New York City – July 29^th

A brief update - I haven’t posted for a few days because I didn’t think there would be much interest in a typical Big Apple tourist blog and that’s how I’ve been spending my time.  It’s been a mix of bike and subway riding and in summary, there have been a few changes since my last visit here in 1969.  Some bullets regarding them are as follows:

·         Over the years, vast sums of money poured into the city have washed away most of its former grit.  Times Square, which used to be down, dirty and even dangerous is now a tourist amusement park

and Harlem, where I was once glared at as a “whitey”, now appears to be occupied by a good minority of Caucasians (including former president Bill Clinton).  The changes are probably for the better but, truth be told, I kind of miss the city’s former edge.

• I’m amazed by the large number of huge multi-tower social housing projects, even in up-scale neighbourhoods. 

                                   

The city appears to have become a receptacle for a good portion of the area's poor.  Some projects appear to be tidy, well-run and reasonably safe but I suspect others are less so.  Packing low income people together like that probably explains why the US has such a drug problem.  Such projects are clearly social engineering gone awry and I’d be really scared living in the city if the welfare cheques ever stopped.

·         The two new World Trade Centre towers appear to be about 80% complete. 

                        

One wonders, however, why the powers that be would want to build more iconic targets for future generations of terrorists.  Speaking of such, that's one of the reasons I wouldn't want to live here.  Sooner or later, I suspect someone's going to do something really bad to this iconic city, such as  exploding a dirty (nuclear) bomb.

·         After decades of Hispanic immigration, New York is now almost as bilingual a city as Montreal.  This has provided me with a good opportunity to improve my limited Spanish.  I’ve also run into a lot of Francophones in the hostels and my similarly limited French is also getting intermittent workouts.  As the cliché goes, travel is so broadening…

 Considering its size, The city is reasonably if not totally bike-friendly.  Its topopgraphy is almost completely dead flat and there are numerous bike lanes, traffic-separated or otherwise, along major streets as well as a dedicated bike path along the Hudson and East River shores of Manhatttan Island. 

Minor annoyances are the surfeit of unnecessary (and long) traffic lights, which local pedestrians and cyclists typically ignore, and numerous vehicles that use the bike lanes as double-parking spaces.  The main protection cyclists have is that traffic is so congested that vehicles typically don't move fast enough to do any serious damage to them.

Returning to my day-to-day, I reunited with Nedo, my recently-acquired biking buddy and surrogate son at our previous Brooklyn hostel.  We changed hostels yesterday and are now ensconced in the Hostelling International (HI) hostel on Manhattan’s upper west side, a relatively ritzy part of town.  After spending last night here, however, we both agree that our more modest and laid back Brooklyn digs (the NYC Moore hostel) were nicer and a much better deal at almost half the price.  Too bad we didn’t know that before we booked here. 

To repeat, in my modest opinion, hostelling has to be the best way to travel, particularly when travelling alone.  You meet (and sleep with) interesting folks, young and older, from all over the world and  hostels are probably doing a better job of breaking down international barriers than are most diplomats.

That’s all for now, and probably this blog's last post .  Tonight a NY Yankees game with Nedo then tomorrow, a six-hour bus ride to Utica, NY where I’ll hook up with friends for a ride to Ottawa then home.

Near Rocky Point, Long Island – July 21^st

Another stealth camp and I’m becoming really annoyed with this biker-unfriendly area. 


There’s no reasonable motels or visible B & Bs, few campgrounds, either really upscale or fast food eateries – nothing in between - and the state park I aimed for on today’s ride was full.  This is understandable since it’s a mid-July Saturday and the weather’s nice but I’m surprised how few campgrounds there are.  In summary, I’m getting really frustrated and will be happy to see the end of the ride.

Anyway, today I put 55 miles on the clock on secondary highways through more-or-less flat country.  The weather was high 70s and sunny, the scenery was pretty if not exciting and I’m noticing the changing (lush) vegetation – oak/pine forests with lots of vines and undergrowth (typical Carolinian forest, I think) that’s strange to me.

I passed through the Hampdens, a VERY ritzy area, and after several miles of upscale and overpriced everything, unbelievable bumper-to-bumper traffic and hordes of upscale-looking tourists, I decided to leave the island’s south (open Atlantic) coast to the rich, famous and wannabes and ride the north coast, which some locals I met on yesterday’s ferry told me was somewhat more rural and normal.  So far, this has been the case.

I’m hoping to be in New York City – end of the ride – in two more days.  Hopefully a motel or at least a shower or a beach will show up tomorrow.

Brooklyn, July 23^rd

Finally, the end of the loaded ride!  I’m now ensconced in a hostel.  No more stealth camping!

Yesterday I put 40 miles on the clock.  The weather was reasonable – low 80s I estimate with a mix of sun and cloud.  I didn’t cover 40 miles of linear distance but backtracked and took a couple of scenic loops on some nice winding backroads (unfortunately often semi-clogged with Sunday traffic).  I also had a very brief ocean dip and managed to find an outdoor fresh water shower at a local beach, which raised my morale considerably.  I was prepared to ride further but when I saw the first motel I’d seen in a VERY long time at 3:30 PM, something snapped and I grabbed a room and semi-collapsed.  A real bed, air conditioning and hot water - what bliss!

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Today’s 42-mile ride was on secondary highways for the first 30 and major city boulevards for the last 12 miles.  The weather was hot but it cooled off in the afternoon with an almost thunder shower (20 minutes of very light rain).  Traffic was from the little I’ve seen of it to date very heavy throughout and the riding was not for the faint-hearted.  I rode through downtown Queens and about 500 traffic lights later, reached the hostel.  Metropolitan New York is huge and it took an amazing amount of time to travel apparently short distances on the city map I had. 

from the little I’ve seen of it to date_, Brooklyn is an extremely interesting city. 

 The hostel is in a former industrial area that’s just starting to re-invent itself as a hip neighbourhood.  There are lots of abandoned substantial factory buildings, some of which are being converted to loft housing and a few bars and restaurants.  It’s a shame to view the hollowing out of once mighty US manufacturing sector however and one wonders how the US is going to stay number one since they’ve out-sourced the manufacturing know-how that initially put them there.

I’ve just returned from a very Woody Allen-ish neighbourhood a few subway stops away where I grabbed (Indian) dinner.  It’s an amazing place with shops you probably wouldn’t see anywhere else.  They even have a bookstore that appears to be prospering without a single Clive Cussler, Stephen King or Tom Clancy tome.  For how much longer, I wonder.  All for now

En Route to Block Island – July 20^th

I’m writing this from a small ferry, rocking and rolling significantly on the open Atlantic.  This promises to generate a lot of typos.

We awoke to rain this morning, which promises to last for most of the day.  Nedo and I broke camp, then headed to the local diner for a heart-attack-on-a-plate good-bye breakfast. Nedo then left for the Connecticut coast and I headed for the Block Island ferry that will (hopefully!) connect with another ferry to Montauk at  the northern tip of Long Island.  The ferry is crowded with tourists so the island must hold some attraction, even on a rainy day.

Near Montauk – Later July 20^th

I arrived on Block Island at 10:30 ad had to wait for the Montauk ferry, which didn’t leave the island until 5 PM.  I spent some time cycling to the north end of the island – a real tourist trap and crowded
                                  

– and killed some time in the afternoon.  Again, the scenery was pretty – classic Atlantic coastline – but to BC eyes, somewhat mundane.  BC’s Gulf and Washington State’s San Juan Islands are far prettier.

The fast ferry ride to Long Island was interesting.  Sort of what it must have been like to ride on a WW2 PT boat – lots of rocking and rolling.  Like everything else around here however it sure wasn’t cheap.  $50 for me and the bike for a one hour ride.

I arrived at Montauk in the rain and rode to nearby Hither Hills State Park where I’d been told I could camp.  I passed a couple of low-end –looking motels that I would probably have stayed at along the way but they were both full – probably with fellow camper refugees.  When I reached the park, there were several “no camping” signs and it was getting dark.  I’ve therefore hopefully vanished into the forest and I’m writing this from my stealth campsite. 

It’s still raining but the forecast is for better weather tomorrow.  We’ll see.

I confess I’m getting really annoyed with this part of the world which despite its large population, appears to have few motels, no obvious B & Bs and hardly any campgrounds.  Both Europe and the western US and Canada are far more bike tourist friendly.  I’ll tough it out for the next few days to New York City but I really wouldn’t recommend that anyone else try this ride.  All for now.

Jamestown, Rhode Island, July 19^th.

We awoke to an overcast day with light morning drizzle and finally, a more civilized temperature! Today’s 46 mile ride through flat to rolling country was uneventful along secondary highways with occasional pretty but unremarkable scenery at best, commercial clutter at worst.  The latter included a McDonald’s, Sunoco, Stop’n Shop, Dunkin Donuts, 7 – 11, etc. folio that repeated itself every five miles or so.  I now realize why one never hears much about northeastern US bike tours.  Truth be told, there’s not much “there” here.  Nevertheless, the riding was mostly pleasant for a change, primarily because of the cooler temperature.

Rhode Island isn’t exactly bike friendly.  For example, you aren’t allowed to ride your bike across some major bridges.  An older gentleman with a pickup truck thankfully gave us a lift across one of them.  The roads too were difficult to ride with typically no shoulders and locally heavy traffic.  That said, there were also some nice winding country road stretches.

We reached Newport, RI about 5 PM and waited for a 6:30 ferry to take us here to Jamestown. 

The ferry trip was interesting because we were the only two paying passengers - our own private yacht!  The skipper was an ardent bike fan and we would up sitting in the wheelhouse with him assimilating a lot of local maritime lore as well as the present standings in the Tour de France, which he was following closely.  He even let Nedo drive the boat for a while!  We had a great time with the rest of the crew and were almost sorry to leave the ship.

We’re presently camped in a state park just outside town where we’ve just been fed and beered by the nice Connecticut family next door. 

That’s been the best part of this so-so tour – the many kind, helpful, entertaining and interesting people I’ve met along the way.  As I’ve said before, there’s nothing like wheeling into somewhere on a loaded bike to pick up good company and conversation.  That’s probably because we’re apparently a rarity in this part of the world.  I’ve seen NOBODY except Nedo on a loaded touring bike since I left Montreal and I’m very surprised about the apparent lack of a bike culture in most of New England.

Some more on Nedo, my riding buddy, at least until tomorrow.  He’s a 32-year old teacher from Copenhagen who’s been on the road for a year and a half, first riding from southern South America to Quito, Ecuador, then from San Francisco to Boston where we met.  He makes me seem like a dilettante.  He’s a great guy, we’ve bonded and he’s mercifully decided to reduce his usual pace a bit to ride with the old guy.  Unfortunately he has some family business to attend to in Connecticut, which I’m bypassing for Long Island so we’ll be parting company tomorrow.  We plan to meet again in the Big Apple next week however.

Tomorrow looks to be an easy day for me because I have to work around two ferry schedules to reach the northern tip of Long Island.  Riding down the Island to New York city promises to be much more traffic-free and much less hilly than the Connecticut coast.  Nedo would also prefer that route but can’t do it.  Anyway, it’s getting dark and buggy so I’m retiring to my tent.  All for now.

Near Tauton Mass. – July 18^th

The Odyssey resumed today after thre days of touristing in Boston.  Highlights included the JFK museum, a Red Sox (baseball) game at Fenway Park, the hostel itself and some of the interesting folks I met there including Nedo Gubster, my present riding partner.

I’m writing this from our very own closed State Park, near Tauton, Mass. Mass. where we’re camping after being assured by a former park ranger that we wouldn’t be bothered if we camped there.  So far so good…

We put 42 miles on the clock today in fairly flat country.  This would have been nothing muchunder normal conditions but the weather for most of the ride was brutally  hot  - high 90s.  I lost track of the number of gallons of various fluids \I drank en route.  The heat ended abruptly with a. severe thunderstorm just before we arrived here.  The sky grew dark as night and there was thunder, lightening and torrential rain for 45 minutes..  We fortunately were able to watch most of it from inside a friendly gas station/convenience store and escaped getting completely soaked. 

There are few motels in this part of the world and thos tat are there are very pricy.  Camping was therefore our preferred option. We didn’t know that the state park – still shown on our roadmaps - had been closed for two years until we arrived there.  When we pedalled into its abandoned campground determined to “stealth camp” there if required, we met Leon, a former park ranger now apparently marginally employed.  Leon hung out with us for a while and has now left us alone in the solitude of our private campground.  Tomorrow we should continue south to Newport, Rhode Island, then a ferry to the Connecticut mainland and eventually New York City.  That, I’ve decided, will be the end of the ride for me.  Anyway, it’s now dark, the bugs are out and I’m turning in early.  All; for now.

Boston – July 15^th

 I’m now in the City of Boston

The land of the bean and the cod
To take in some sites without biking
And rejuvenate my aching bod…

That about sums it up.  They’ll probably be no more posts for a few days as I poke around Boston and hopefully heal.  I’ve kept riding with a pulled leg muscle that’s slowly got worse and I’m now not sure if I’ll be able to continue...  The leg doesn’t bother me as long as I’m pedalling but setting up a tent, climbing stairs, etc. is becoming quite painful.  Anyway, enough of my aches and pains.  At my age, I’m probably lucky to still be able to travel this way and (somewhat) enjoy it.

Anyway, to backtrack, yesterday was mostly overcast but scorching hot.  I only rode 23 miles (about 35 km) into Portland but I was drenched in sweat by the time I arrived there.  The terrain was hilly for the first 7 km, but considerably flatter thereafter.  I didn’t take in any sights in Portland (there didn’t appear to be many) but biked directly to the train/bus station, an air conditioned oasis.

I’ve cheated and taken a bus here to Boston, where I’m going to hopefully heal and wait out the never-ending heat wave.  It’s supposed to be somewhat cooler this coming week and I’m hoping I’ll be able to continue riding.  Viewed through the bus window, the terrain between Portland and Boston appeared to be almost flat and I’m told it’s similarly flat between here and New York City.  Whether or not I’m prepared to spend a week riding through such flat, featureless country however, is an open question.  I’m now finding out why people don’t talk much about bike touring the US east coast.  All for now.