Friday, September 20, 2013

Ride from Wassaic to Millerton (& Ease Your Way Into Autumn)




If you spent any part of this day waiting in line to buy the latest Apple product - like the iPad 4 pictured above* -  this post may not be for you. This post is for those of you who crammed their scratched up communications devices into their packs to head out and enjoy the world before the icy hand of autumn death finally arrives. 

It's not that I've soured on autumn, it's just that this was a beautiful and memorable summer: a trip to Cleveland to give a bike away, my first trip to Barcelona, my first ride with a Stamford mayoral candidate, a California adventure and, of course, Bluff Point State Park. I don't know how I'm going to make this next season top that. 

But anyway, we have 48 hours until we turn to pumpkins.48 hours until your lemonade changes to cider, your beach umbrella changes to a plastic rake and your thin, comfortable jersey turns into an ill-fitting, I-can't-tell-whether-I'm-hot-or-cold cycling jacket. 

Now you can't do the equivalent of pouring boiling water into a cold glass. Ease into the fall and follow the rules of summer along the way, like Rule #22: local ice cream shops.


Since we are days away from a lot of places putting the dreaded 'closed for the season' signs on their outside of shuttered doors, be certain to take advantage of the places that have the outside lines (so you don't have to leave your bike when ordering the treat). 

Also: take a relaxing ride like the one my wife and I took this past Sunday: If you're in reasonable driving distance, I suggest the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.


The way I do the trail is driving the car up to the Wassaic, New York Metro North station, parking in the lot, and riding the trail the 10+ miles to Millerton. 


It's paved all the way and mostly smooth, so if you bring a skinny-tired bike you shouldn't have any problems. I always bring the recumbent since it fits in with the relaxed setting. 


Now according to the bike GPS, one climbs about 200 feet over the course of the ten miles. Very gradual. After all, this used to be a rail bed, and unlike some other rail trails, there are things to see along the way, not that many road crossings and very little traffic noise. 


The trees are changing and the tires will crunch on the dead organic matter (I'm sorry: pretty autumn leaves) covering parts of the trail. 


As you come into Millerton, you can lock your bikes up to the rack found on your right - the one that is across from the Rail Trail Supply Company, where you can rent a bike, get one serviced or pick up supplies.




Just across the street you'll find Harney & Sons. If you like tea and you haven't been there…you're going to want to go. They have tea and serve lunch, so it's a good idea to ride in the morning to Millerton to eat.


I'm not a tea person, but my wife is, so while she was sampling tea I was buying a pound of coffee beans from Irving Farm Coffee Roasters.


Now a nice part of this rail trail is that the town of Millerton has a great bookshop - the outstanding Oblong Books & Music - and other interesting places to wander. So if you go with someone who doesn't ride as much as you - and browses more - you can ride back to get the car and drive back to Millerton before finishing the day. 

So that's what we did. Going back alone, I still enjoyed the trail and went much faster even though I still slowed down to say 'on your left' before riding by the other people who were out enjoying the trail. Other than a stop to try to photograph a hawk, this was the only picture I took on the way back: it's my watch and my GPS: only 38 minutes to go the 10.7 miles from Millerton to my car. I think the socks I was wearing made me feel like I could go fast.


And that was a good ride to help ease myself into autumn - which is already dumping a huge number of dead organ…pretty yellow leaves everywhere. Look what I saw on my way up Rt. 106 to New Canaan this morning.


I'll be sure to get more rides in between now and Sunday, and will try to make this a great autumn. I may even hire a guy to rake my leaves this year and go for a bike ride instead, but I'm getting ahead of myself. I'm going to put this post up and go outside and play. Hope you do too. Thanks for reading and thanks for riding. 


*made you look - it's really an iPad 2 I found on - where else - a bike ride earlier this year on High Ridge Road in Stamford. Too smashed up to try to find the owner, I peeled off some letters from the keyboard and went nuts with the crazy glue. 

20 comments:

  1. The ipad picture is perfect. Might you add your name to it and make it available to share?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Photography is an art form that encompasses many forms. Portrait photography and landscape photography are perhaps, the most popular types of photography, but there are many different forms as well. Both amateurs and professionals will enjoy particular types more than any other. photo booth

    ReplyDelete
  3. Youre so cool! I dont suppose Ive read anything in this way prior to. So nice to get somebody with original thoughts on this subject. realy we appreciate you beginning this up. this web site is something that is required on the web, a person after some originality. valuable work for bringing new stuff on the web! f95zone games

    ReplyDelete
  4. Traveling makes people excited to arrive at their destinations. But sometimes the destination is not the only thing that travelers should take into account. learn more

    ReplyDelete
  5. Traveling makes people excited to arrive at their destinations. But sometimes the destination is not the only thing that travelers should take into account. دورات اون لاين انجليزي

    ReplyDelete
  6. Welcome to first ever dedicated price comparison website for city attractions & sightseeing tours, cruise tours, kids activities, outdoor activities, wine day trips in the UK, Europe, US, Asia, Middle East and global tourist hotspots.https://www.tripindicator.com/top-parasailing.html

    ReplyDelete
  7. Regards for the purpose of post this amazing piece of writing! I recently came across yuor web blog perfect for your preferences. It includes marvelous not to mention advantageous items. Cultivate monetary management give good results! Book a pandit

    ReplyDelete
  8. Traveling makes people excited to arrive at their destinations. But sometimes the destination is not the only thing that travelers should take into account. Day Tour Niagara

    ReplyDelete
  9. If you have business travel to London, you need to read this article. In this article you will discover why the London riots created a greater business travel threat than a terrorist attack. We will examine the threat posed by the London riots and demonstrations, terrorist attacks and resulting travel delays, disruptions and changes. At the end of this article, you will have a specific understanding of the required business travel management response and awareness as to why this will happen again. The London riots and demonstrations has resulted in one of the largest business travel disruptions of 2011. Day Tour Niagara

    ReplyDelete
  10. As CEO and founder of Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, I know how much work goes into setting up a tour and monitoring it the entire month one of my clients are on one. It's so much work that I'm sure you - the innocent reader or even the seasoned pro - have no idea just how much work it involves putting a virtual book tour together for many authors at one time. Even if you have set one up for yourself, multiply that by about seven more and you'll see just how much work it really is. tours in colorado

    ReplyDelete
  11. As CEO and founder of Pump Up Your Book Promotion Virtual Book Tours, I know how much work goes into setting up a tour and monitoring it the entire month one of my clients are on one. It's so much work that I'm sure you - the innocent reader or even the seasoned pro - have no idea just how much work it involves putting a virtual book tour together for many authors at one time. Even if you have set one up for yourself, multiply that by about seven more and you'll see just how much work it really is. فاصل

    ReplyDelete
  12. The Memorial Day holiday kicks off the summer travel season, so it's time to start planning a fun trip. Going to Vegas is always a fun idea, but you can make the trip even more memorable by taking a side trip to the Grand Canyon, but you need to buy your tour tickets soon. رحلات سياحية

    ReplyDelete
  13. Packers and Movers Jaipur to Kolkata Thank you again for all the knowledge you distribute,Good post. I was very interested in the article, it's quite inspiring I should admit. I like visiting you site since I always come across interesting articles like this one.Great Job, I greatly appreciate that.Do Keep sharing! Regards,

    ReplyDelete
  14. Traveling makes people excited to arrive at their destinations. But sometimes the destination is not the only thing that travelers should take into account. desert safari in dubai

    ReplyDelete
  15. If you want to start a business from scratch and are lacking experience in that specific industry then this article is for you to read. Find out the most comprehensive details about starting a fresh business without any experience at all. bookkeppers

    ReplyDelete
  16. Cheers pertaining to delivering the latest changes in connection with worry, My spouse and i expect go through additional. Packers and Movers Pune to Chandigarh

    ReplyDelete
  17. When traveling, whether for business or for pleasure, you can still enjoy the benefits of feng shui. You might have even noticed that you enjoy your travel more (or less) when you travel to certain places that are in one direction. Maybe you find that you enjoy travel equally well, but more so to some places than others. For some, Asia might hold greater attraction, and for others, it might be Europe. Here are some ideas to enhance your travel feng shui -- including how to tell which is the right "shui" for you! check it out

    ReplyDelete
  18. Excellent Submit, I will be a huge believer inside submitting feedback about web sites to be able to allow the website copy writers understand that they’ve extra one thing useful to be able to the net! Top Tourist Activities

    ReplyDelete
  19. I appreciate the website's user-friendly design and easy navigation.
    check out the feuerwerks-products here

    ReplyDelete