San Francisco is a magical place and I spent more time there than intended. My “rest days” were nothing of the sort! So…let’s log the miles:
Day 13: Arrival from Sausalito (logged in last entry)
Days 14-16: San Francisco “rest days”
Day 14: 25 miles (technically on day 15…but very early)
Day 15: 8 miles
Day 16: True rest day! With yoga 🙂
Day 17: Departure on CalTrain
Total miles since last entry: ~33 miles Trip total: ~463 miles, average 29 miles/day (counting rest days)
My time in San Francisco was amazing. I had an incredible host – Miguel, who offered the perfect balance of hanging out and doing our own things. Here are the highlights:
Day 13: A few miles that I didn’t track
Golden Gate Park: I could have easily spent my entire weekend here. Miguel recommended it as a place to hang out on the day I arrived, and I see why! I had a lovely time watching ducks in one of the many ponds, taking photos of my bike, attending a free concert, hunting for windmills, and catching the sunset at Ocean Beach. GGP feels like a mix of Central Park and Prospect Park. According to Wikipedia, GGP is the third-most visited city park in the US, behind Central Park and the Lincoln Memorial. It was designed by engineer William Hammond Hall. Interestingly, as stated on Wikipedia, “In 1865, Frederick Law Olmsted proposed a plan for a park using native species suited for San Francisco’s dry climate; however, the proposal was rejected in favor of a Central Park-style park needing extensive irrigation.” Olmsted designed Central Park, so it’s fascinating that his proposal for GGP was rejected.
Day 14:
I started this day by exploring on my own, then met up with Miguel for a delicious home-cooked meal of paella and charcuterie:
Ferry Building: This was a great indoor-outdoor farmer’s market. I was excited to find momo, a dumpling-like snack from Nepal that the Bhutanese kids at RISSE (a refugee center I used to work at) loved to eat. Yum!
The Exploratorium: This was such a cool, interactive science museum! I wish I hadn’t visited on a weekend – I love kids, but there were way, way too many on this day. Nonetheless, I enjoyed my visit. Highlights were the lifesize model of the Mars Perseverance Rover and the infrared scanner that confirmed once and for all that yes indeed, my fingers are very, very cold. The area focused on inventions was also pretty cool.
Lillie Hitchcock Coit: SF has lots of signs around the city to read to learn about its history. I enjoyed learning about Ms. Coit, a “renegade Southern belle” who became a certified member of SF’s fire department at age 20 in the mid-1800s. According to the sign, “she smoked cigars, drank bourbon, and drove teams of fire horses.” Badass. I’ll think of her when I see Coit Tower at the top of Telegraph Hill.
Fisherman’s Wharf: I visited this place twice. The first time, it was Saturday afternoon and felt way too touristy and icky. The second was Tuesday morning and it was gorgeous and peaceful. Only visit on weekdays if you can!
Day 15:
Midnight Mystery Ride: This was an unexpected delight recommended by Alexei, another Warmshowers host. Once a month, cyclists in SF gather in a location disclosed at noon the day of the ride. The ride organizer leads everyone on an adventure to areas of SF you might not otherwise think to visit. There are stops in public park areas for drinks and snacks. Miguel joined for this adventure too, and what an adventure it was! We met so many cool cyclists and visited SO MUCH of San Francisco. It was magical.
Post-Mystery Ride: After the ride, some us hung out for more adventures. There was a stop at Crispy Crunchy Chicken – a SF favorite inside gas stations -, Dolores Park – where you can see the golden fire hydrant that survived the famous SF fire -, an amazing alley in the Mission district filled with murals, and then finally…an ambitious adventure cycling up to Twin Peaks!
Twin Peaks: The roads leading up to Twin Peaks are made of concrete rather than asphalt because of how steep the gradient is. At one point I felt like my front bike wheel was about to come off the ground! After a lot of hard work, we all made it to the top and were rewarded with an incredible 5 AM view of the entire city. This was so amazing, and very much worth the climb on my “rest day.”
Grandview: One of the riders on the mystery ride, Phil, had a pannier repair kit and could fix my bag. Hooray! After visiting a farmer’s market, Miguel and I rode to Phil’s place and learned quite a bit about bike maintenance while Phil checked my bike to see if anything needed tweaking and then…fixed my pannier! Then he lead us on a ride to Grandview, his favorite place to watch the sunset. Yet another steep climb – including flights of stairs carrying our bikes – and we were at the top. We enjoyed an amazing sunset while a saxophonist serenaded the city. So cool, and once again worth the work on my rest day.
Day 17 & Other Highlights
Food: I haven’t focused much on “foodie” life on this bike tour but that changed in San Francisco, thanks in part to Miguel. I had Vietnamese, Burmese, Thai, Nepalese, and Chinese food, as well as Miguel’s delicious cooking and a few sweet treats. Yum!
Crissy Field: On the day I left, I joined Miguel for his 9-mile commute to work, which happened to also be the same direction as the CalTrain I’d be catching to Redwood City. A lot of the ride was on the bike path along Crissy Field. The path was beautiful, the sunrise was great, and you get a cool view of the Golden Gate Bridge. Awesome way to end my visit to SF.
CalTrain: I have to include this as a highlight because this train was SO CHEAP ($6!) and has three cars devoted just to bicycle storage. San Francisco clearly has their bicycle game figured out. Well done CalTrain!
Miguel! I feel lucky to have had Miguel as my host; he had amazing advice about the Pacific Coast Highway and the perfect attitude for my weekend. We even did yoga together in the park! I can genuinely say I made a new friend on my SF stop, met lots of amazing people, and hope to return. I think SF would have been cool regardless, but it was definitely extra great with such an awesome host.
Wow, it is hard to keep up on this blog! I’m currently in San Francisco, but I’ll write about that as a separate entry.
Here’s where I’ve been over the past week:
Day 6: Piercy-Fort Bragg: 55 miles
Lodging: Couchsurfing – Jay’s guest house
Day 7: Fort Bragg-Elk: 24 miles
Lodging: Warmshowers – Barn on Judy’s property
Day 8: Elk-Gualala Point Campground: 45 miles
Lodging: Hike or bike campground, $5
Day 9: Gualala Point Campground-Jenner Inn: 37 miles
Lodging: Room at an inn, $200 (eek!)
Day 10: Jenner Inn-Valley Ford: 22 miles
Lodging: Host A Sister – Spare room at Gabrielle’s house
Day 11: Rest day in Sebastopol: 0 miles
Lodging: Host A Sister – Spare room at Gabrielle’s house
Day 12: Valley Ford-Sausalito: 52 miles
Lodging: Friend of friend – Gabrielle’s friend Dianne’s boat!!! 😮
Day 13: Sausalito-San Francisco: 15 miles
Lodging: Warmshowers – Room in Miguel’s house
Total miles since last entry: ~250 miles Trip total: ~430 miles, average 33 miles/day(or 39/day, not counting rest days)
Day 6: Piercy-Fort Bragg, 55 miles
I started this day by giving a piano lesson to my student Noah on Zoom, made breakfast with the help of Sam and Janelle’s 3-y/o Frank, then went on my way (Frank told me “Be careful of the cars!” Wise words from a toddler). The hill from Sam’s house is a doozy – I had my hands on my brakes almost the whole way down!
This ride was intense. There is an enormous hill around Leggett that really got me. Plus, on the way up, one of my panniers snapped! I rigged it with bungee cords, but oh boy, I hope it makes it to San Diego.
Sam had told me he was excited for this part of my ride, and I understand why. The climbs were intense, but this is the part of the ride when you transition from Highway 101 to Highway 1. There comes a point when you turn a corner and suddenly BOOM, the coast appears! It caught me by surprise a bit, and it was definitely worth the work on the climb. I enjoyed a nice lunch along the coastline before continuing on to Fort Bragg, where I stayed in the guesthouse of Jay, a woman who I found on Couchsurfing. I was quite exhausted by that point, so I’m sort of glad she has a separate guest house, I’m not sure I would have been up for much socializing in my state!
Day 7: Fort Bragg-Elk, 24 miles
This was a shorter ride because I had an important stop: The gray whale festival at Point Cabrillo Light Station Historic State Park. I arrived in time for a morning birdwatching tour. We saw twelve different kinds of birds, plus gray whales spouting! Didn’t see any whales surface, but it was cool to see their spouts and know they were there. I also explored the lighthouse itself and the museum. The staff I met were friendly and the scenery was amazing; I enjoyed my time very much!
Next, I stopped to eat my lunch at the headlands of Mendocino. But…it was windy and chilly thanks to incoming rain, so I didn’t stay long. Typically on the west coast wind blows north to south, so I have tailwinds when biking. However, whenever rain is coming, the winds move south to north instead. Not fun to ride with headwinds AND hills!
I continued to battle headwinds into Elk, where I summited one final, extremely long hill to get to my next host’s house. Judy is somewhat of a celebrity on Warmshowers; she is the only host in the area and has been on WS for a full decade; it’s likely she has hosted 1000 cyclists! Many cyclists I’ve met on this trip know of Judy, either because she gave them advice and/or hosted them.
Judy lives with her friend Nick, her brother Dave, their 94-y/o father Rusty, a dog, a cat, and an emu! Judy’s family used to breed emus and had 54 at one point! The family built their own house and made it solar-powered over forty years ago, long before solar panels were popular. Pretty impressive!
Judy is the postmaster and firefighter for Elk, an important member of her community. We all shared dinner and stories before I retired to the barn and set up my tent inside to avoid the incoming rain. Very grateful to have had shelter while it was raining!
Day 8: Elk-Gualala, 45 miles
This was the first day I didn’t have a concrete destination; I was going to ride until I was too tired, then find a place to camp. Judy recommended Gualala as a possible destination and that’s exactly where I ended up, at Gualala Point Campground’s $5 hike or bike area. The campground was gorgeous, and once again I had the HB area to myself, surrounded by RVs. This time rather than bear boxes there were raccoon boxes, so once again I was able to store my food worry-free. The HB food locker was clearly the coolest; lots of cyclists left their mark on the inside of the door.
Day 9: Gualala-Jenner, 37 miles
Day 8’s ride was intense, but it was nothing compared to Day 9. A storm was coming, so I faced headwinds and some of the largest hills of the trip. Plus, I really had no destination; there was a campground coming up but the forecast was 100% rain, and there were no Couchsurfing, Warmshowers, or Host A Sister hosts anywhere around. What to do?!
As I was contemplating this, I spotted a deer grazing on grass and behind it…the most unique building I’ve seen on this trip. It was the non-denominational Sea Ranch Chapel. I legitimately enjoyed sitting in the chapel reflecting on my trip and resting before continuing into the unknown.
Not much else to say about this day…I felt like a zombie, and I didn’t pass any places to stop for food, drink, or restrooms. When I finally did pass a general store, it was closed until April! Big shoutout to The Fort Ross store for being the only open store I passed; the vegetarian tamales I bought there were so tasty after so much despair! When I got to Fort Ross, I decided I needed to make a decision about where to stay for the night. I chose the Jenner Inn, called them up, and reserved a room.
From Fort Ross, I encountered enormous hills and did a ton of bike-walking. Then, with around six miles left, a pick-up truck pulled up beside me. “Are you doing okay?” the man in the driver’s seat asked. “Doing the best I can!” I responded. He asked if I’d like a break to get up the hill, and seeing his bike rack on the truck, I accepted. It turns out that Kevin is a fellow cyclist and has been in situations like mine, so he understood. He very nicely drove me to the Jenner Inn and waited to make sure I got settled in before continuing on. Thank you Kevin for the assistance!
That night it POURED rain; I could hear it all night long in my room. The Jenner Inn was not cheap, but I was able to post my lesson for my students, stay dry, recover from the most difficult riding day I’ve had on this entire trip, and enjoy amenities like a free breakfast sitting out on a beautiful porch overlooking the water. I am very grateful for that place, and would recommend it if you want to splurge on a place to stay in that area.
Day 10: Jenner-Valley Ford, 22 miles
After enjoying a leisurely breakfast with tea on the porch at the Jenner Inn, I checked in on my students and hit the road. This ride was MUCH better; no big hills and no headwinds! The misty morning made the cliff sides and farmland look magical. I had a short ride on this day; just 22 miles to Valley Ford to meet Gabrielle, a host I connected with through a Facebook group for female-identifying travelers called Host A Sister. Since the ride was short, I took a detour to ride an off-road path in Bodega Bay called Bird Walk Coastal Access, part of the Sonoma County Regional Parks program. Great place!
Gabrielle very nicely picked me up and drove me to her home in Sebastopol, where I stayed for two nights.
Day 11: Rest day in Sebastopol, 0 miles
I had a wonderful time at Gabrielle’s house. We shared meals and stories, but she also left me plenty of time to get work done. Sometimes it’s a bit difficult to teach and travel, but I was able to catch up on my teaching tasks on the rest day. Thank you Gabrielle for letting me take this time in your lovely home.
Day 12: Valley Ford-Sausalito, 52 miles
Before I left, Gabrielle asked where I was staying that next night and I told her honestly that I did not know. She made a call and next thing I knew, I was set to spend the night on her friend Dianne’s boat in Sausalito!
The ride to Sausalito was great, especially after I crossed into Marin County. As Gabrielle explained, the laws around roadwork in Sonoma County – where she lives – are very limiting, and I would know immediately when I reached Marin when the road quality improved. She was right!
Midway through this day I met two local cyclists who invited me to their house for food as a rest stop. I wish I’d said yes, but my brain was set on getting to Sausalito. If I’d said yes I may have known to turn left onto Panorama Highway rather than continuing on Highway 1 to get to Sausalito. Instead, I encountered extremely steep, never-ending hills that could have been avoided. Ugh!!!
Regardless, I somehow arrived at Sausalito by 5 PM. I had dinner, located the boat, then treated myself to Lappert’s Ice Cream as I explored the downtown area, including “The Floating Taj Mahal” houseboat. Then I enjoyed a nice quiet evening reading on the boat. Sausalito is a cute town and I am glad I got to stay there!
Day 13: Sausalito-San Francisco, 15 miles
The next morning I gave Noah a piano lesson on Zoom from the boat. It’s becoming part of our lesson tradition for Noah to ask me where I am, which is fun! 🙂 Given the early lesson time, I was awake to watch the sunrise from the boat. Awesome!
After the lesson I packed up and happened to meet Dianne, who was coming to grab the kayak just as I was leaving, hence the cool boat photos 🙂 Next, I met my next Warmshowers host, Miguel, who had cycled from San Francisco to Sausalito that morning. We had breakfast and then he acted as my tour guide and photographer on the ride to San Francisco. Thanks to him I have some cool photos crossing the Golden Gate Bridge and outside the Legion of Honor building. As he said, you only get one first time crossing the bridge! I’m having a great time in San Francisco, but I’ll share more in a separate post. I’m here for three nights – Friday through Monday – so that I can explore a bunch before continuing south. Adventures await!
I finally did it! I rode 100+ miles across Long Islandand camped at two bike hostels!
Tuesday, Sept. 14th, 2021, 10:47 AM:
I’m racing up Flatbush Ave, two panniers of camping equipment and supplies clinging to my bike rack, doubt and determination battling in the boxing ring of my mind:
This train leaves at 11:05 – can I make it? Is this a good idea? Why not wait ’til tomorr- but the weather’s perfect and you have two days free and you don’t know when you’ll have this chance again and– what about the cats I’m watching? Did I leave enough food? Will they be oka- you know they’ll be fine and you don’t have any grading right now so this is the perfect time…(you get the idea).
I shove aside the two fighters in my brain and concentrate on the task: Pedal swiftly, smartly, and safely to Atlantic Terminal. I arrive, hurry to the elevator, and glance at the train schedule and time. It is currently 11:05:30…I have missed my train by less than one minute.
The Plan
When the pandemic made my “goodbye grad school” dream of biking through Europe impossible, 100 miles to Montauk became my 2021 summer goal. I’ve biked to Montauk quite a few times through Glen Goldstein’s wonderful, now-retired Ride To Montauk event, but my friend Genai and I volunteered at the Mastic-Shirley start line, so we never rode a full century. Then in 2020 I learned about Suffolk County’s bike hostels, where cyclists camp free. One bike hostel is in Montauk, so my goal changed: Bike to Montauk and camp at county bike hostels along the way. I had a week free in August when I could have achieved my goal but decided to cycle the East Coast Greenway instead, exploring unfamiliar territory. No regrets, but I still wanted to check out LI bike hostels and cycle to Montauk.
After weeks of postponing (bad weather, too much work, meetings, unanticipated COVID exposure…), I finally had a small window of time for the ride. The fall semester had started, but I could cater to my students and achieve my goal if I altered the plan for a condensed schedule. New plan: Take the train to Smithtown, bike 40 miles to Riverhead, camp at Indian Island County Park, then either camp at Cathedral Pines, return to Brooklyn, or continue 50 miles to Montauk County Park, depending on timing and weather. All good options…until I missed my train.
Rerouting…
I stared hard at the train schedule, willing it to show my Smithtown train on a track. Missing that train meant waiting two hours to catch the next one, time I couldn’t afford if I was going to make it to Riverhead. I reviewed options: Try again the next day – foregoing Montauk and exploring only one bike hostel – or choose a train going somewhere else in Suffolk and pedal hard from there. Having grown up on Long Island, I could always call family and friends if I wasn’t going to make it, so I figured it was worth a shot. I hopped on an 11:35 train for the next-best spot I could find, Huntington.
I arrived in Huntington at 1 PM, an hour later than I would have arrived at Smithtown and 10 miles further west. My route was almost the same, following NY Bicycle Route 25A, but I’d have to hurry to make it to Riverhead before sunset. No lingering at rest stops and no time for misdirections like on the ECG.
As miles rolled by my confidence grew; unlike the ECG, I’d traversed these roads many times by car, foot, and even some by bike. I mentally reviewed friends and family to call in a pinch; I had a safety net all along the route. I even chose rest stops based on prior knowledge rather than random time/place. First stop: Stony Brook Village for a late lunch with a beautiful view of one of my favorite LI places, Avalon Park.
My lunch view from Avalon Park
The Route
The ride from Huntington to Riverhead was wonderful from beginning to end. The signs for 25A were incredibly clear; at no point did I feel I might make a wrong turn. Even at forks where I was 95% sure which way to go, signs left little room for error. In Suffolk County, many bike routes run alongside cars, but the bike lanes are so wide that I never felt unsafe. To reach Riverhead I also explored paths away from cars, including the Setauket Greenway Trail and the not-quite-complete North Shore Rail Trail, formerly known as the Rails to Trails Recreational Path. The North Shore trail was the highlight of my trip, consisting of ten miles of flat, paved, beautiful bike path that I’d never ridden before. According to the July 2021 Suffolk County Legislature News Flash, “the project was first suggested over 50 years ago by local civic members, and re-introduced in 2001 by advocates of bicycle organizations, the Setauket-Port Jefferson Greenway Trail and community residents.” The trail is a secret paradise running parallel to 25A, and it was easy to hop back to Bicycle Route 25A when I reached the section under construction.
Indian Island County Park (Riverhead)
At 7 PM I rolled up to what Google Maps was calling the entrance to Indian Island County Park.
Tip to anyone interested in this ride: Google Maps is wrong! The directions say to turn onto Indian Point Road from Hubbard Ave. This is actually the back entrance, with a locked gate. If you are sneaky you can push on the gate and slip through (you might need to take a pannier off your bike…not that I’ve done any such thing…) but you can alternatively go to the front entrance on 105. To do this, after you pass the fire station on Hubbard Ave, turn right on 105. The entrance is not easy to get to since it is on the left side of a busy one-way street, but if you can’t fit through the gate, this is the way in.
Tips For the Park:
I recommend calling in advance to make sure the campground is open. You can call the Suffolk County Parks main line at 631-854-4949 and/or Indian Island’s direct number: 631-852-3232. The officeat Indian Island is only open until 2:30 PM, so if you miss getting to speak to a park employee, here are some tips:
You don’t need to make a reservation or even tell someone you’re coming; you can literally just ride your bike to the campground and set up your tent (though I recommend calling anyway).
To reach the bike hostel area, go straight from the office and turn left at the stop sign. Continue on Indian Point Road until you see a small sign on the right that reads “Bike Hostel Area.” You’ll find a [rarely used] bike rack, a few picnic tables, and plenty of space to set up your tent.
If you enter from the back, follow the only road you can (Indian Point Rd) until you see the bike hostel sign on your left. You won’t need to ride far; the bike hostel area is near the back of the campground.
From the bike hostel, turn left onto Indian Point Rd to reach the nearest bathroom, up the road on the right side. There are a few outlets inside and a row of toilets, but no showers. If you continue on to the next bathroom you will find plenty of showers if you need.
There is potable water outside the bathroom with the showers. There are also water fountains at the closer bathroom, but when I was there they weren’t working.
If it’s still daylight, you might turn left out of the bike hostel area and continue up Indian Point Rd to a pavilion on your left, where you’ll find outlets to charge your devices.
Likewise, there is a path to the beach on the left you can check out as well!
Bike hostel guests don’t have a set checkout time in the morning…leave whenever you’d like!
Wednesday, Sept. 15th, 10:45 AM:
After a nice, restful night camping, I packed up and cycled to the office to say hello to the park ranger and learn more about the bike hostel. According to the ranger, the bike hostel is rarely used; it seems to be a hidden gem. It’s so much of a hidden gem however, that I have no problem sharing it here, and the ranger I spoke to was glad I’d be spreading the word. One thing to note is that the hostel area is fairly small; she told me a story of two bike groups showing up unannounced on the same day, which made the space quite cramped.
New Route
Cycling from Riverhead to Montauk was just as enjoyable as cycling from Huntington to Riverhead (maybe even more so, given that I didn’t have to rush). The route was admittedly less interesting, consisting almost entirely of NYS Bicycle Route 24E and 27E; no rail trail to explore. I did, however, make sure to pause for photos at The Big Duck, a Long Island landmark since the 1930s. You can read its full history here.
If it’s possible, I felt even more confident cycling this route than I had on 25A, having cycled parts of this path on The Ride To Montauk event so many times (kudos to Glen for finding nice back roads for exploration on the Montauk ride; I see how much planning that takes compared to this straight shot on 27E). I purposely stopped for lunch in Southhampton, a town notorious for giving Glen trouble with permits. I laughed as I sat on a pier eating my lunch, feeling like I’d somehow rebelled against the town. I even took a book from the Little Free Library on my way out.
From there, it was only right to stop in the town of Water Mill 15 minutes later to take a photo at mine and Genai’s favorite rest stop from Glen’s event. Then I continued, following signs for 27 all the way to Montauk.
Tips For Montauk:
If you’re planning to do this route, there are some important things to note:
While most of Long Island is fairly flat, Montauk has moderate hills. Stop for food when you reach the town of Montauk; you will not want to backtrack from Montauk Point. I should have known this but didn’t think, so dinner consisted of my remaining snacks – almonds and an apple.
Once again, Google Maps will lead you to the wrong entrance if you’ve typed “Montauk County Park” as the destination. Montauk County Park is large, so you’ll need to backtrack three miles to reach the entrance you actually want, Third House Nature Center. HOWEVER…
This time, I was grateful to Google for leading me astray. Google took me to the office for Montauk County Park (which closes at 4:30, btw), which is where I thought I should go. I arrived a little after 4 PM and met three jovial rangers who informed me that I was looking for Third House, off Montauk Highway. They also offered other useful information:
Tick season is REALLY BAD in Montauk right now (let’s be real, tick season is always bad on Long Island…). They said I could sleep in the bike hostel area but probably wouldn’t want to; there were tick nymphs there. Have you ever seen a deer tick nymph?They are the size of a poppy seed and can give you lymes disease just like a full-grown tick. NO THANK YOU.
Sidenote: I ventured briefly into the bike hostel area later to check it out, purposely walking on tiptoes and staying in the middle of the path. Even from that trip, I came out with tick nymphs crawling all over my shoes. Without exaggeration, I flicked off at least thirty after that 60-second walk.
There are no showers at this campground, but they offered to open a shed that had some large sinks so I could take a sort of sponge bath. Works for me!
There was a chance of rain that night (this was a surprise; my weather app showed only light showers in the morning), so they recommended camping under the pavilion, complete with outlets, picnic tables, bathrooms nearby, and most importantly, cover from rain. The shed was close if I needed extra shelter and, in a super emergency, the staff houses were a short walk away.
If you visit this camp spot and need to contact someone, you can call the park office until 4:30 at 631-852-7879 or the on-duty ranger at any hour at 631-852-COPS. However, the staff recommend 911 for quicker emergency response.
Given its location, this campground gets lots of wildlife. You may see deer, raccoons, foxes, possums, birds, bats, squirrels, and even frogs (I only saw birds and one frog on my visit).
Because Third House is separate from the Montauk County Park campgrounds (Third House Nature Center is its own 501c3), the bike hostel stays open all year. You can visit any time, but perhaps call first.
Third House is near Deep Hollow Ranch, the oldest US cattle ranch. The ranch was established in 1658 and is still active. It’s a great marker for finding Third House; if you pass the ranch heading east, you’ve gone too far.
The End
Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say “The End”? They refer to Montauk Point, the farthest point east on Long Island. I’ve always felt that no one really earns that sticker unless they truly go to the end, and I was determined to do just that on this ride. Third House was only three miles away from the Montauk Lighthouse, so since I’d made such good time, I had plenty of daylight to reach my ultimate destination. 15 minutes and some minor hills later I was at the lighthouse, hoisting my bike in the air for that stereotypical cycling success photo. The lighthouse museum was closed, meaning I couldn’t get close to the lighthouse itself, but I got some amazing photos from outside the gate and down at the beach. What a great feeling it was to hoist my bike high in the air, talk to my kind photographer about my journey, and then sit on a rock on the beach watching the lighthouse, listening to the water lapping against the shore, and reflecting on my journey. Mission accomplished!
I cycled back to camp just as the sun was setting (at this time of year the sun starts setting around 7 PM in Montauk). I rested my bike against a picnic table, changed out of my cycling outfit, and washed off in the shed. Then I settled into my tent and started reading the book I’d picked up in Southhampton, a welcome addition to my gear. All was well, and soon enough I was fast asleep.
Storm!
At 5:30 AM, I was awakened by bright flashes of lightning and roars of thunder. I lay frozen, watching my tent light up and counting the seconds before each rumble. The seconds seemed to quickly devolve into milliseconds; the lightning was close. Fully alert, I considered my location: I was in a tent, under an open-sided pavilion, surrounded by metal tables(!!!), in a field of grass with a few trees and bushes here and there. Was I safe? I did not feel safe.
When you are outside in a lightning storm, the first step is to remain calm. The second step is to seek shelter immediately. If you hear thunder and are outside, you are not safe. I packed a bag of immediate items that could be useful: Book, phone, glasses, water bottle…okay go. I exited my tent, ducked low, and ran to the shed (it has a sink and lighting, so it has grounding mechanisms that make it more secure than a shelter without those features).
I sat on a chair away from the wall (always stay away from walls, metals items, and electrical cords) and listened as rain began to pour. Lightning continued, with cracks of thunder growing louder and more constant. I can’t be sure that lightning was striking close to where I’d been sleeping, but I know that staying under that pavilion – even if it hadn’t been surrounded by picnic table conduits – would have been a bad idea. I didn’t get any more sleep, but I am confident that I made the right decision.
Let’s pause here to make sure we all know what to do if you *can’t* get to a secure shelter:
If you can leave the area, do so immediately.
If you are among trees, find a cluster of trees (NOT a single tree) and shelter under the shortest tree. You don’t want to be anywhere near the tallest object.
If you are with other people, split up until you are at least 100 feet apart. You don’t want to all get hit.
If there is any depressed terrain, like a ravine, go there.
If you are stuck completely out in the open, crouch down on the balls of your feet OR sit on your backpack. You want as little of your body touching the ground as possible.
Make sure you are not directly touching any metal objects (even something in your backpack or pocket).
Stay safe everyone, and always check the weather before camping (in this case I did check the weather, but it was not an accurate prediction). If you do make it to a shelter, wait 30 minutes after hearing the last rumble of thunder before going back outside. Also, it’s fine to use a mobile device, but do not charge it during the storm!
When the storm passed, I waited 30 minutes before venturing out (thank goodness I picked up that book in Southhampton, and thank you Kelly, Dad, Genai, and Dries for receiving all my messages as I tried to regain my cool…hooray for friends who wake up early or live in other time zones!). I discovered that all but one of the stakes had come out of the ground from my tent, and all my belongings had shifted to one side. My bike, which was near the edge of the pavilion, was a bit wet, but otherwise all was fine. A light, quiet rain fell for the next hour, so I charged my devices and continued reading The Three Musketeers. When the rain stopped I drew a big “Thank you!” in the dirt for the park rangers, loaded up my bike, and headed to breakfast.
Again, let me pause to stress that big thank you. If I had not met the park rangers, I would have assumed I should sleep in the bike hostel area, which looked very innocent. I would have no doubt been swarmed by tick nymphs, then would have had to run to the bathroom to shelter from the storm. My tent and bike would have gotten drenched in the rain even if I made it to shelter, I would have been covered in ticks, and my trip would have ended on a very sour note. THANK YOU park rangers for providing me with the means to avoid that horrid fate.
Breakfast, Train
I cycled a short three miles back to town and ordered breakfast to go from John’s Pancake House (if you are a veggie lover like me, you’ll be disappointed to discover that the hashbrowns taste like bacon grease, but if you’re as hungry as I was, you’ll let it pass and devour every bite). As I sat on a bench enjoying my omelette, a woman saw my bike and panniers and remarked to her companion that Third House has a bike hostel for camping. “Is that your bike? Did you come from Third House?” she asked me (I guess my disheveled/sporty appearance gave it away). “I hope you had a great trip!”
After breakfast I bought a couple snacks and my LIRR ticket, then happily laid down on the train platform to wait for the train. I snoozed for much of the no-transfer trip to Jamaica, recounting my journey when awake and feeling grateful to have had this opportunity. I always enjoy cycling in Suffolk County, and this trip reminded me that there is far more to discover. Adventure awaits!
Extra Details
My expenses, Sept. 14-16:
LIRR ticket, Atlantic Terminal to Huntington: $12
Snacks and meals: $45 (I brought some things from home)
I slowly roll my bike out the apartment door, sunscreen slapped on my face and panniers bulging with everything I’ve thrown into them…even a last-minute item added minutes ago. I marvel at the uncanny stillness of early morning Brooklyn, the streets seeming to yawn and stretch as they take their first breaths of morning air.
I rest my Trek Lexa road bike – the best thing I’ve ever found on Craigslist – against the brick apartment exterior and snap a few photos in the dim light of the rising sun. “October Blue” is laden with two panniers carrying everything I’ll need – and hopefully nothing I won’t – for the next six days. Tent, check. Water, check. Route sheets, check. Adrenaline, anticipation, fitness, check check check. This is the longest, most ambitious bike ride of my life, and I am ready.
My bike, “October Blue,” packed and ready for six days of cyclotouring!
Flashback: January 2021
In January 2021 I walked away from graduate school. 6.5 years spent in a program I wasn’t enjoying, pursuing a PhD I didn’t need, still at least two years away from finishing. I’d promised myself that when I finally did either leave or finish my program, I’d celebrate with a big bike adventure, preferably across Europe. COVID disagreed, so I altered my plans and opted to explore some of the East Coast Greenway.
The East Coast Greenway
As stated on its website, “The East Coast Greenway connects 15 states and 450 cities and towns for 3,000 miles from Maine to Florida. We are fostering a safe walking and biking route through the country’s most populated corridor.” The ECG has been in the works for three decades, beginning with the establishment of the East Coast Greenway Alliance in NYC in November 1991. How fitting to start my ECG experience exactly 30 years after the alliance was founded, in the very city where it started.
My ECG plan:
Day 1: Brooklyn, NY to New Haven, CT, an ambitious 106-mile pursuit. Why so long? To achieve my goal of riding a century in one day.
Day 2: New Haven to West Hartford, CT (~55 miles)
Day 3: West Hartford to Lisbon, CT (~40 miles, going off the route to reach a Warmshowers host)
Day 4: Lisbon to Providence, RI (~50 miles)
Day 5: Explore Providence! [Providence arrival if I’ve taken a rest day somewhere]
Day 6: Trip to Rose Island, Amtrak back to NYC
More or less, my intended route from the ECG website
Along the way, I would stay with hosts through Warmshowers, a system similar to Couchsurfing but designed specifically for cyclists by cyclists. Warmshowers hosts know what cyclotouring feels like, since many have gone on extensive trips themselves.
The ECG is still in development, but enough of it is complete – thanks largely to preexisting bicycle trails – that it is possible to bike the whole thing…with the understanding that some sections are connected by roads without protected bike lanes. Everywhere I biked on this trip felt safe; if you’re considering checking out the ECG, go for it!
Day 1: Brooklyn to New Haven
This day started as planned:
Cross the eerily empty Brooklyn Bridge (I usually avoid this tourist-laden bridge, but at 6 AM it was practically a ghost town).
Ride the Hudson River Greenway – a beautiful path that is part of both the ECG and the NYS Empire Trail – from Manhattan all the way to the Bronx. Familiar territory which I’ve ridden plenty of times before.
Take a few turns on busier roads to eventually continue along the Empire Trail until turning east…somewhere…
…uh oh…getting lost…
After the Hudson River portion, things got tricky. My phone was dying and I couldn’t rely on it for directions; even the RideWithGPS maps I’d downloaded were draining the battery! Relying on cue sheets I’d printed in advance and the occasional ECG sign, I made it to the Mosholu-Pelham Greenway to continue up the Empire Trail (which spans 750-mile, across the entirety of New York State). Then came an unclear divide in the road; the Empire Trail went straight but a sign saying “Bike Route” pointed right. I asked another cyclist which way to go for the Greenway and he instructed me to continue straight. Many miles later it became clear that was the wrong decision; I was ten miles north of where I needed to be!
I used my phone’s precious battery life to check Google maps, which suggested turning off the trail in a few miles to reroute toward CT. I followed the route and then…trail closed?! With no indication of how to detour around the closure, I backtracked 3 miles (a sign would have been nice to know the trail was closed ahead) and was rescued by another cyclist. “Are you trying to get back to the trail?” he shouted. “Follow me!”
Graciously I followed my new guide – Ted – for three miles on the main road to reach a turn to head east to CT. As we rode, I learned that Ted is known as “the bike guy” in town; someone from his area once recognized him randomly in Greece because of his local bicycle fame. Ted explained that the Empire Trail is also a greenway, so the rider who instructed me to go straight probably misunderstood what I was asking.
Once back on track, the ride was long, tiring, but not terrible. My phone refused to stay charged despite two external battery packs, so I stopped too many times to find places to charge it. It didn’t help that the ECG markings were unclear in places, but from Norwalk, CT onward the signs became clearer and more frequent.
Eventually – seventeen hours after leaving Brooklyn – I reached New Haven and my host Demi’s house. Big shoutout to Demi, whose house was about to be sold the following week. Demi let me crash in the completely empty house despite not being able to actually be there during my stay. I arrived so late and exhausted that it’s just as well I had the place to myself; as soon as I’d showered and checked in with friends and family I fell right asleep!
Some highlights from Day 1, both good and bad:
The Empire Trail. This was very pretty and relaxing. I’d love to return and ride it all the way up New York State.
The kindness of Ted, Demi, and the places that let me hang out to charge my phone.
Wednesday afternoon rest stop in Stamford, CT. My phone was at 5% battery, I was frustrated from the detour, the sky was gray, and I couldn’t find a place to get healthy food. Finally, I went to a pizza shop just to stop somewhere and, as I locked up my bike on a signpost, watched a man puke on the sidewalk across the street. I discovered that the pizza shop was doing takeout only because of COVID, so I sat on the curb next to my bike eating a dissatisfying pizza slice, feeling frustrated about my dying phone but grateful to have this experience at all.
Norwalk. I didn’t spend much time here, but the charm of Norwalk and the improvement of the ECG signs were very welcome.
Tired and out of water, excitedly coming across three girls selling lemonade on a residential street outside Bridgeport. I’ve never been so happy to find a lemonade stand!
Biting into the cucumber I brought and feeling like it was the most delicious food on the planet. Maybe they’re heavy, but cucumbers are such a satisfying bike food!
Cycling along the coastline near Bridgeport. Even though I was tired, the coastline was so pretty! St. Mary’s By The Water is gorgeous.
Begrudgingly stopping for late-night ice cream because I needed to charge my phone again, then sitting on the ground outside the takeout-only shop enjoying every bite.
Rolling into New Haven in the dark and rain, only to discover that the bridge I needed to cross was closed and I needed to take a long detour.
Finally arriving at my host’s completely empty home after seventeen hours and collapsing on the floor.
Sleeping as late as I pleased the next morning.
My first day of this trip was not exactly relaxing; I couldn’t track mileage, but calculating detours and wrong turns, I estimate that I rode ~130 miles. It was long and exhausting, but I knew this day would be challenging even if I were completing *just* a century. Day 1 was meant to be a challenge, and I conquered it!
Photos from Day 1:
Day 2: New Haven to West Hartford
Day 2 was a vast improvement over Day 1. As I went to bed that first night, I considered whether I might take the train to Hartford the next day. However, I woke up to a message from my next Warmshowers host, Jack, suggesting his favorite route to Hartford, which cut out ~15 of the least bike-friendly miles of the ECG. 40 miles instead of 55? Okay, I could do that. I didn’t feel 100% recovered, but I could handle 40 miles.
I am SO glad I chose to bike on that second day. The trails to Hartford were gorgeous, some of my favorites of the entire trip. I rode sloooow, taking my time and stopping wherever and whenever I wanted/needed. I had all day to complete 1/3 of the distance from Day 1!
Day 2 Highlights:
The Farmington Canal Trail. This trail continues to Northhampton, MA and I want to explore it all the way up. The trails around Northhampton/Hadley/Amherst are gorgeous; I bike there each summer while volunteering for The Farm Ride, and I’d love to return to explore when the leaves are changing colors in the fall.
Initially missing the [very clear, I just was oblivious] entrance to the FCT and cycling up an INCREDIBLY steep hill (see photo of exhausted Carolyn after realizing mistake).
All the graffiti along the FCT (see photos below).
Stopping to splurge on a fresh peach and banana from farm stand, for a grand total of 55 cents!
The CTfastrak Multi-Use Trail. What a cool thing! I don’t know why, but I felt very speedy on this paved path.
Meeting my Warmshowers hosts Beth, Jack, and Moose. They were out on their porch to welcome me when I arrived, and I was so grateful for their hospitality. After a relaxing shower and an hour to settle in, I got to know them over homemade squash quesadillas for dinner. Jack in particular is an avid cyclist and has tons of stories about his adventures. Both he and Beth are also quite knowledgeable about CT history, which was great to hear about.
Speaking on the phone with another solo female cyclist who had almost stayed that night, but hadn’t made it to West Hartford. She had been on the road for over two months, having retired from her job and heading out the very next day. What a feat for someone in their late 60s!
Relaxing with tea and chocolate in Beth and Jack’s living room that evening. Even Moose came to hang out and get his ears scratched, apparently a rare occurrence when Warmshowers guests are around. Beth was working on an oral history project, and Jack and I swapped cycling stories while she worked.
Two great pieces of wisdom that Jack shared with me: 1) “We pack our fears;” 2) “Are you a farmer, or a sailor?”
Just to stress this once more, I am extremely grateful for the hospitality of Beth and Jack. They are in many ways the perfect hosts for bikepackers and I appreciate their commitment to civil rights and history preservation as well. I hope our paths cross again. Thank you Beth and Jack!
Photos from Day 2:
Day 3: West Hartford to Lisbon
I woke up on Day 3 feeling relaxed and well-rested. Beth and Jack fully open their kitchen to guests, so I made myself a delicious breakfast of tea, egg and hummus on toast, and a small bowl of Beth’s homemade granola with blueberries – yum! I sat on the porch and spent an hour enjoying my meal and reading a book Jack had mentioned, In The City of Bikes: The Story of the Amsterdam Cyclist by Peter Jordan. What a great way to start the day!
The night prior, Jack had showed route options on his laptop for my trip and offered to ride out of Hartford with me. At 11 AM we said goodbye to Beth and set out. As we rolled through downtown Hartford, Jack shared facts about the city, the Connecticut River, and stories of previous guests. He once hosted a cyclist from the Netherlands whose goal was to visit every US state capital. When he reached the capitol building of Hartford with Jack, he began to cry, explaining that reaching a new capital brought a sense of relief; he had made it to a new destination and could rest easy for the night. As I asked Jack to take my photo with the building in the background, I imagined the sense of euphoria and relief that same site had brought to the Dutch traveler.
Jack and I parted ways when we reached the ECG path out of Hartford. I thanked him once again for his hospitality and set out on what would prove to be another gorgeous and relaxing day of riding through Connecticut.
Day 3 Highlights:
Riding around Hartford and the waterfront path heading east. Gorgeous!
The Charter Oak Greenway and the graffiti art I found there.
The Hop River Trail. This was my favorite part of the ECG – it was off-road, but I felt safe with my road bike thanks to well-packed dirt. It was meditative to ride along this trail for 2.5 hours.
Reaching Willimantic, my end point of the ECG, and fueling up at the Willimantic Food Co-op, recommended by Jack. If you ride the ECG, definitely stop here for lunch!
Meeting someone in the co-op parking lot who was considering riding the ECG to NYC. I was able to offer encouragement and advice. “Welcome to Willimantic!” he exclaimed as we parted ways.
Reaching “Frog Bridge” and learning about Willimantic’s history as a textile town.
Meeting my new hosts, Kristie and Ray, and their three dogs. Ray was kind enough to pick me up from Willimantic and drive the remaining 16 miles to their house. Then, after my warm shower and time to unwind, we got to know each other over a pizza dinner. Kristie and Ray have been Warmshowers hosts for over 20 years and have been cyclotouring for 35 years!
Kristie and Ray were wonderful hosts. They don’t get many Warmshowers guests since they are around 16 miles off the ECG, but they love hosting cyclists and were happy I chose to visit. Kristie has an infectious laugh that always makes you smile, and Ray is a cycling enthusiast who was generous enough to check my bike and offer small maintenance tips. Kristie and Ray have SO many stories of cyclotouring on their tandem bike all over the world. Many of their favorite spots are in Europe, a reminder that I would really like to cycle there! Thank you Kristie and Ray for your generosity as hosts!
Photos from Day 3:
Day 4: Lisbon to Providence
I woke up on Day 4 and enjoyed a breakfast of homemade pancakes with Ray. Kristie made the batter in advance while preparing for a Zoom symposium for the polymer crafts she makes (her pieces are beautiful!). The pancakes were perfect fuel for the journey ahead, which started out with another edition of Carolyn Misses An Important Turn and Travels Many Miles Out of Her Way. Hooray! Eventually I got back on track after turning what should have been a 42-mile into a ~50-mile day. Not too bad.
Day 4 Highlights:
Sleepy morning cycling in rural CT (before I missed my turn). It was nice to cycle through farmland after so much time seeing coasts and tree canopies.
The moment I crossed from CT into RI. It felt like the scenery instantly changed, and my destination was so close!
Discovering a real general store, and eating my leftover pizza for lunch outside 🙂
The Washington Secondary Trail. I got to ride this trail for over 20 miles and it brought me almost directly into Providence. Very little need to check my phone for directions – hooray!
Stopping for ice cream at Udder Delights, right off of the WST. Yum!
Cycling into the downtown harbor area of Providence. At that point I was half a mile from my host’s place and felt like my journey was complete! I paused on the bridge to take in the view and celebrate my accomplishment.
Not exactly a highlight, but my Day 4 evening was quite unexpected. I arrived at the Corliss-Carrington House and met my Warmshowers host, Lorne, and his girlfriend Victoria. What a property they live on! After my shower I got to talk to them a bit, then their AirBnB guests invited us all to join them at a brewery with them. Next thing I knew, I was at not a brewery, but a house party next door. Ummm…okay…not exactly my idea of relaxing after having just ridden almost 300 miles, but sure, let’s do it. Then I discovered that they’d only be grilling steaks at the party – not ideal for a vegetarian cyclist who ate nuts, ice cream, and a protein bar for lunch. I went to a brewery across the street to order the only appealing food on their menu – carrot-based hot dogs! Admittedly these were amazing, but I didn’t have any desire to go back to the party, so Lorne was nice enough to drive me back to his place. Then he and his gf left for dinner and I set up my tent on their lawn. It was so nice to FINALLY sleep in the tent I’d been carrying across three states! #HappyCarolyn
Photos from Day 4:
Day 5: Exploring Providence…Or…Backtracking West
I woke up the next morning very happy to have spent the night in my tent. Then, since Lorne doesn’t provide food for Warmshowers guests (hosts are not required, many just do), I walked to Plant City, a vegan food court where even the silverware is compostable. I passed a flea market on the way, then ate my breakfast burrito on a bridge overlooking downtown Providence. Not a bad view!
My friend Lindsay lives just outside Providence, so I had plans to meet her in the afternoon. In the meantime, I spent an hour casually walking around downtown.
—Interruption—
Let’s pause here for a moment. One of my friends was doing a bike trip while I was doing mine, and as I was walking, I felt my phone buzz. “Having a break after 100ks,” the message read, with a photo of a stunning Norwegian landscape. “Wanna see it live?”
Let me tell you, after hearing from Kristie and Ray that their favorite places to cycle are in Europe, hearing from Jack about his upcoming trip to cycle across parts of Europe (depending on COVID), reading part of a book about Dutch cycling, already wanting to do a bike trip through Europe, and then seeing a live view of gorgeous Norwegian landscapes and car-free bike paths…well, let’s just say I am still very motivated to cycle through Europe. I know I am 100% capable of doing long bikepacking trips, and when the world allows it I am making this happen!
Just a casual view from Norway. Whatever, my trip was still awesome x-D
Anyway…
As I wandered through the city I was pleasantly surprised when I stumbled across Seven Stars Bakery, a place Beth and Jack said I must visit in Providence. Following their recommendation, I ordered a chocolate almond croissant; now I understand why they recommended it! Lindsay later confirmed that Seven Stars Bakery is amazing, and we returned there later in hopes of buying some olive bread. If you visit Providence, definitely go to Seven Stars Bakery!
Lindsay and I drove an hour west, passing signs for many places I’d just cycled through the previous day. How awesome it is to drive an hour and think “I just did this in reverse on two wheels.”
We ended our drive at Ell Pond Preserve to hike Lindsay’s favorite trail in RI, the Narragansett Trail. It was a great adventure, with lots of rock scrambling. It rained a bit while we were hiking, but that didn’t dampen our reunion! Following the hike, we returned to Providence to tour Lindsay’s old neighborhood and meet my college friend Dave for dinner. Not a bad day! Then Lindsay and I went back to the Corliss-Carrington House and explored the interior, including its wallpaper from the 1850s. The Corliss-Carrington house has a problematic history, but the negative parts of its story are included on its website. I will say it was weird sleeping on the grounds of such a fancy place; my tent felt a bit out of place!
Photos from Day 5:
Day 6: East Bay Bike Path
I was really looking forward to Day 6 of my trip. Like…really, really looking forward to it. Three years ago, I went to New Zealand and spent time living on a piece of paradise called Quarantine Island/Kamau Taurua, one of the best places on Earth (read about my experience here). You can imagine my excitement when, the week before this trip, Lorne contacted me to suggest taking the Amtrak back to NYC from Kingston, RI instead of Providence, RI so that I could join him and Victoria for a trip to Rose Island, a tiny island in southern RI that reminded me of QIKT in its commitment to conservation work. Wow! How exciting, to end my trip in a place like that! I booked my ticket before prices got too expensive and happily anticipated the beautiful day.
So…Day 6, Rose Island Day. I woke at 6 AM to the sound of light rain and scrambled to pack my tent and move inside. Normally rain would be fine, but I didn’t want to carry a wet tent home. I was awakened again when Victoria’s dog – an enormous puppy – came barreling in. Good morning to you too!
As I recovered and got ready for the day, I heard Lorne open the stable door downstairs and call my name. He had not considered logistics of taking my bike in the car, so it seemed I’d have to stay behind. He and Victoria would leave at 10, so I had an hour to pack and figure out a plan. Well…great…
I considered my options:
Leave immediately and frantically pedal to Newport, catch a ferry to Rose Island for an hour, catch a ferry to Jamesport, pedal another 15 miles to catch my evening train in Kingston.
Skip seeing Rose Island, pedal to Newport, ferry to Jamestown, pedal to Kingston.
Change my train to depart from Providence and spend a relaxing day exploring Lindsay’s favorite local bike path, the East Bay Bike Path.
Frantic pedaling, the chance of a flat tire or other mechanical mishap on my journey, and the cost of the ferries I’d take were not appealing, so I spent 30 minutes on hold with Amtrak, begrudgingly paid the necessary fees to change my train, and then departed to explore the East Bay path.
I don’t regret my choice. I was bummed about missing Rose Island and spending an unplanned $40 to change my train, but the East Bay Bike Path was one of the best paths I rode. It runs from Providence down to Bristol and is flat and smooth the entire way. I saw lots of birds, rode along beautiful coastlines, stopped at an Audubon Center, and even met two women embarking on their first bikepacking adventure that day. I had a relaxing, enjoyable time, and when I finished, I think I’d accumulated enough miles to bring my total past 300. Go me!
Photos from Day 6:
Reflection
I stopped for a quick dinner near the Amtrak station and then hopped on the train. As I traveled, I reflected on my journey, marveling at the ability of a human body to take a person across so many borders. Some thoughts:
I am grateful to have a body that can physically do this journey, the freedom in my schedule to take this trip, and the privilege that comes from being a middle-class white woman who can walk into a stranger’s house or set up a tent in their yard with no fear for how I’m perceived. I can likewise cycle through tiny towns with “Trmp” flags waving and not worry for my safety because of how I look. I had many discussions about inequity and cycling with Beth, Jack, Kristie, and Ray and it is heartening that so many Warmshowers hosts are thinking about how to make cyclotouring more welcoming and accessible for everyone. There is a long way to go, but hosts like that are a step in the right direction.
Although the act of cycling itself is budget-friendly, preparing for a trip like this is not necessarily. I had to spend money on a long-overdue bike tune-up, a small bit of gear, some snacks, and my Amtrak ticket home. I was grateful to be able to borrow items like a small tent, sleeping pad, and even a pannier from my friend Genai, items that would have added a lot to my trip’s cost.
Despite those expenses, once your bike is in working order, bikepacking can be very affordable. With so many Warmshowers hosts providing housing and food, it is possible to go on a journey without having a large budget. I could have even avoided the $40 Amtrak fee and rode down to Kingston, though I was grateful for the flexibility in my personal budget to be able to change that train, even if I didn’t want to.
Apparently it’s pretty rare to come across a young female cycling solo. I hope that reading my post encourages more women to get out there and do it – you are capable and the rewards are worth it!
Let’s normalize conversation about the uncomfortable parts of cyclotouring that typically get left off of blogs, such as dealing with saddle sores and learning tips for making your ride smoother. I’m grateful that my hosts were open to my answering my questions and offering advice. Thank you Jack for the tube of Chamois Butt’r and the tip about not wearing underwear with cycling shorts – that made such a difference!
This was an amazing taste of cyclotouring. It wasn’t all fun, but it was worth it. I’m glad I did this, and I will certainly have more bike adventures in the future. Next up: Hopefully a small trip to explore the “bike hostel” campgrounds of Long Island.
Thanks for reading. Follow my adventures here and on Instagram: @carolynventures
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