NE Scramble: Day 5, Millerton to Gardiner, 70 Miles | Live Every Day

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Ok normally I don’t drink Bourbon slushies out of Smart water bottles but today was that day.

It was the end of a warm, 70 mile day, some of the body parts are starting to feel the grind (and I don’t mean the legs). The slushy was cold and the distillery was right across the street from our campground so… #nobrainer

The food truck drew us into the parking lot yet once we went inside the 200 year old Grist Mill and met Jasmine, we were more intrigued with the story of the distillery and the mill than the taco truck outside.

Oh back to cycling… it was an Oreo cookie kind of day with ten plus miles of rail trails on both ends of our ride today. Rail trails mean less climb so we weren’t mad about that. There were however, a couple big ones where I told myself there would be reward at the top if I reached the top without stopping.

We crossed the Hudson River today cycling over the second longest pedestrian bridge in the world. Originally a double track railroad track, it was completed in 1889, which to me is an incredible engineering accomplishment for the times. It was converted to a 1.25 rail trail in 2009 and is a small part of the Empire State Trail.

Pictured below is one amazing woman. Meet 72 year old Marianne. She rode her bike from Los Angeles, hopped on Route 66 and cycled to Chicago. From there she followed the Adventure Cycling Map to Washington, DC via parts of the C&O and GAP trails and now she is heading to Maine on the Atlantic Coast Trail where she will attend a fiddler’s conference.

No, she doesn’t carry her fiddle but does carry a bear cannister for her food on her recumbent bike. As a matter of fact a little black bear loped across the street in front of her just yesterday. But I digress… She will return home to Portland not by plane, train or automobile, but by riding through Canada. And she’s a solo rider, averaging about 45 miles a day.

She said she comes by her love of travel and the outdoors honestly. Her mother, who has now passed but lived well past 100 years of age, hiked the Pacific Crest Trail before it was even called the PCT. What a fascinating woman.

Tonight we camp by the Wallkill River and tomorrow’s route guides us through more of the scenic Hudson River Valley. We should be peddling through the Big Apple on Wednesday. 🏙️

Thanks so much for the follow, the questions, comments and of course the prayers that we count on.

Oh, and someone was asking about the what, where and why’s of this ride. You can find the quick answer to that here.

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