Bicycling New England, the
Erie Canal, & around Lake Ontario 2005
Norfolk CT to Hudson NY

June 30, 2005
Distance 43.5 Miles

Today was our 2nd three states in one day this trip. We had breakfast in Connecticut, lunch in Massachusetts, and dinner in New York, a lot to accomplish without a car. We started the day with the best breakfast we have ever had, including three kinds of fresh berries. And to top it off the sun came out just as we were leaving the Bed and Breakfast. Norkfolk is also the summer school for the Yale School of Music. Looks like a nice town to spend a holiday in. As we left we had to climb a small hill to get back to highway 44 and then we started a downhill where we never traveled less than 20 miles per hour and coasted for more than 2 miles. After this great start we turned up a back road which required a short climb up a steep hill and then traveled for more than 10 miles over almost flat roads. It was great riding and for the first time since entering the southern New England area, we saw farms. Most of the farms were dairy farms but we also saw some corn growing. The scenery along the roads was mostly beautiful woods that at times came completely across the road.

We stopped once and took this picture while we waited for George and Jane to catch up.

As we approached the Hudson River valley we again had to climb up and down a series of hills. We stopped for a cup of soup at a restaurant along the way and again for ice cream just before we rode into the motel. We are staying in a motel that is just outside Hudson NY. The cost is high, and it appears that there is no nearby competition.

George checked his front bicycle tire when we got in and it looks like he has a cracked rim. They immediately got on the bicycle and rode to the nearest bicycle shop; however, they were unable to replace the rim. So tomorrow we will head into Albany and they will ride to Valatie in hopes that they will have the required parts. We walked down the hill to a good diner for dinner, George and Jane had Italian food delivered to their motel room.