Lavish Living

Well, we didn't travel exceptionally far today but there was still much to see and things to learn in the small distance that we covered. 

We left New Paltz fairly late into the afternoon, thanking Katie persistently for graciously opening her home to us weary strangers. Shortly after leaving New Paltz, I noticed strange, foreign noises coming from the bike. After a few miles or so on the beautiful Hudson Rail Trail (a biking & running trail that crosses over the Hudson River), I saw that the rear bike rack had once again come loose. Surveying the metal, Josh pointed out a screw missing. 20 minutes passed by and the eventual solution, albeit temporary, was to use rope.

No less than a mile down the road, there was a rental bike store for the path. A woman with sunglasses and blue jeans sat upon one of those little electric scooters with four wheels, reading a book.

"Excuse me?" I stammered. "You wouldn't happen to sell bike parts would you?"

"Sorry, I just rent out bicycles to people. Honestly, I don't know a thing about bicycles", she smiled.

"Ah", I said rather dissapointed. "You wouldn't happen to have a jar of random screws or something of the sort, would you?" I asked.

"Actually", she stood from the scooter and moved toward an open rear door. Reaching behind the door, she unveiled a little metal box. "Use it as a door stop", she said with a wink.

Wouldn't you know it? The very first screw out of dozens fit perfectly into the missing space. Thanking her gleefully while Josh and Mike waited patiently, we got ourselves moving again after several delays.

Just down the road, people suddenly sprouted up out of nowhere and the trail became crowded. We passed a few concession stands; selling drinks and food.

Suddenly, someone yelled, "Free bicycle bells!"

I couldn't help myself.

"Free bicycle bells?" I questioned in disbelief. "Is there a catch? What's the catch?"

The woman smiled, "Well, you have to do something for us.

I would've sold my car for that bicycle bell.

"Would you like to see what happens to your head when you don't wear a helmet?"

I looked at her with a bit of disgust, nausea, and seriousness; "Oh man, no, I really don't want to see that."

"Okay! Well, then will you let us show you how to correctly wear a helmet?" she smiled.

They fitted the straps correctly so the helmet sat square on my head. Mom, I know you're sitting at home relieved right now. Yeah... it's about time for me.

Meanwhile, Mike met a man by the name of Kevin Newman. Sitting upon an old bicycle with fading panniers, the grizzly man with the snow white beard chatted with us. A seasoned adventure cycling veteran, he gestured us to follow him over the Hudson River.

The ancient looming structure was built around the boom of the railroad industry to transport materials over the huge river below. One of the only railways around the region to do so. In 1974, a great fire rendered it useless for any transportation and by the early 90's, it was largely abandoned. In 1997, it was opened to public use after repairs. Today, it spans over 30 miles thanks to "stimulus funding".

The Hudson River has an extremely old history but it wasn't until around 10,000 years ago that it sank below sea level. Old glaciers melted away and left a trail directly from the Atlantic Ocean. Today, the Hudson literally flows with the tides of the ocean, sometimes in completely different directions. Most of the river is salt water with a bit of fresh water from the surrounding mountains.

Anyway, Kevin led us over the bridge, which was breathtaking. The steel rail must have been over 3,000 ft. high with views as far as the eye could see. There's pictures below.

Below the trail, Kevin left us with directions to Route 9, which wasn't on the cycling map. It turned out to have a giant shoulder for bikers. We didn't get far.

In what was really just a culmination of money splurging, we went to an FDR museum, a movie, and got a hotel. Obviously, it was a lot of fun but (wow, i wrote "funds" instead of "fun") I'm still fretting about the costs for the long-term. This just isn't a sustainable way of doing things. However, as with most things, it was worth it. 

In Hyde Park, the old estate of Franklin Delano Roosevelt has been turned into a National Historic Site. We watched a really moving video about him and his wife during his four terms at the helm of the United States. Some things I learned... 1. FDR didn't get polio until he was 40, so until then, he could use his legs. 2. FDR is responsible for the existence of welfare and social security. 3. FDR created a small sanctuary in the middle of his estate to "escape the mob" as he put it.

I also learned that Xmen 2 was pretty lame and hotels aren't as cool as roughing it. 

Rah rah rah.

The Hudson Valley Rail Trail. 

Kevin Newman over on the right with Mike next to him getting his helmet fitted. Josh is in front of him messing with his bike. 

Panorama of the Hudson River as it heads South.

Chaining up our bikes before the movie theatre.

FDR was a wise man.