The "Gunks" and the Wine Country of NY

Crossing the mid-Hudson bridge at Poughkeepsie, we were struck by a couple of things...

• The Hudson is big and wide. 3/4 mile wide to be precise. We know that because we had to walk BOB and Olga across the bridge on the pedestrian walkway and clocked it on the odometer. As an aside, there is a 24/7 help line telephone in the middle of the bridge. This is not for broken down motorists, but it's a suicide prevention hotline for those that are considering taking the plunge into the river below. It's the only phone we saw and posit that those bent on taking their own lives tend to do it from the middle of the bridge.
• Indeed, there were mountains visable to the West. We were in the foothills of the Catskills, and quickly understood that our climbing days were far from over.
• We were no longer in New England. Somewhere, sometime over the past few days, the accents had become decidely different. In fact, we had entered the land of "How ya doin', how ya doin". It sounded like we were on the set for the HBO series "The Soprano's". This was the real deal.
• We could eat breakfast anytime as diners were to be found in nearly every town. Some were shabby, but most are bright, shiny, clean, and serve some of the best omlettes around. Matt became hooked on Greek omlettes with Feta cheese!
• People were still friendly and courteous to us. The image of the brash, rude New Yorker simply wasn't part of our experience. Indeed, the volume of the conversation was louder than we have grown accustomed to, but Matt fit right in.
• Trees, shrubs, greenery are everywhere. The mid Atlantic is truely a good place for hardwood trees. The farms we saw have no visable irrigation, and seem to make due with the ample rainfall.
• Traffic seemed to be a bit heavier. While we were still 40~50 miles north of New York City, there was no doubt that the population density (at least in this part of the state) was heavier. It would become more rural as we moved west, and then congested again as we headed more southerly to the New Jersey border.

The day broke warm and clear, beautiful late summer weather. While the leaves had not begun to change in earnest, the shrubs were starting to show their color. Reaching the other side of the Hudson, we began pedalling due west to New Paltz. Passing through the town of Highland, we came across a celebration for the local rail trail. We stopped and chatted with the folks, listened to music, drank some fine apple cider, and heard about their hopes and plans to expand the trail to New Paltz in the west and Poughkeepsie to the east. They were excited to have us ride the trail, and we were equally as pleased to pedal on a smooth surface without needing to think about the road ahead. It was a pleasant interlude.

Tranquility gave way to congestion as we entered the town of New Paltz. Home to a campus of the state university system, New Paltz is the gateway to some of the most popular rock climbing areas on the East Coast. The Shawangunk Mountains (locally known as "The Gunks") form a compact ridge extending from the New Jersey state line north to Rosendale, New York. Within a roughly 70 mile radius of New York City, it seems an unlikely spot to find a unique, wilderness environment. But the Shawangunks loom above the surrounding valleys, their silhouette dominating the skyline. Here there are clear glacial lakes and plummeting waterfalls. Lofty crags and deep crevices where snow and ice may linger long into summer. Located between the Catskill Mountains and the Hudson River, the Shawangunks are one of the most important sites for conservation in the northeastern United States. They support more than 35 natural communities, including one of only two ridgetop dwarf pine barrens in the world, chestnut oak forests, hemlock forests, pitch pine forests, lakes, rivers and wetlands. Twenty-seven rare plant and animal species have been documented in the area.

New Paltz is the nexus of the social and climbing activities in the area. Cafes, restaurants, pubs, art stores, all the kind of things you associate with college and tourist areas can be found there. While we were happy to replenish our supplies and stock up for dinner, we were glad to leave the congestion and hubbub behind.

The route took us out of town and south along the Walkill River valley. We found the riding to be effortless as we cruised along side of the river. While we would need to cross the Shawangunks or their cousins at some point, it wasn't today. As we rode we notice a number of signs proclaiming the area to be on the "Ultser County Wine Trail." New York has always produced a lot of wine, but until recently, it had not been known much for quality. Apparently that has changed, with new grape varieties and skilled vinters, New York wines are developing a following. We visited one of the wineries (Rivendell) where a festival was taking place under a huge tent. We must have been quite a sight, pedalling Olga and BOB up the steep dirt road to the tasting room that sat atop the ridge. We took part in the festivities as best we could, albeit restraining ourselves because we still had some miles to put in and the need to set up camp. We're aware that there are bike tours that take people from one winery to another, but imagine that they aren't hauling 100 pounds of gear along for the ride. We took our leave and pulled into camp with time to spare to lay the tent out and thoroughly dry it out before setting up our "home" for the evening. Truly, another spectacular day on the East Coast Route.