May 29, 2023
Riding the Gap
Worthington State Campground, New Jersey to Oakland Valley Campground, Cuddebackville, New York
I didn’t sleep at all last night or so I thought. I checked my phone and it said it was 4:30. I had been asleep for 7 1/2 hours. Temps fell into the low 40s but I was comfy in my new sleeping bag. Thanks for the recommendation, Corey.
Breakfast was PB&J on pita bread. Not optimal but it would due until I could find something better.
The day began with 25 miles on the Old Mine Road, old being the operative word here. The campground clerk warned me that the road would be bad and it sure was.
To make matters worse there was a long, steep hill that I had no chance of riding up. I pushed The Mule about a quarter mile.
I was hoping for relief at 12 miles when my route took me onto a different road, Highway 615. I came screaming (my front brakes are noisy) down a hill on smooth pavement at 30 miles per hour.
There was a stop sign at the bottom. I didn’t want to overheat my rims and explode a tire so I cruised through it taking a right turn past a barrier curiously placed on only the left side of the road. A half mile later I came to an imposing concrete barrier. It was about 8 feet high and completely blocked the road.
I backtracked and talked to a fisherman about my plight. He offered to help me get over the barrier but said the road was washed out last fall. Even if I could get past the washout, I had no way of knowing if I could get past the barrier on the north side of the closure.
Examining my map I saw a gray line parallel to 615. It was the Old Mine Road. As it turned out this was the really bad part that I was warned about yesterday. As I started out I saw a detour sign I had missed at my right hand turn. The sign was covered my some overhanging tree branches.
The crummy road lasted about 5 miles until I rejoined 615. At the town of Peters Valley I came to what my map said was a fork in the road. It was a 3-way fork. I stopped to make sure that the steepest road was the continuation of the route. Dang if it wasn’t.
Having come to a stop there was no way I could climb the beast so I hoofed it again.
Not long after my bike hike, the roadway improved immensely. I was zooming along when I encountered Zack, a bike tourist headed to the Pacific Northwest. He told me that the side trip to Milford PA across the Delaware was worth the miles; Milford had open restaurants, good info this being Memorial Day.
I rode down to the Delaware River and used the walkway to cross. It was oddly constructed of a series of flimsy metal planks over metal grates. The sides of the walkway were stout but you could see through to the river below. It was disorienting.
Glad to be across, I found the Milford Diner in town. I ordered an omelette with home fries and toast plus coffee. The mound of food that came to my table was intimidating but I ate it all but for a bite of toast.
Next I stopped at a grocery story where I tossed the pita bread which was on the verge of a mold breakout and the ham and cheese sandwich that Tracy made for me a week ago. It had fallen to the bottom of a pannier and was probably inedible at this point.
At the grocery I bought bananas and apples and mini tortillas. Also two packets of tuna which work well as emergency food. And a sandwich for dinner.
Back across the river an on route again, I headed up NJ 521 , a mercifully smooth two lane road. Crossing in into New York at Port Jervis, the excellent road conditions continued. I was now out of the Delaware National Recreation Area and into rural America.
I was feeling quite strong as my route took me across the Neversink River. There I noticed that I had been benefiting from a tailwind.
At Cuddebackville I found a gas station with a deli. They open at 5 am, when they serve breakfast.
Two more hilly miles off route took me to my campground for the night.
Today's ride: 54 miles (87 km)
Total: 400 miles (644 km)
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