Day 59 - Harriman State Park to Manhattan 55.2 miles

Our idyllic last night of camping was soon shattered to the sound of engines, kids, scooters and shouting. We appeared to be in the busiest campground in the Appalachians. At least we didn't have to worry about the bears. The noise wore on until 2am; We had a particularly noisy 6am porridge breakfast the next morning in retaliation.

A fantastically fast and steep downhill run out of the mountains to the Hudson greeted us first thing. We reached speeds in excess of 40mph again. From there we joined cycle route 9 which runs straight to New York City. Being a Saturday, all of the weekend riders were out in force, with scores of cyclists passing us each hour in both directions. There were more bikes than cars on the road. Several cyclists rode with us, curious about our travels. Their reactions and congratulations brought home the fact that this was our final day, and we had achieved our goal. The rolling hills passed effortlessly beneath us as we were spurred on to the finish. We almost kept up with the racing cyclists on their carbon bikes.

We crossed Washington Bridge at Fort Lee into Washington Heights, and Manhattan. The contrast in scenery, from mountainous national park to urban metropolis was sharp. Once over the bridge from New Jersey we were truly in the City. The roads were quieter than we expected, and cycling was relatively comfortable, although it got busier the further South we rode.

From behind, sirens screeched out, and we ducked off to the side of the road. A police car and small convoy passed, with three runners being escorted through the city along with several support riders. We shouted encouragement, and the girl running in the group replied "Thanks! Ride with us!" The van behind lowered a window and the passenger reaffirmed the invitation. Sensing an opportunity to join something special, we accepted, and took our place behind the runners. The group stopped for a water break and we said our greetings and told our abbreviated stories. They were running 26 miles for the Run For Hope Foundation doing a 9/11 remembrance run to raise money. They were from New Jersey, and ran from there across the same bridge as us, and were aiming for the World Trade Centre. We joined them along the riverfront.

We met a cycle policeman, a number of retired police officers and serving officers some of whom had served during the 9/11 attacks. It was great to ride and join the escort of the three runners. Maria, who initially shouted to us to join, had herself joined the run in Fort Lee! Not being a runner herself, she jumped straight into a marathon! Remembering my first days running, and struggling to maintain a pace for a matter of minutes, I was in awe of her effort and mental strength to push on.

We joined them past the Intrepid aircraft carrier, seeing views of the Statue of Liberty to our right, and the city to our left. Eventually the World Trade Centre came into view ahead, signalling the finishing straight for our team of runners. They finished together, with a crowd of supporters on the corner. A news agency was accompanying them, and took pictures and film of their feat. We said our respective congratulations, shared details and thanked our friends for letting us share in their accomplishment.

Next order of business; lunch. We sampled the street vendor hot dogs, and sat with views over to the Statue of Liberty. Afterwards, we had the small matter of dipping our wheels to complete our trip. Across the iconic Brooklyn Bridge, which had more people on it than I thought possible, we found a surprisingly quiet park with an outstanding view over the river to Manhattan, and a pebble beach to the water. We dipped our rear wheels and phoned home with the good news.

After lingering for a time to savour the moment, we crossed back over the bridge into Manhattan, and aimed for my friend Nathan's apartment. I met Nathan three years ago in Morocco on an excursion into the Sahara, and was surprised to learn he was in the city and offered us a place to stay. Thankfully he only lived on the first floor of his building, which has only one narrow stairwell to haul the bikes up. He presented us a bottle of Moet, which we drank up on the roof of his building while he described the skyline. After catching up and cleaning up he offered to show us around. We went to a Taiwanese dumpling restaurant for dinner, very authentic, then walked across the city along Broadway towards Times Square. He took us up his office building to a high story overlooking Times Square, and with exceptional views over the city to the iconic buildings.

Afterwards the rain was thundering down, so we took the subway back downtown to his area, and sampled the local bars. The "oldest bar in the city" was trying too hard, but the rest had a good atmosphere. A couple too many beers later and the 55 miles caught up on us.

A final reflective post to follow, likely after we return. 3743 miles in 59 days.

Day 58 - Poughkeepsie to Beaver Pond Campground, Harriman State Park 57 miles

Left over Chinese food for breakfast was nice for a change, and a leisurely morning watching television as the memorial service was not until 11 am. We crossed the Hudson for the second time, and I waited in a cafe whilst Jake and Owen went for a haircut. Our bike pump was broken this morning and, after a long search, there was nowhere to buy a replacement nearby. I found a shop 24 miles away, just off route, and that became our first destination after the service.

On route to the service, we watched a local drop an empty can of beer on the side of the pavement. Owen rightfully picked up the can, and handed it back to the man, who seemed a little taken aback.  He held onto it at least until we were out of sight again.

A hundred or so people were in attendance at the service. Local dignitaries made speeches expressing the sentiment of the day; feelings of sorrow, remembrance, hope and rebirth. The local fire service and police were lined up to the rear, in front of their ladders and fire engines, with their colours proudly displayed in front. A high school choir and orchestra performed the national anthem and other nationalistic songs. The ceremony had a contrast of touching words read out in front of two I beams from the World Trade Centre, and commercialised messages about sponsors and politicians in attendance. One speaker read out all names of the sponsors of the memorial and ceremony, including McDonalds, proceeding to point out the McDonalds nearby. I tried to keep focussed on the memorial during this.

We ate lunch at a local pub, and crossed the Hudson for the third time, thankfully without the driving rain of the night before. Along road 9 W South, the hills were relentless all afternoon. As the road became busier later on, we decided to find an alternate route, as the surface was terrible and the shoulder narrow. Cars were particularly inconsiderate today. today's riding seemed as if the road was throwing everything it could at is to stop us the closer we became to New York City; Gravel piles, deep pot holes, road kill, narrow shoulders, heavy truck traffic and steep hills were in abundance. Despite this we seemed to wing it through unscathed, despite a couple of sketchy junctions (why people can turn left on a red light baffles us still, as an articulated lorry bore down on us as we crossed an intersection).

We reached the bike shop, bought the pump, and aimed for West Point Military Academy. The riverside road around a small mountain was steep but scenic, with views over the Hudson valley to our left, over the precipice at the side of the road. Long winding downhills that we have not experienced in some time were a highlight. We reached West Point Military Academy a little too late to tour the grounds at 4:45 pm, and so we took one last look at the grounds before making for the campsite. It was up hill from there, literally.

21 miles of predominant up hill ground on. We ascended a picturesque valley passing ranges and training areas belonging to the academy for an hour or so before joining route 6 into the Appalachians. Another hour up hill, through heavy forest in the Appalachians crossing the Appalachian Trail, brought us to a view point over a lake. We chatted to a couple of ladies at the top who took a photo for us and discussed routes into New York. A fast downhill, passing lakes and valleys to each side, and a final grinding uphill, and we were at our campground. Tired but feeling good for having some topography for a change. A dinner of spaghetti and meatballs, washed down with a can of Fanta, and a camp fire crackling away made us feel right at home. It feels good to be camping for our final night of the trip, finishing as we began; A fitting end to the adventure.

That's a sad thought.

Day 57 - Albany to Poughkeepsie 79.3 miles

We crossed the Hudson this morning, and followed State Cycle Route 9 South along the river. The road were relatively quiet, with the exception of a couple of sections around more urban areas. An overcast sky brought with it cooler temperatures, and intermittent showers. Rolling hills reminded us of our training rides through Devon, although not quite as severe. We stopped for lunch at midday having covered just 30 miles, and there was talk of wat we could do if we didn't make it all the way to Poughkeepsie.

The roads were quicker in the afternoon, and we were set to reach Poughkeepsie by 5:30 pm despite having 47 miles to cover after lunch. On route, we stopped for a "comfort break" on the roadside, and were spotted by a highway patrol officer, who swerved around to meet us. After a short reprimanding for our choice of location, he let us off with a verbal warning. We later saw him speed past us after another car, which he pulled over ahead.

Having no reply from any hosts on town, and a distinct lack of camping facilities nearby, we decided to shelter from the growing storm in a cafe. We called around the local motels and found the cheapest, over the river from the town. Crossing the river was over an old railway bridge, uncovered and exposed to the full force of the wind and rain. Crosswinds forced us sideways, horizontal rain stung our eyes. Two double beds, a hot shower and a Chinese takeaway delivered to our motel room hit the spot.

Tomorrow we will attend a dedication of a new 9/11 memorial in town at 11 am before riding South to West Point Military Academy to tour the grounds. 90 miles to New York.

Day 56 - Fultonville to Albany 66.7 miles

An excellent nights sleep in the cool porch, followed by fresh blueberry pancakes at Michael's Diner, left us feeling good for the day ahead. We have decided to make it to Poughkeepsie for Thursday evening, ready for the Friday morning 9/11 service at the new memorial they are constructing there. We expected to go past Albany to a campground South along the Hudson today.

The morning mist burned off early, and the temperatures steadily rose all morning, reaching 37 Celsius by lunch time. Another morning of roads in the heat left us tired, and we stopped for a smoothie in Schenectady. The heat on leaving the air conditioned Burger King was like walking into an oven. Thankfully we moved onto trails for the rest of the day.

Large piles of leaves interrupted the smooth trail surface, crackling under our wheels. Intermittent rain showers cooled us off temporarily as we passed through industrial works including an atomic energy research facility, with groups of professionals walking along the bike trail to and from the buildings. We also passed a large munitions manufacturing facility.

On the approach to Troy we caught the most incredible scent in the air, wafting across the trail. Close to lunch time, the scent of sweet barbeque was too good to ignore and we immediately turned right, careening down the grass verge towards the restaurant, the Pig Pit BBQ. Inside we were won over by the promise of a colossal pulled pork sandwich and fries with 'slaw. After talking to the staff, they were amazed by what we were doing, and offered us drinks on the house! The service was fantastic and we felt right at home for the brief time we stopped in. They even left us with a goodie bag of extra pulled pork and bread for the road!

We rolled on a further 12 miles down the Hudson to Albany, and decided it was too hot, and we had enough cycling for today. I had an offer from a host that I had previously declined, however they were happy to take us in tonight. We waited until they were free at a riverside bar on a boat, rehydrating with fresh lemonade and enjoying the cool breeze.

The cool breeze became a gusting storm just in time for us to leave, sending chairs tumbling across the deck. We battled a headwind up the steep hill through town as rain started pattering down, increasing in intensity. We were soaked by the time we arrived at our host's home. Shaun is a professor of arts at a local university, and Carrie works at a community bike shop in Troy, Troy Bike Rescue. Shaun let us in, and we washed and ate our leftover pulled pork BBQ sandwiches, washed down with some local New York beers. Shaun was Airborne working as a signaller for four years before doing his studies. The conversation was interesting, and the evening passed quickly.

Owen informs me we have ridden over 3350 miles as of this morning. Tomorrow we aim to reach Poughkeepsie.

Day 55 - Utica to Fultonville 58.8 miles

We awoke to the smell of fresh bagels brought home by Matt first thing in the morning. He brought a large bag bursting with bagels of myriad flavours, sweet and savoury, with different cream cheeses to top them with. We ate our fill, and wrapped the rest up for later. After saying our goodbyes, we were out on the roads all morning, as the canal path stopped.

A long morning and we hit the canal way again close to lunch time. We felt particularly lethargic all morning, as the end of our trip draws near. A stop in Mc Donalds and a cold smoothie brought us back to life, and fueled us until lunch at Fort Plain. Our choice was pizza or pizza, so we chose the former. As we ate, we watched a heavy thunderstorm pass overhead, with the rain crashing down outside, and decided to wait this one out. The rain had the added benefit of washing the thick coating of dust off our bikes.

We secured an offer from Michael, a host in Fultonville, to camp in his garden. We took a leisurely ride along the final 16 miles of canal path
and arrived around 5pm. It was nice to be washed, tent set up and sat on the porch sipping cold lemonade by 6pm. His black Labrador, Shilo, was very friendly. We finished off the rest of the, now soggy, bagels with the help of Micheal's toaster to dry them out. We took the evening easy, watching television, and chatting with Michael. Micheal owns a local diner, Michael's Diner, and we decided that we would avoid the porridge again and treat ourselves to blueberry pancakes in the morning.

Michael kindly let us sleep in his porch area, while we left the tent up to air out (two months of use has left a rather strong odour). We slept beautifully in the cool porch area.

Day 54 - Camillus to Utica 73.2 miles

We enjoyed a breakfast of fruit tarts washed down with fresh lemonade left over the night before by Liz. Back on the canal, the day was hot and dry, and a stream of dust lay in the wake of each bike. Soon we all had a thick, light grey coating. We rode along disused canal way most of the day, the water thick and covered in algae, leaves had fallen on top and dried in the sun. Above us, the autumn colours creep in further each day.

After a long, relaxed break at a pizza hut, we stayed on the canal all afternoon to Rome, with a few short road sections. We stopped at a museum on the canal to ask about accommodation and fill our water. Here we met a family on a picnic who invited us to sit down and share some lemonade and watermelon. We filled our water and were about to leave, when the family came over, formed a circle and asked to pray for us on our journey. A nice sentiment. Then the museum owners came over, and things took a distinct Confederate turn. One, wearing a beater, had confederate tattoos covering his arms, and admitted wit pride that a large confederate flag down the road was his. One man from the family stated "If I had a choice, I would have gone for the South too." We nodded along and left.

On route we encountered an elderly man, in his eighties, who looked a little disoriented. His bike lay against a crash barrier next to him. He asked us to stop and whether we had some aspirin. He had succumbed to the heat and fallen off his bike, and was worried about his heart. This was the first time I used my emergency supply of dispersible aspirin in anger. We also gave him a bottle full of water and some electrolytes, and waited until his friend came to pick him up. He had been through the wars, suffering a concussion with 15 stitches in his head a couple of months prior after a ladder slipped out beneath him.

Finding a place to camp was difficult, as the camping area was closed for construction. We passed Fort Stanwix, a star fort from the war of independence. We had heard that to locks were okay to camp at, and aimed for Lock 20. As we had been taking it easy, it was 6pm at this point, with an hours cycling to go. But we were not too tired, mentally or physically, thanks to the relaxed canal path riding. On route, I received an email and an offer of a place to stay the night in Utica. On route we passed a man who asked if we had come from Buffalo. When I replied "Seattle!" He took a double take, repeated me a couple of times, and proceeded to have the best reaction we have had yet to our venture.

Cameron had just finished touring America and Mexico a week ago, and kindly put us up in the garden. His housemates were very friendly, Antony, a musician, and Matt, who owns a bagel shop nearby and offered us his child's bedroom (the kids were away) and fresh bagels for the morning. No tent tonight! Cameron cooked us a very welcome dinner, and provided a couple can of the local lager to wash it down.

A good nights kip in a bed then, dreaming of fresh bagels and an easy day along the canal in the morning.

Day 53 - Macedon to Camillus 75.6 miles

A poor nights sleep in the hot, humid and somewhat pungent tent didn't set us up well for the days riding. We ate the leftover cookies, fruit and crisps John gave us for breakfast and set off along the canal again. The first stretch of canal was working, with watercraft moving up and down, and plenty of users on the towpaths enjoying Labour Day weekend. The canal joined a river further up, and widened significantly. We rode through archways of trees, leaves starting to turn ochre hues, with drops on either side of the path into canal and ditch.

We stopped in Lyons for a cold drink and a cake from the service station. In contrast to the picturesque canal side towns we have been passing the last few days, this area seemed rougher, with some form of altercation occurring on the corner by the station.

The route joined Cycle Route 5 for the afternoon, along roads over rolling hills. The gradients were gentle enough that it didn't slow us particularly. This section made us realise just how tedious the road sections were compared to the canal, and with the heat approaching 40 Celsius, we were all a bit worn down come lunch time in Port Byron.

After lunch we joined a mixture of paths and road until rejoining the Erie Canal Path, although on an unused section of canal. Deadwood floated in stagnant brackish water. The occasional toad leapt out of the way on the path.

We stopped at a fire station to ask directions to a free camping spot, and were pointed a couple of miles further down the trail. On approaching Camillus we came across a small museum, and went inside to ask again. We were offered by the very friendly, elderly volunteers a place to camp out back, with access to the wash rooms, kitchen and water in the museum overnight. Liz Beebe kindly gave us some soft drinks and set out food for us in the morning. They also recommended the New York State Fair which was ongoing this evening, 6 miles up the road.

It was nice riding our bikes unladen for a change, responsive to turning, acceleration and braking. The fairgrounds were expansive. We entered at gate 9, into a car park that stretched as far as we could see ahead of us. We found the entrance to the Fair, and a State Trooper directing traffic through interpretive dance, keeping himself and the crowds at the ticket office amused.

As we approached the office, a man behind us called us over, and gave us three free tickets to the fair! Today was definitely a lucky day. We wandered the fair grounds, large enough to have their own shuttle bus inside. Large tents housed livestock expositions, tractor shows and other agricultural activities on the outside. Inside, roller coasters, amusement park rides, music and candy floss stalls abounded. We meandered through, taking in the atmosphere. All manner of food was on offer, and drinks tents served wine slushies, beers and ciders at inflated cost to thirsty customers, ourselves included. We ate some fairground food and watched the Monster Truck show from the bottom fence for a while. Later, we stumbled across a ten thousand strong crowd watching the Steve Miller Band perform during a guitar solo.

An iced custard, root beer float and a corn dog later, and we made our way to the exit. I needed a new T-shirt to replace one which has become particularly worn on this trip, so we stopped at a stall for that. The T-shirt designs were all pretty garish and so rather than find the least sore on the eye, we decided to go all out and find the worst ones we could. Stand by, New York.

Cycling back in the dark was uneventful, save for exiting the fair through four solid lanes of traffic at an interstate junction. We bypassed it along a short cheeky section of train line. We haven't done much cycling at night, and so it was refreshing with the cool breeze and different aspect to the scenery, particularly along the canal. We opted to camp inside the museum and have a good nights sleep rather than the tent.