Another Beautiful Fall Day today. If I don't have some really urgent commitment, and I am not out and on a ride, someone should check my pulse!
Seriously, it was just one of those days when I couldn't have not ridden, even if I tried. And I don't know what would have motivated me to try.
Anyway, I did the most quintessentially fall ride I could do without taking a train or plane--or accompanying someone who was driving a few hours out of town. You guessed it: I rode to Connecticut again. On Arielle, my Mercian Audax, of course.
This time, though, I changed my route a bit. I've found more segments of the East Coast Greenway I hadn't ridden previously: Today I took it all the way from the Bronx to Rye, which is near the Connecticut line.
Most of the route follows secondary roads that are commercial strips or main streets of residential neighborhoods in several Westchester County towns. Some parts of it are two-lane streets with cars pulling in and out. The drivers, thankfully, seemed cognizant of cyclists and gave me as much of a berth as they could. I also noticed that they were very careful before opening their doors and didn't honk or yell at me when I was just ahead of them and they were trying to pull into a parking spot. Maybe they were in a good mood: After all, it was Saturday and most of them were shopping or getting waffles or ice cream in the cute little stores.
And, where I couldn't find any more ECG signs--near the Rye train station--I followed a hunch and took a left on Purchase Street, which I rode for about a kilometer to a fork, where I decided to hook right onto Ridge Road. Not surprisingly, I had to climb a couple of hills, though they weren't terribly steep or long. And it brought me to Port Chester, where I know the side streets well enough that I could follow them over the state line.
So,on today's ride, I managed to avoid US 1--and the entrance and exit ramps for I-95 and other highways--altogether. That alone was enough to make me happy.
Even better was the opportunity to see the changes in foliage. In just over a week, I saw more reds and yellows in the trees and bushes.
And, interestingly, some flowers have come into bloom.
Some years, there is a week or so when the Fall seems like a second Spring. The colors are, of course, different, but no less vivid.
To think that I was offered such treats during a ride when I felt really, really good!
Today I also realized another reason why I've done my Connecticut Ride so often. It's like one of those meals that offers a nice combination of tastes, textures and even colors. This ride takes me from my block of brick houses, across the park that is Randall's Island, through the industrial areas and shabby but lively tenement-lined streets of the South Bronx, along tree-lined streets in Westchester County and around the vast estates and horse farms of Connecticut. And back again. Pretty good for a day ride, wouldn't you say?
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| "Ride me!" |
Seriously, it was just one of those days when I couldn't have not ridden, even if I tried. And I don't know what would have motivated me to try.
Anyway, I did the most quintessentially fall ride I could do without taking a train or plane--or accompanying someone who was driving a few hours out of town. You guessed it: I rode to Connecticut again. On Arielle, my Mercian Audax, of course.
This time, though, I changed my route a bit. I've found more segments of the East Coast Greenway I hadn't ridden previously: Today I took it all the way from the Bronx to Rye, which is near the Connecticut line.
Most of the route follows secondary roads that are commercial strips or main streets of residential neighborhoods in several Westchester County towns. Some parts of it are two-lane streets with cars pulling in and out. The drivers, thankfully, seemed cognizant of cyclists and gave me as much of a berth as they could. I also noticed that they were very careful before opening their doors and didn't honk or yell at me when I was just ahead of them and they were trying to pull into a parking spot. Maybe they were in a good mood: After all, it was Saturday and most of them were shopping or getting waffles or ice cream in the cute little stores.
And, where I couldn't find any more ECG signs--near the Rye train station--I followed a hunch and took a left on Purchase Street, which I rode for about a kilometer to a fork, where I decided to hook right onto Ridge Road. Not surprisingly, I had to climb a couple of hills, though they weren't terribly steep or long. And it brought me to Port Chester, where I know the side streets well enough that I could follow them over the state line.
Even better was the opportunity to see the changes in foliage. In just over a week, I saw more reds and yellows in the trees and bushes.
And, interestingly, some flowers have come into bloom.
Some years, there is a week or so when the Fall seems like a second Spring. The colors are, of course, different, but no less vivid.
To think that I was offered such treats during a ride when I felt really, really good!
Today I also realized another reason why I've done my Connecticut Ride so often. It's like one of those meals that offers a nice combination of tastes, textures and even colors. This ride takes me from my block of brick houses, across the park that is Randall's Island, through the industrial areas and shabby but lively tenement-lined streets of the South Bronx, along tree-lined streets in Westchester County and around the vast estates and horse farms of Connecticut. And back again. Pretty good for a day ride, wouldn't you say?
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