June 21, 2025 - Palenville, NY, to Poughkeepsie, NY
End: Palenville, NY
Miles: 48.2
Feet climbing per mile: 56
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/299047237
I slept until about 9:30, swam in the pool when it opened at 10:00, and started my ride at 10:30. Given how hot and humid it was going to be perhaps it would have been smarter to leave earlier, but then I wouldn't have had such a good night's sleep or a swim in the pool. I had no cramps at all the second night of this trip.
After departing I was soon on the beautiful High Falls Road shown below.
What's the meaning of that sign? Does it refer to young horses? Do children in that neighborhood look like horses?
It was only for a mile and a half, but what a treat it was to ride on the fresh asphalt of Blue Mountain Road!
I took the picture below at mile 11.7 because I wondered whether I would need to walk the climb which looked much steeper than the picture suggests. I did not need to walk.
At mile 16.5 I turned right rather than left on Sawkill Road and followed it for four tenths of a mile. This was the beginning of the detour I created the previous night in order to avoid the six miles of Sawkill Road with traffic in both directions and no shoulder. I followed the first day of this trip.
At mile 18.8 I discovered a Stewart's so of course I stopped to enjoy a scoop of their ice cream, black raspberry. Yes, the single scoop looks lonely in that large cup.
The main part of the detour around Sawkill Road was route 28, a four-lane road with fast traffic and no tree cover. But it did have a generous shoulder and I was descending fast for the entire five miles. I also enjoyed seeing the rock formation shown in the video below.
The tugboat I encountered at mile 28.3 has seen better days.
Here's the bridge over Roundout Creek at mile 28.6. Bridges get my attention even when they're not outstanding. Or are bridges always outstanding?
Here's the view I had looking southwest down Roundout Creek. I think it's rather wide to be called a creek.
At mile 34.1 I saw the waterfall for Dashville Hydro.
I was concerned that route 213 from mile 27.1 to 34.2 had at most a tiny shoulder, but fortunately there was little traffic.
Cow Hough Road has a beautiful surface and plenty of tree cover, but three times I had to walk short distances when the grade got above 10% between mile 34.2 and 35.9.
Do you think ugly apples actually taste better?
Twin Star Orchards, which I passed at mile 38.8, seems to think so. Too bad I didn't stop at Brooklyn Cider House to find out.
At mile 43.2 I had a good view of Illinois Mountain.
At mile 46.1 I exited the Empire State Trail. As a result I had to do some climbing that could have been avoided if I had stayed on the trail. Next time I'll know.
At mile 46.7 I stopped at The Frozen Caboose and thought I was ordering lemon ice cream but it turned out to be lemon Italian ice. I would have much preferred Queen of Hearts (deep chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and raspberry swirl), which I had on a previous trip in 2021.
I had crossed the Walkway Over the Hudson once before, in 2020. I also stopped at the Frozen Caboose that day.
This was my view looking south down the Hudson.
Below is the view I had from the elevator at the east end of the walkway.
The elevator was noisy so there's a good reason the operator was wearing those ear muffs. I suspect they're similar to the ones worn by people working outside at airports.
I arrived at the Poughkeepsie Metro North station at 4:30 and caught the 4:56 train to Grand Central. This was the same train a large group of cyclists on an annual ride were taking back to Manhattan. The cyclist sitting next to me said that they had informed Metro North that they would be taking that train and that two cars had been added to the train to accommodate all the cyclists.
We arrived at Grand Central about 7:00. Rather than riding all the way home I took the S train to Times Square and then the 1 train to 28th Street. From there I had one-minute ride to my home.
* * *
On this trip I rode a total of 132.6 miles and climbed an average of 56 feet per mile. The scenery was never spectacular, but I was happy to be riding on country roads with good surfaces, mostly little traffic, and many trees. I enjoyed riding on some roads I had taken before but mostly the roads were new to me. The weather was mostly hot and humid with no rain. I was comfortable staying two nights at the Red Ranch Inn, and loved swimming in its pool all three days. I had no cramps while riding, which I attribute to drinking plenty of water with my homemade electrolyte powder.
During the trip I wondered why I saw few mountains. One can see on the map below, which shows the roads I followed for the three days of the trip, that I was always east of the significant mountains.
Previous day: June 20, 2025 - Palenville, NY, to Cairo, NY, and return
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