited from entering. More importantly, even if I could get past the flooded portion of the road immediately in front of me, I thought there might be further trouble ahead.

I backtracked and found another entrance to the park at mile 65.2, although it required me to enter contrary to the signs.

Photo from Google Street View

The park entrance cited in the green sign seen in the picture above is a tenth of a mile north on the Taconic Parkway, on which bicycles are not permitted. There's no shoulder at all in that stretch of the Parkway, but I guess I could have ridden it anyway or walked my bike on the grass off to the side.

Photo from Google Street View

I neglected to take a picture of the Lake Taghkanic State Park sign (maybe I never saw it) but I found the picture below online.

When I checked in at the park office I was told by the ranger that bears were rare in this park but raccoons were common, and that putting food and anything else with a scent in a bag and tying the bag from the branch of a tree was advised.

I arrived at my campsite at 4:40. I set up my tent in 25 minutes, noticing that one of the lines on the tent needed to be replaced (which I did after returning home). I moved my sleeping gear into the tent and then showered, shaved, and changed my clothes.

I departed for dinner at 5:55, an hour and ten minutes after arriving. The three-and-half mile ride to Jo Jo's Pizzera took just 15 minutes, so I arrived at 6:10, well before sunset. On my way there I saw three deer crossing the road. They were gone before I could take a picture.

At Jo Jo's I found a table where I could park my bike. The man behind the counter said "Dinner for two?" and I started to say "Just one" until I realized his joke. I enjoyed a Caesar salad followed by chicken parmigiana with ziti, along with a Mtn Dew.

It was completely dark as I left Jo Jo's at 7:15. I was glad for the adequate shoulder, the lack of traffic, and the almost-full moon with a clear sky. Because of the climbing, the return trip of 3.7 miles took half an hour. I had thought that with my belly full from dinner I might need to walk the steepest hill, but I was surprised that I did not need to do so.

After I returned from dinner I blew up my air mattress and air pillow, put the pillow case on the air pillow and my light sleeping bag liner around the air mattress, and opened up my sleeping bag. I had the following thought, which is my newest entry in Aphorisms and Exhortations:

Setting up a campsite is a lot more work than checking in to a motel.

In the middle of the night I thought I heard a critter sniffing around outside my tent, although the sound might have come from my rustling of my sleeping bag. When I heard scratching outside I started yelling "Go away!". I got out of my tent and saw what might have been a raccoon scamper off. Several minutes later I heard the banging of a garbage can.

A few days before leaving on this trip the forecast did not include any rain, but by the day I left, Wednesday, rain was forecast for Friday. Wednesday night the forecast was showing rain starting 3:00 a.m. Friday morning and continuing throughout the day. Furthermore the temperature would be in the low to mid 50s. The ground was already soaked from recent rains, so I knew that Friday morning my campsite would be a muddy mess. I had previously packed up my campsite when it was raining, but that's when the temperature was in the high 60s.

I didn't sleep well that night, both because of the cold (down to 40) and being disturbed by the critter. So in the middle of the night I got on my phone to look for a motel where I could stay Thursday night. I found Jenny's Country Manor Lodge which would put me just 25 miles from the Poughkeepsie train station. I knew that I had the right clothes to be comfortable riding that distance in even heavy rain in the low to mid 50s. I also found Cider Bros Roadhouse where I could have dinner two miles from Jenny's. I went back to sleep knowing that I would not be packing up my campsite in the cold rain.

Next day: September 28, 2023 - Lake Taghkanic State Park, NY, to Lafayetteville, NY

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