Bike Hudson Champlain Valley (#11- '20)

  Woke up to grey skies and mist/drizzle so took the morning for leisurely breakfast, blog writing and work.  Adventured out around noon south on the "mansions to mills" tour, towards Brandon.  After a false start on Creek Rd (dirt, and closed a mile down), and a second false start on South Ridge (dirt, and gates) we got into some nice open fields, farms and mostly quiet back roads (with some spurts on route 7). Saw a few mansions (including the Shard Villa) in Brandon, but nothing like Saratoga Springs. And no mills.   Took an extra loop towards Shoreham over some long climbs & screaming descents.  Never really stopped for lunch, but got swiss rolls (Jon), a cookie (Mark) and chocolate milk to power us back to Middlebury for last night, and good pizza in nice outdoor setting at flatbreads.  50 miles.  Last day of 5780 (ride of the day - appropriately/mysteriously named land of milk and honey) we got one of our earliest...

Generally, upstate New York towns are a mixed bag - some can truly be described as a town that time forgot.  Saratoga Springs is an exception - nice downtown, lots to do (well, except during corona times), spacious parks and well kept homes.  The Downtowner Inn from the outside looks like a 1950s motel, but go on in - a large atrium with funky seating, and modern rooms made for a good place to stay.  Because Tuesday was a "teaching day" for me, we did a walk in the morning around Congress park and the mansions leading up Skidmore college.  After a mediocre lunch at a local sandwich shop, drove east towards Saratoga National Historic park where there were some big battles back in the 1770s.  Biked through the park, then up along the Hudson (back into Purple territory, featuring a Trump-flagged boat) towards Schuylerville where we met a sketchy couple looking for their runaway kid.  Like I said - town that time forgot.  Cruised back to the car, so Jon co...

Not letting a global pandemic curtail cycling, Mark & I set off for the Hudson Valley to meet up with Darmon and do some cycling, with the first homebase in the lower Hudson valley.  After a 6am departure, we arrived at Darmon and Lori Lynn's new home in New Paltz where Darmon was ready to go!  Did some nice riding through the western towns on quiet back roads (nice to have a local guide!  Thanks Darmon!) , many apple orchards and farms and a few Trumpian "estates", sporting pickup trucks, flags and other stereotypical lawn decor.  Stopped for cider donuts at Wilklow orchards and after 30 or so miles, met up with Lori Lynn for pizza and hard cider at Brooklyn Cider House/Orchard - quite the scene with big outdoor cooking setup, music, wood-fired grill.  Crowded but well spread out and felt safe.  And amazing apples - nothing like a real in-season apple.  Then headed along a bike trail to the walkway over the hudson bridge - a mile long pedestrian/c...