After sleeping in a hotel in the town of Hudson to escape the lightening storm, we continued our journey south along the Hudson River, enjoying cool temperatures and the bounty of the surrounding farmland. One of our snack breaks was at a stand selling locally grown fresh produce. We ate delicious cucumbers, blueberries, peaches and raspberries. Saya liked the fresh food so much, she asked if we could move out of NYC and become farmers, so that we could eat like this all the time. Hmm, not a bad idea...
A few hours later, we eliminated the middle man and just ate raspberries straight from the bush!
After cycling about 40 miles, we set up our tent in Mills Norrie State Park, 1,000 acres of woodland along the Hudson River that includes a camping area.
Sho and Saya have become proficient at building a fire and enjoyed the fruits of their labors by roasting marshmallows.
People have asked me how we deal with laundry on a long trip like this. Sometimes I find a laundromat, but another option is to use the Scrubba wash bag. It's compact, easy-to-use, and turns stinky socks back into something fit for polite company.
Childhood slips by too quickly, and as a dad, I'm always trying to slow down time with my kids. If you're looking for ideas, I suggest fishing at sunset on the Hudson River. We won't forget this for a long time.
On July 25, the penultimate ride of this 33-day adventure, we pedaled about 54 miles from our campsite to Ossining. On the way, we spotted a Great Blue Heron that took off just after I snapped this photo. We've seen perhaps a dozen of these gorgeous creatures over the past month, always at water's edge and always quick to fly away when humans are near. They are majestic in flight, their broad wings fanning up and down elegantly, almost like an aerial dance.
We stopped regularly to take short breaks on today's long ride.
On one of the breaks, we met three adventure seekers who were hiking the length of the 2,180-mile Appalachian Trail. The journey typically takes from 4 - 6 months. Here's a pic of Sho with Megan Kelly (trail name: Peter Pan), Adam Beard (trail name: Bilbo Baggins), and Josh Hunter-Duvar (trail name: Skippy). Good luck to you three -- you're looking great.
Including breaks, we spent about 9 1/2 hours on the road. This was one of our most challenging rides, as the terrain became seriously hilly. By the end of the day, my legs were spent, and I had difficulty pedaling up the long climbs. Sho, on the other hand, said he felt great and bounded up 10% grade climbs without difficulty, waiting patiently for Saya and me at the top.
We ended the day in Ossining at the home of our dear friends, Paul and Debra Descloux. They made us feel special, treating us to hamburgers, hot dogs, and corn on the cob, which we ate on the deck of their beautiful home. It was a deeply satisfying end to a hard day of cycling.
Wow, I just googled my name and found this. It's Skippy from the AT, just wanted to say I completed my thru-hike and I hope you're doing well and keep adventuring on!
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