My bike had a bad day today. I left New Paltz, wishing I had chosen to spend two days there instead of in Poughkeepsie. I made my way to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail and almost headed the wrong way again. But I checked and double checked and then asked somebody. I didn’t realize this trail was unpaved, and it was in rough shape. I was already dealing with a loose kickstand which kept swinging back and forth between hitting my pedal and getting stuck in the wheel. Then, I rode over a stick which flew up and shattered my front fender. I’m lucky my wheel was intact. I knew I would have to stop at the bike shop in Gardiner.
When I made it to Gardiner at 10:00, I noticed that the bike shop did not open until 11:00, so I went to a coffee shop in town and enjoyed a fantastic bagel with smoked salmon. When the shop opened, the awesome bike guy set to work fixing all my problems. My back tire was in rough shape, so he replaced it. I needed a new bike seat too. I got back on the trail, but it was pretty hot by that point. The trail got rougher and rougher. It was basically an overgrown footpath by the end. I rode to Ulsterville and stopped at the tavern for a cold drink. Everyone there was very nice and wished me well.
I pushed on to Cuddebackville, even though it was late and I had done a lot of miles in the heat. The owner of the campground was very sweet and gave me a can of spaghetti for dinner and set me up with a lovely site right next to the river. I set up my tent, heated up my spaghetti, ate quickly (I was starving) and got in the tent. It was very comfortable and the sound of the river was soothing, but I still didn’t sleep. 46 miles today.
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