We made it to the Big Apple!!

The ride from New Haven to Westchester County, NY on Thursday was extremely pretty as we hugged the Connecticut coast of the Long Island Sound most of the way. We enjoyed lunch at a snack shack at a beach just beyond Fairfield and met a fellow
East Coast Greenway rider who gave us high fives and accolades...quite a nice boost on a very hot and sunny day with many miles to complete before day's end. Another kind and motivating individual that we encountered on this long ride was a shop owner who gave us free watermelon to cool us down. We finally made it to Rye by dinner time and were very happy to tuck in for the night.

Perhaps our most awe inspiring day was on Friday as we pedalled into the great city of New York. We had some challenges along the way like the tree that lay across the trail just north of the city. Joel had to hoist both bikes over it and fight vines and brush not to mention poison ivy. How fun it was to cycle under the George Washington Bridge! Our ride down the West Side Bike Path was full of adventure as we had to join with and dodge at the same time other cyclists, runners, roller bladers, and walkers. Holly began to lag behind and feel sluggish all for good reason...a flat! Joel was able to fix it in record time which was good because it was way past lunch time and someone was getting cranky:) There is a wonderful eatery right on the trail called the Boat Basin Cafe which had great salads and sandwiches. Got to our hotel way down in the Financial District just in time to shower and head back uptown to The Campbell's Apartment in Grand Central Station where we met Mom and Dad and Sam and Nancy Hester and Sheila Vandeveer for fancy cocktails. We then headed back to their hotel for a fabulous dinner. Fun!!

Saturday, blessedly, was a rest and play day and boy did we pack it in! We began by meeting Bruce Miller, Hamilton class of 1985 and long lost friend of Holly's, for breakfast and conversation. It was wonderful to catch up on the years that have gone by and learn how healthy and happy Bruce is in New York! The fun continued at noontime when Holly's brother Chris and his family, wife Susan, kids Meredith, Emily, and CJ along with our very own Paige came into the city to share our adventure. The day was perfectly beautiful with sunshine and a little breeze. We spent most of the day in Central Park floating around in row boats, riding the carousel, visiting Strawberry Fields...the mosaic in memory of John Lennon, and just plain soaking up the essence of the city. We met up with the rest of the gang, the Kehoes, the Hesters, and Sheila, for dinner at a terrific place called the Beacon Restaurant. They had spent the day at the Metropolitan Museum and a Broadway show. Quite a day:) Spectacular in fact. As we enter New Jersey tomorrow we have put another state behind us and have completed roughly one third of our trip. Hard to believe!