Covid Cross Day #1 Brooklyn, NY to Chester, NY

Covid Cross Day #1
June 1, 2020

Brooklyn, NY to  Chester, NY - 76.8 Miles

Start 7:19 AM Finish 5:01 PM
Ride Time 8:20

Ascent 3649 Feet

Descent 3234 Feet

Tour Total 81.7 Miles
Details at: http://cyclemeter.com/3f1ef27914a4c684/Cycle-20200601-0719-13319

I dedicate this journal to my mom who passed away in December. She relished travel and was an active hiker.

I have never been so nervous about beginning a bike tour. The country is ripping apart at the seams because of racial injustice and COVID. I’m worried that this trip might not be a good idea. I’m concerned about my personal safety and fear that I could get stuck somewhere. I’m worried about my home, friends, neighbors, and my dog Blanka. Will I be able to return to my life as planned when the tour is over?

Last night I slept OK in my big comfy bed and woke up early. Everything was packed and ready. I had double-checked all of my equipment. Blanka had been brought to Mehiko and Fernando’s the night before. My home felt empty without her. I always feel guilty about leaving her. I brewed myself a cappuccino and made some oatmeal for breakfast. My friend Myk would be joining be on my first day. Myk and I had planned for a 7 AM start, which became 7:15.

While taking a selfie in front of my house, my phone fell to the sidewalk and cracked the screen protector. Not a great start. We left Brooklyn and crossed into Manhattan over the Williamsburg bridge, which had been closed the night before because of the massive protests and demonstrations. It was Monday morning and the city was slowly coming to life. Everyone was wearing masks. The air was chilly and I was wearing my sweater, shorts, and short sleeve jersey. I was nervous to be riding fully-loaded and clipped into my pedals in city traffic. Myk could sense that I was anxious.

We circled over to the East River bike path and rode down towards the bottom tip of Manhattan, passing underneath the magnificent Brooklyn Bridge. I would be seeing more traces of John Roebling in the coming days. It was cold riding in the shade. We rode around the battery where the ACA Chicago to NYC route began. The path along the Hudson River ran alongside the West Side Highway. Hudson River Park features a beautiful bike trail with trees and lush plants. We were joined by numerous cyclists and joggers out for their morning exercise. A dog walker yelled at us to get back in the bike lane but we couldn’t resist riding along the river’s edge.

We headed north towards the George Washington Bridge which would take us to New Jersey. There’s a steep hill climbing up from the river to the bridge deck and I had to use my lowest gear. I met a cyclist on the bridge who asked where I was going. When I replied Oregon, he mentioned that a couple years ago he had cycled to Key West. He wished me a safe ride and told me to be safe. Myk was riding with his tent strapped to his rear rack, and a sleeping bag and sleeping pad in a front basket. He was carrying his remaining gear in a backpack. He said that all the cyclists were checking out my rig but were ignoring his. I’ve known Myk for 32 years, and we’ve done a lot of cycling around the city together. He had originally considered doing the entire tour with me.

The suburban sprawl began immediately on the New Jersey side. We pedaled up Highway 9W alongside the Palisades Interstate Parkway. There was quite a bit of motor traffic but we had a wide 12 foot shoulder. It was a beautiful day to be out riding under the trees, and the sense of freedom made it clear why I was doing this. This route is well traveled by day cyclists and is the New York Grand Fondo route. There were large yellow ‘Share the Road’ signs.

After only ten miles in New Jersey, we re-entered New York. I documented both the New York and New Jersey state signs. At this point I noticed that my odometer was recording in kilometers. I had reset the computer since my January Carreterra Austral tour and suspect that the device had a mind of its own. I once again reset it, zeroing the count and losing the 47 kilometers. My odometer reading would now be 30 miles short. We stopped at the 9W Market cafe, where a sign read that masks were required. I ordered an egg and bacon sandwich and a red Gatorade, and we sat out front on the curb. Riding through Nyack, I noticed beautiful blooming flowers and rosebushes in people’s front yards.

Around noon I began to notice the increased flow of cyclists heading back towards the city. A female cyclist asked how far I was going. When I replied Oregon she questioned, Really? I spotted BLM chalked on the shoulder of old Mountain Road. The sun came out and I got toasty. The first hill from river level to upper Nyack was 500 feet. I stopped to remove my sweater and apply sunscreen. We passed a Covid testing site in Haverstraw. There was road construction so we took the bumpy sidewalk. Myk’s box of cheese sticks bounced out of his basket and onto the pavement.

After West Haverstraw the route cut west away from the Hudson River towards Pennsylvania. The climbing soon began and I knew from my maps that it was an 1100 foot hill. I had my first deer sighting, a nearly full grown doe. I used my lowest gear to get up the hill. I turned around and saw Myk walking his bike. I passed a roadside memorial decorated with butterflies and thought about the white cross roadside memorials in Montana.

We entered Harriman State Park and I remembered the selfie I had taken in front of the welcome sign two years ago while prepping for my Trans Am tour. After the uphill and onto a flat, I passed fishermen roadside at Lake Welch. At one point we encountered Road Closed barricades stretching across the road. I ducked under the chain while Myk rode around. I asked an oncoming cyclist if the road was open up ahead. He replied that he didn’t think so. Not so reassuring. The road was gorgeous and was devoid of motor traffic. I spotted other cyclists and a few walkers. I started a young doe.

At the other end of the park we proceeded through the barricade and crossed under I-87 NY State Thruway. We found ourselves on busy Route 17 which had four lanes of traffic. We stopped at a Valero station where I purchased cashews and a red Gatorade. A motorist sporting a New York Giants mask pulled up in a ginormous SUV pick-up truck. A few miles down Highway 17 I realized that I had missed the turn off and we were off route. I decided to keep going and cut back on Highway 17 M to Monroe where we would pick up the Orange Heritage Trail.

In Monroe I noticed numerous Hasidic families out enjoying the day. I located the rail trail, which was gorgeous. It was perfectly flat asphalt under a tree canopy. The views of the rolling hills in the distance were breathtaking. A few miles down the trail I encountered a family of Hasidim standing completely blocking the trail. I shouted, “Watch out! I’m carrying a heavy load”. It was just like my neighborhood back in Brooklyn.

We pulled into Chester where an old railway station stood alongside the trail. It was a small town, and except for the Wheel House, all of the food options in the historic center were closed. We pedaled over to the sprawl in search of food. We purchased a six pack of Fat Tire Ale and several Stella tall boys at the ShopRite, and sat out front at the picnic table. I was over-enthusiastic opening a bottle with my Leatherman and cracked the glass mouth. It was terrifying drinking from the sharp broken edge. I got a distressing report from NYC regarding the protests and looting. Myk told me about his sheep skin cloud theory.

We stopped at Sabor a Casa where I ordered a shrimp burrito. We sat at a table out front and continued to enjoy our beer. It started to get chilly so I put on my rain jacket and leg-warmers. After dinner we back-tracked a mile back down the rail trail to where we had noticed a nice spot for stealth camping. After setting up our tents I noticed a nearby CCTV camera on the trail. It was dark and there were fields to one side and train tracks and distant houses to the other. There was considerable noise from nearby I-84. Myk and I sat on the asphalt trail and enjoyed our last cans of beer. In addition to the stars up above, the 5/8 moon was waining, casting moon shadows.

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