Salzburg, NY to Kingston, NY

Having left before seven in the morning, I didn't actually get an early start. I got to a significant hill, pulled over, and ate breakfast for 45 minutes before attempting the climb. With sustenance in me, I began a long, slow climb, during which I had to stop several times.

That climb typified my morning. I saw very pretty country, especially as I ascended to the top of Winchell Mountain Road. There was beautiful farmland at the top, but it took a long time to get there. Oh, and by the way, I made it to New York state!! I was very excited to coast down a hill into "Northeast." Hm? Yep, Northeast. [shrug]

Sometime on this stage, I heard a pop from behind me, and I realized later that my rear wheel had just suffered a broken spoke. I got a little scared when the bike shop in Rhinebeck said that I'd be lucky to find *any* shop with single spokes, because so many wheels are now under warranty and if a spoke breaks, the whole wheel is sent in to get replaced or fixed. That sounds terrible for people on bike tours. Ugh. On the other hand, I suppose it means the manufacturers are doing a good job making better quality products.

Anyway, across the Hudson River in Kingston, the nice man at Bike Brothers both had a full stock of spokes and made time to put it in right then. On the advice of the first bike shop (who I really didn't get a great feeling from), I did buy an extra spoke in case it happens again. It occurs to me, however, that I may not have it with me anymore... I think I'll be fine, because I'm pretty sure I know what caused it to break, and it can be avoided. I think the rear drailleur, when I put it in my lowest, hill-climbing gear, may be rubbing against the spokes.

Back to what happened! After a trip to the bike shop in Rhinebeck, and a trip to the library, I met Eric downtown and we took the scenic route to the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge over the Hudson. The bridge itself is about a mile long, I'm pretty sure. It's not meant for bikes, really, but it was safe because there is a wide, clearly-marked, shoulder. It was still scary for me, but not so much because of the traffic. I'm a little scared of very high bridges in general. I was able to relax enough to look at some of the scenery after a bit. It *is* a nice view from up there. I saw a tug boat pulling a tanker, a lot of pretty trees, and a very wide river.

Once in Kingston, Eric and I found the above-mentioned bike shop, and then found Bruce and Lynda's house. We dumped extraneous gear and Eric took me on a scenic ride through Kingston to the Rondout area, a really nice district where the Rondout River flows into the Hudson. There are nice shops and marinas, and a nice view. Once there, I enjoyed the sights a bit, but realized I was just too tired to really appreciate much of anything. The recreational ten miles might have been better spent as rest. Oh well--next time!

Lynda, assisted by Bruce, cooked a scrumptious and nutritious dinner, we played with some club passing, and then we went to bed despite my best intentions to update here more fully. I find that I am just too tired much of the time.

Total Stage II distance: 66 miles (includes trip to the Rondout district) Total Trip distance: 137 miles Net elevation change? (Someone else is welcome to look up the elevation of my stops and insert the changes here... Maybe I'll do it at the end of the trip or on an off day.)

Total Stage Distance: 66 miles

Stage Time On Bike: 5 hours, 45 minutes

Total Stage time: just under 12 hours

Total Trip Distance: 137 miles

Net Elevation Change: -???

On to Stage III

Back to Stage I

Back to Bike Travels

Check out the libraries I've used--I love libraries!