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Wallkill and Walkway


Thaddeus Kosciuszko

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I originally planned to ride the Wallkill Valley Trail back in March, but winter didn't quit upstate NY until yesterday.  Trusting that the weatherman might actually get the forecast right today, meaning high 40's and low 50's, I headed out to New Paltz to ride the trail.

The trail passes through New Paltz near Huguenot Street.  The Huguenots fled France in the late 1600's, coming to America to avoid religious persecution.  Some of the houses they built still stand, dating back to 1692.  I found this one rather interesting - note the small ports for firing a musket through the wall either side of the lower windows.  New Paltz today is a NYC suburb, but in 1700 it was the American frontier.

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The trail in New Paltz where I started

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The Rosendale trestle, a restored railroad trestle now used for the Rail Trail.  Amazing to me, really, that so much effort would be expended for 'just a bike path', but I was grateful for all the work!

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Looking upstream

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And downstream

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Just off the Trail were the Binnewater kilns.  These kilns applied heat to calcify the 'natural cement' mined locally.  At one time these kilns and other nearby kilns supplied about 50% of the country's cement, in addition to providing the cement for the Brooklyn Bridge and the base of the Statue of Liberty.

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The inside of a kiln

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This strange formation is one of the surface mines that fed the kilns.  The picture doesn't reveal it well, but the miners used a 'room and pillar' technique where they took out most of the natural cement that created 'rooms' but left sections to serve as pillars to support the rock above.

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Along the northern section of the trail, which typified most of what I rode on today.  I rode my touring bike, but most people had mountain bikes or fat tire bikes.  Riding north I pretty much had the trail to myself, but coming back the trail became busier.

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I left the trail to head toward Poughkeepsie and the Walkway Over the Hudson.  Along the way I diverted to stop at Perrine's Covered Bridge, so named because it was built by an enterprising man who not only built the bridge, but also a hotel and - of course - a tavern at the far end of the bridge. 

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To stay off a main road with no shoulder I'd planned to ride through a housing development.  As I climbed away from the river, I saw a sign next to a building that said "Please Stop at the Welcome Center for Assistance" along with a raised road barrier.  It was rather clear the 'welcome center' was a gate house, and the development was a private community.  As I approached the welcome center someone came out, which pretty much meant they had cameras viewing the road too.

I explained my wish to ride through on the residential road to avoid the main road.  The welcome center attendant explained there were gates on the far side of the community that were locked, but maybe he could find someone who had a key.  He also said I couldn't get to Poughkeepsie by going through the community because the roads didn't connect.  Well, I knew they did, but I also knew he was telling me 'No' without telling me 'No'.  No big deal, the people in the community wanted privacy and had gone through considerable effort and expense to establish their privacy, so I respected that.

Which worked out for the better, because riding down the main road to detour the community I heard the familiar roar of a waterfall!  To my surprise, because none had shown up on Google satellite view.  Well, it didn't show up because in the satellite view all the floodgates were closed and the entire river coursed through the powerhouse leaving the falls dry.  Here's what I found

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And a bonus of a small falls on a tributary to the river

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So from here I rode on the back roads to Poughkeepsie, taking my chances even though the local advice was that I couldn't get there from here.  ;)

Actually the person was partially correct.  As I approached the park where the Hudson Valley Rail Trail to Poughkeepsie started, the road was closed.  I could see the park on the far side, but no way to to get through the construction.  So, another minor detour.

The Hudson Valley Rail Trail leads to the Walkway Over the Hudson, and this trail is paved.  One of the sights along the trail

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The Walkway Over the Hudson is a linear state park.  It too was originally a railroad bridge now converted into considerably more than just a bike path.  I found it really impressive.  I rode to the far end so I could claim having done the entire span, then turned around to take a few photos.

Overlooking the Hudson River, Poughkeepsie, and the Mid-Hudson Bridge

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One of the reasons for heading to Poughkeepsie - beside the Walkway - was (what else :rolleyes:) a waterfall I'd seen pictures of.  Because of its location in the photos, though, my chances of seeing it were slim.  Well, on my way across the Walkway I spotted it and took this picture on the way back.  In spite of all the development - highways and rails - the falls were still visible.

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Which, in turn, saved me from riding through Poughkeepsie trying to find it!  Another view looking south

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Along the Walkway itself

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This shot from the middle of the walkway gives a better perspective on how long the Walkway really is

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A barge and tug passing under the Mid-Hudson Bridge

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And on up the Hudson, possibly to Albany

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From the Walkway it was back on the Hudson Valley Rail Trail to head back to New Paltz.  After the trail it was all surface roads with nothing remarkable that warranted pictures.  I got back to the New Paltz parking lot with just over 50 miles for the day.

On a lark I'd worn my heart rate monitor for the trip.  It said I'd burned about 5200 calories, which I think is somewhat fanciful.  Nonetheless, it was enough of a calorie debt indicator that I stopped at a deli in New Paltz to get a turkey wrap, a piece of double chocolate cake, and a real high-fructose-corn-syrup-not-diet Dr. Pepper.  I figured I could afford the chocolate cake, anyway...

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Your reports need more pictures.  :)

It's funny the perspective people post rides reports from.  I guess because I am new to riding, for me it's all about performance.  Can I do a little better than my last one?  Was I as fast as I hoped to be?  I don't stop to smell the roses.  Your reports are all about the roses.  I think I'm missing out.

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Nice report TK. It took a little while so I started to worry there might not be any waterfall pictures. 

SW-I try to stop and take some pictures on most rides now. It seems to make it all the more enjoyable and less work. 

My GF and I have planned a trip this summer. We're taking our bikes, climbing gear, and plan to rent kayaks. This weekend we did a ride to test things out. We set up her bike to be more comfortable. Wider tires, higher rise stem, double wrapped the bars, and switched to mt bike pedals. I showed her all of the ways we could carry gear. This way if we visit a winery, we can buy some and haul it back to our base. Plenty of room for food, drink, and flip flops if we decide to go for a walk on the beach. 

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On 4/22/2018 at 11:47 PM, Thaddeus Kosciuszko said:

.  Amazing to me, really, that so much effort would be expended for 'just a bike path', but I was grateful for all the work!

Your tax dollars at work. New York State sends me emails all the time wanting me to contact legislators and tell them to spend more money on bike trails. I have received these ever since I did the Erie Canal Bike Tour. I appreciate the big projects that they blow a Brazilian dollars on but if it was up to me to decide if they should do it I would say no. Not with the country a gazillion dollars in debt.

Great ride report TK, I was surprised when you gave your total miles. I thought you were gone for a few days because of all the things you shared along the way. I’m getting better at smelling roses, my first DC to Pittsburgh trip I took less than ten pictures. This last time (Petites Big Adventure) I took more than ten at Point Park before we started.

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