Wed., August 4th, 2021, 5:50 AM:
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.
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
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!
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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