Ahhhhh…how nice it was to join the Thursday ride with my cycling group, a 45 mile roundtrip ride to Piermont, New York.
I always enjoy the rides that take us through Harlem up to the George Washington Bridge. This time the aroma of garlic filled the air. (It’s usually doughnuts and bbq in Harlem so what a nice surprise!)
The first portion of our ride took us through the New Jersey portion of the Palisades Interstate Park. If you don’t know about the Palisades let me give you a quick synopsis. The NJ section is about 12 miles long with 2,500 acres of wild Hudson River shorefront and uplands. We took state bike route 9 up through Bergen County into New York. This stretch has bike lanes as big as a car lanes. Amazing!
As we entered the forest trailway to the village of Piermont, I went back in time to cycling the forests in the Loire Valley in France. It was de ja vue all over again. As we rode with plenty of space between the members of our group, it was so peaceful. Just think of a cool breeze of 60 some degrees…If only I could’ve parked, sat for a bit, let my mind wander as I gazed through the rays of sunlight peeping through the trees…just close your eyes for a second and imagine it…
You are becoming quite a writer. I am proud of you.
I love that ride! It is so close to Manhattan and yet seems so far away. I usually leave here at 5AM so there is virtually no one there.
Yes! lt’s have that beer or two. I think you idea is a good one. Contact one another spur of the moment. I can also escape in the afternoon during the week too.
My lord, have mercy. The photographs are breathtaking____so vivid and bright___I feel I could touch them. I am picturing a book “a tour of NYC” why people love New York. Your writing is lovely____it captures the reader’s imagination. You are correct, Loire Valley/France comes to mind.
Love
BB