No Sleep Till Brooklyn

So, it appears that the weather and cycling gods are both going to keep testing us until the very end. Today, the rain started literally as we stepped out of the front door of our hotel in Ridgefield, CT. Initially, it was a light drizzle and we had notions of it remaining that way. But it was not to be.

We cycled out of Connecticut, crossing the New York State border only a few miles into today’s ride: the last State border of our journey… another significant milestone. It was a fairly straightforward trip, and there was limited opportunity to stop for a break. But when we climbed a long steep hill and passed a scenic overlook in the Hudson valley, just before Bear Mountain Bridge, it was too tempting to pass by without a brief stop. Pulling over to look at the misty view and take a breather, all of a sudden the heavens opened. There was no shelter to be had, and so we simply stood and got very wet indeed as we stuffed a couple of energy bars into our mouths, and kept hoping for the rain to stop and the clouds to lift, so we could take a couple of snaps. Alas, no mercy.

As we reluctantly set off again to descend the hill in the pouring rain, freezing through to our core, out of nowhere Trusty had managed to get a puncture in his rear tyre. So, back it was to the scenic overlook to execute the repair, oh, and get a bit more drenched, and a lot colder! Heaven knows how Anthony managed to get the tyre back on, but he did, and it was plain sailing after that to cross the Bear Mountain Bridge and cycle to our hotel in West Point, NY.

It’s a historic place right on the gate of West Point military base, and has been offering hospitality to military men and women for many years, as well as the odd president from time to time! Despite this grandeur, it’s actually quite a down to earth and reasonable place to stay, and best of all it has its own restaurant, so we didn’t have to set foot outside again tonight…

It’s a short ride tomorrow to Nyack, a town that has a special place in our hearts since it was the turnaround point for our favourite ride out of NYC when we lived there, and also has one of the best coffee shops/bakeries around (which we hope will be open).

More rain tomorrow! Kat's Dad, David, will no doubt sympathise with us as he tackles a sponsored walk of 54 miles along the Weaver's Way in Norfolk over the next few days. We wish him luck and hope that the weather is kinder to him than it is being to us.

Finally, a huge thanks to Squid for your generous donation.

Us x