New York-Boston-Hillside-New York Ride: Trip Digest

Just got back yesterday from my trip.  One of the most enjoyable ones
I've taken.  Day 1, I rode to Boston via the mainland (no ferry). 
Perfect, warm weather.  Passing through Brookline, I stopped outside of
Hellenic College then proceeded to Cambridge.  Got some extra spokes from
a shop on Mass. Av., ate.  (Mi. 246.3).  Was going to go to an Open House
but someone had forgotten to reserve the room.  Spent the day mostly along
the Charles River alternating riding and working out on the outdoor gym
there; very nice.  Next day I ride to Westfield, which, as the name
suggests, is west of Springfield, Mass.  A few hills and a very scenic
ridge, but no Berkshires yet.  Sturbridge was the typical tourist town,
but a nice place to stop and have a few burgers.  Get a motel room in
Westfield; the proprietor is of German descent but comes from what is now
Poland (not too different from Victor's origins); her mother was sent to
Auschwitz.  Check-in took a long time as she related tales of how she
survived during forced relocations of World War II.  (Mi. 365.9).

Next day I head west;  soon leaving US 20 (which I had taken from Boston)
and getting on Mass. Rte. 23.  This road enters the Berkshires with no
delay, immediately ascending along a 5-mile stretch and then passing
various ski areas and small towns.  Stop in the small town of Monterey
where I get water from the village hall and use the WC, then realize there
is also a water fountain in the field behind the village hall.  Soon I
descend out of the Berkshires (um, that's it?) and go through a valley to
Great Barrington, which I went through in 1989 en route to Canada.  A mile
or so of ascending and descending near the New York State line and then
just rolling hills; I stop at the public library in Hillsdale and peruse
some of their books on the local history of the area.  For a long time I
had thought of stopping at some local library in a small town, and now I
did it.  Librarian was very helpful.  I was making good time so I was
still on schedule as I left Hillsdale.  Cross the Hudson and consider
going down 9W like on the way back from Canada, but the road I'm on (23)
is a quiet, scenic 4-lane road going through forests and skirting the top
of the Catskills.  Interesting village names, too, like Cairo and Acra. 
(Mile 450.3).

Next day, Rte. 23 ascends over 7 continuous miles into the Catskills, as
spectacular views reminiscent of the area south of Lamia in Greece unfold
below.  At the top is Windham, shrouded in mists and 42-degree (5.5
Celsius) temperature (this, in July!).  On the top of a hillside is the
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church, with its banners advertising "Greek
Festival, Opa opa yiasou!".  Rather than go down the other side of a
mountain, the road enters a valley which gradually becomes apparent, along
with the small creek that presumably eroded it from the mountains.  Stop
at an ATM; they want a $1.50 surcharge for a withdrawal; I have enough
money anyway so I cancel the transaction (these fees would apply until I
found a Bank of NY in Dover, NJ, when almost back in Kew Gardens).  Get to
Grand Gorge around 9, where there is a deli/pizza place owned by a Middle
Eastern guy.  Nice place, and he says it opens at 6, which I'll keep in
mind since all the other places after Cairo were closed.

From Grand Gorge I ascend a small half-mile hill, not even needing to use
my triple chainwheel (i.e. lowest gears) and then the downgrade begins;
note a small stream which gets larger.  Downhill continues; it seems like
this will continue for all of the 55 miles to Hancock, NY on the Delaware
River (i.e. Grand Gorge is on a divide).  It wasn't a continuous downhill,
but the uphills were matched by greater downhills.  Reach the Delaware
River in Margaretville; it's just a stream up here.

In Hancock I stop at a Rite Aid and get some supplies, including film and
batteries for my tape recorder/diary.  I know that once in Pennsylvania
there will be few if any stores.  (I was here a few years ago).  Cross a
small bridge over the Delaware and enter Pennsylvania.  They have a new
Welcome to Pennsylvania sign that includes their web site:
http://www.state.pa.us.  Now if only they could fix those potholes...

Pass Camp Block (where I had visited a friend in the early '90's, enter
Susquehanna County, and leave the familiar route at Pa. Rte. 171.  This
road has the appetizing warning sign:  Fresh Oil and Chips -- apparently
meaning that the road was recently repaved.  The last light of dusk faded
as I made good time along the smooth, nearly deserted road.  Unlike
previous nights, there was no moon (the ride started with a full moon,
which then became gibbous).  The forecast from the Weather Channel in
Massachusetts (at the motel I stayed in) had noted torrential rains in NY
on the clear day I crossed the Catskills, but the next day some rain was
expected due to the remains of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Danny "in the
Scranton, PA area" -- i.e. here.  Getting to the top of Rte. 171 (or what
I thought was the top) I looked for Rte. 547 and my destination which was
only about 7 miles away now.  Asked directions as the sign was not there,
was directed up Rte. 92 (starting with a very steep 1st-gear hill); went
down again after a while since I couldn't find 547.  Asked directions from
someone who seemed like he knew what he was talking about; at least he
knew where Gibson (my destination) was; you'd think that it would be
common knowledge, with the center of Gibson being 5 miles from here.  He
said that the elusive 547 split off from 92 about a mile out of town, so I
went back up the monster hill and did find a route splitting off to the
right as he said, but it was Rte. 1003, not 547, so I skipped it.  No one
seemed to know about Hillside Campground.

Upon entering the Jackson area I stopped to take stock of the situation,
since I had passed through Jackson on 171 and did not want to go
backwards, not to mention in circles.  The rain begins, then stops.  I
note that the second guy I had asked had said that 171 continues from
there (Susquehanna village) to I-81 and US 11 in Halstead.  That is the
route I took last year when going here (just from NY, not Boston); but was
told that 547 is much shorter.  So I decide to go back down 92 yet again,
and get on 171.  Entering Great Bend Township I wonder if this road is
going to take me back into NYS, but it is actually following the
Susquehanna west on a little bend it takes (or a Great Bend, if you're
naming townships).  Get to Halstead and see the familiar US 11; stop at a
deli in New Milford and from there it is only 6 showery miles to Hillside
Campground.  A longer route, but it gets me there (Mi. 613.9). 

Spent five days there, got in tons of wrestling from Thurs. AM to Mon. 
AM, then rode back; used the lower portion of 547 to take 10 miles and one
mountain pass off the return route compared with last year; but I did not
follow 547 the other way to see if it gets to 92 or not.  These are the
"Endless Mountains", an appropriate name.  It was occasionally showery
until I cross a mountain pass into the Poconos.  In the vicinity of St.
Tikhon's monastery, which is also here, I play my tape of Selected Hymns
from the Divine Liturgy which was recorded for me by a friend in Boston in
1991.  Ahead of schedule, I decide to take a longer route than last year,
and enter Montague Township, NJ -- "The Top of NJ"  (or the tip).  Gets
very hot very quickly -- I'm not that far north anymore, and lost lots of
altitude also.  Cross one last big mountain between Sparta and Dover, NJ. 
In Dover I find that Bank of NY fee-free ATM, and a Burger King to
replenish food and fluid; well, that's actually in Rockaway, NJ. I can see
the Palisades (the back of it) and the top of the World Trade Center's
twin towers just above it, though it's still about 30 miles away. Make
very good time till I get out of Paterson and end up heading towards
Newark; get back on track via scenic River Rd.  (Bergen County 507);
Bergen County's roads are much better in terms of signage than Passaic
County's. The Palisades get closer, then I'm there;  go up the steep hill
(one last steep hill) into Fort Lee, where Martha Washington Blvd. leads
to the bridge named after her husband; take a photo (finishes the roll)
and pass through my old neighborhood (Washington Heights/172 St.) en route
to Queens.  Cut through Flushing Meadows Corona Park and soon enter Kew
Gardens and get home.  Notice how big the puppies have grown (all 5 of
them) during the time I was away.  Measure heart rate; it doesn't go below
72, reflecting days of hard riding; I'll see how long it takes to return
to the 30's :-) (Next day, it goes to 48).

Total mi.: 811.53.