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PA to VT - A Recent Retiree's Ramble

I was headed to Hunter Mtn so I could ride NY 214 to Phoenicia.

DSCN2337-L.jpg


I rode this road many times when I attended Color in the Catskills a couple of years ago and wanted to ride it again. I was not disappointed.

In Phoenicia, I turned west on NY with Arkville my destination. I had heard about Cha Cha Hut BBQ, and this being my last day on the road, was looking forward to treating myself to a proper lunch that required lots of napkins. :eat They’re only open Thursday through Sunday, so wasn’t able to stop on my way through on Monday, but today was the day.

DSCN2341-L.jpg


I arrived at 1:45 anticipating a great lunch and a bit of a rest only to find they don’t open until 3 on Thursdays. :doh I settled for eating my last two Clif Bars in the parking lot and discussing BMWs with an RT rider trapped in a cage. I’ll have to return…

I headed west and picked up NY 30 south, one of my favorite roads.

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This was one of, if not the best, routes on this trip, with a sunny day, no traffic and a curvy road.

I turned off past Pepacton Reservoir and headed south and had my only “moment” of the trip. The road from the reservoir rises and I saw a view I wanted to take a photo of. Thinking the bike might move backward on the side stand due to the slope of the hill and the shoulder, I thought I’d back the bike into the guardrail to hold it. I put the bike in neutral and backed up on an angle slowly, but when the right saddleback contacted the guardrail, the bike tilted to the left, downhill side. I was holding the bike on a downhill, left-leaning angle with my left leg and couldn’t straighten the bike up because I was against the guardrail. I couldn’t lift my foot to put the bike in gear or try to lower the side stand and I couldn’t move the bike forward. I couldn’t reach the guardrail to hold myself so I could lift my left foot to put the bike in gear and couldn’t get off the bike without it coming over on me. In retrospect, I might’ve been able to pull the clutch with my right hand and reach down with my left hand and put it in gear. I practice yoga but have never tried the downward facing SOL man, so balancing precariously and out of options, I flagged down a passing motorist. I had him hold me and the bike up, put the bike in gear with his foot and help me get away from the guardrail so I could be on my way. If it wasn’t for that help, I think I’d still be there.

It went from a bad day to a good day, and there was color everywhere. :laugh

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I started to retrace my route from Monday and ended up back on home soil.

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PA 402 was the last fun ride of the trip.

I ended up at home around 7 after a 400 mile day and a 1260 mile trip. Three out of four days were dry and four out of four days were a blast.
 
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Ride video westbound on VT 9.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50391596" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
 
I think I have this video embedding figured out...

Southbound on NY 214 video

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50395053" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Southbound on NY 30 video

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50409960" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Southbound on PA 402 video

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50409472" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>
 
Ride video westbound on VT 9.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/50391596" width="400" height="300" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

Thanks for sharing !! I really like that sound track? / song? Would you post the name please. Great easy listening music!!

Ron
 
Thanks a Big'ol Bunch! for sharing. You have a talent for photography & narrating the photos. Really enjoyed it!! Glad you had a good & safe trip!

BTW; I ate lunch in that sandwich shop / store in Tyson Village, when I was up that way in 2007, after Americade.

Ron
 
Nicely done. Thank-you for posting; I know it takes a bit of doing. This is definitely a different (and very scenic) area than I am used to on the western side of the continent. :wave
 
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Gee-whiz...

You have a gift of picking camp sites! A couple of those camp photos
are, as they say in the movie.... "real nice clark"
And, your a lucky guy to have "flagged down" a passing car with what
you had going on.... what did you use, the "neck wiggle, helmet bob" method!?
Thanks for the great report.

"travel'in john" ; 04R1150R
 
You have a gift of picking camp sites! A couple of those camp photos
are, as they say in the movie.... "real nice clark"
And, your a lucky guy to have "flagged down" a passing car with what
you had going on.... what did you use, the "neck wiggle, helmet bob" method!?
Thanks for the great report.

"travel'in john" ; 04R1150R

I used a persistent hand wave, and there much have been a certain amount of desperation in it, as the first car I tried it on, stopped. :clap
 
Nice ride report. I retire July 1, 2013 and plan to head to the Northeast that fall. Never been north of NYC, so will be a great treat. Thanks again. :usa
 
Nice vids, too! :thumb

Makes me look forward to that "retirement" thing even more. Of course, that's still a LONG way off for me! :doh
 
Effective September 1, at the ripe old age of 56 and after 23 years of a research career at a large pharma company, I pulled the plug and retired. :dance One of the things I plan to do is ride more, and what better time to do that than in the Fall?

I'm fast approaching age 63 (February) and I am wrestling with the notion of retiring.

Thanks for the great trip report. It really strikes a chord with me because I look back fondly on trips through New England on my bike. I live in Western NY so New England and points NE are some of my favorite places to ride.

I've had some trouble getting any riding in of late, with medical problems some years and family commitments other years. When I take a week off for a family get-together, then I don't have any time for a bike trip.

My career has been in road and bridge construction, which has severely limited my time off during the riding season. Going on bike trips like the one you just presented is one of my main motivations to retire, so wish me luck in taking the plunge and actually retiring. My plan is to retire this winter, after the construction season ends.

Thanks again for the nice pics and trip report. It brings back memories of trips to Laconia, Bar Harbor, Quebec, Nova Scotia, etc. and reminds me I need to retire to do more of these adventures. Let's hope your trip report helps in some small way have me see the light and retire while I am still able to do road trips on the bike.



Harry
 
Harry, I'm certainly a newbie to this whole retirement thing, but so far so good. It feels a little like Groundhog Day - every day's a Saturday.:)

If you haven't seen this, I found this thread interesting and informative.

Good luck with your decision.
 
Great ride report and great pictures. I've been up around Hunter Mountain and have seen some of the sites in your pictures and have a few pictures of them myself.

II turned off past Pepacton Reservoir and headed south and had my only ÔÇ£momentÔÇØ of the trip. The road from the reservoir rises and I saw a view I wanted to take a photo of. Thinking the bike might move backward on the side stand due to the slope of the hill and the shoulder, I thought IÔÇÖd back the bike into the guardrail to hold it. I put the bike in neutral and backed up on an angle slowly, but when the right saddleback contacted the guardrail, the bike tilted to the left, downhill side. I was holding the bike on a downhill, left-leaning angle with my left leg and couldnÔÇÖt straighten the bike up because I was against the guardrail. I couldnÔÇÖt lift my foot to put the bike in gear or try to lower the side stand and I couldnÔÇÖt move the bike forward. I couldnÔÇÖt reach the guardrail to hold myself so I could lift my left foot to put the bike in gear and couldnÔÇÖt get off the bike without it coming over on me. In retrospect, I mightÔÇÖve been able to pull the clutch with my right hand and reach down with my left hand and put it in gear. I practice yoga but have never tried the downward facing SOL man, so balancing precariously and out of options, I flagged down a passing motorist. I had him hold me and the bike up, put the bike in gear with his foot and help me get away from the guardrail so I could be on my way. If it wasnÔÇÖt for that help, I think IÔÇÖd still be there.


.....good recovery on your pedicament however, you did one thing wrong... the first thing you should have done was give your camera to the helpful motorist and ask him to take a picture of you so we could all see your quandary and better share the experience with you....

:laugh
 
Great ride report! I wish I would stop and take pictures while I'm out touring. I really enjoyed your report!
 
Harry, I'm certainly a newbie to this whole retirement thing, but so far so good. It feels a little like Groundhog Day - every day's a Saturday.:)

If you haven't seen this, I found this thread interesting and informative.

Good luck with your decision.

Great report Terence:thumb
It's a part of the US we have not ridden in or thru yet, but planned!

And as someone who retired earlier than most it's worth every day of it. Life's short, don't get caught saying " I wished I had..." There is a way if one wants it bad enough, and that retirement thread linked is a good thought provoker.
 
And as someone who retired earlier than most it's worth every day of it. Life's short, don't get caught saying " I wished I had..." There is a way if one wants it bad enough, and that retirement thread linked is a good thought provoker.

Thanks, Steve. Terence, I was in that earlier thread about retirement. I was going to go back in June, but put it off. I'm more comfortable with the idea now and will do it this winter, when I'll cause the least disruption at work. Besides having the "forces" coming together to convince me to retire, I really miss being able to take those long road trips on the bike, and the only way I am going to be able to do them is to retire, so that's what I'll do.

Hunter Mountain is a nice area. I used to take bus trips there in winter from Long Island as a high school student in the HS ski club.

Harry
 
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