Day 4: Ride The East – Poughkeepsie NY to Matamoras PA

Today’s Highlights:
The Poughkeepsie Grand provided an excellent, healthy breakfast this morning. It was appreciated by all the hungry cyclists. We set out at 7:45 and gathered on the Walkway Over The Hudson around 8:00. There, we met with Fred Schaeffer, the champion of the Walkway’s development and success. He gave our group a brief history of the train bridge and its resurrection from abandonment to its second life as the longest elevated pedestrian walkway in the world. We had a beautiful morning with clear views up and down the Hudson River to the distant mountains. Everyone enjoyed the bridge, the talk and the views. At 8:30, we were on our way across the Walkway and down the Hudson Valley Rail Trail and into New Paltz.
The ride through the Wallkill Valley with views of the Shawangunk Mountains and cliff was beautiful. I enjoyed the openness of the valley after several days enclosed on the forest lined roads of New England. After passing through Pine Plains around mile 20, we entered forest again, passing through little towns along the way. For the next 40 miles we climbed a lot of hills. There was a strong wind most of the day, sometimes in our face heading west, but helpful to us heading south. The wind also provided some welcome cooling, and the temperature was more comfortable today.
We are finished with New York now, passing through Port Jervis and over the Delaware River to Matamoras PA.

Pictures Of The Day:

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Statistics:
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