The on campus dining halls weren't open yet so we headed over to a Diner. It was very good and the conversation with Brother Richard was awesome. He is very insightful and had alot of great questions regarding campus ministry on a large secular campus. If it were not for the ride ahead of me we could have talked for hours. I hope that we can again one day continue our conversation.
We returned to his house and he helped me carry my gear out and load it up. Brother Richard also helped me with directions from Marist to the route I needed to get into Connecticut. After leaving the college I rode through the old part of downtown. That is where I took the picture below.
Shortly after leaving downtown I connected with the Dutchess County Rail Trail. This was an awesome ride all the way to Hopewell Junction.
After leaving Hopewell Junction the ride took me through the small town of East Fishkill. After that the route took me through very rural, scenic neighborhoods. It was this portion of the ride that introduced me to some long climbs. I began to realize that road names that included Hill or Mountain were accurate descriptions of what was to come. Several times I got off route because you would have to make a slight left or right to stay on that road. You wouldn't have known that if it were not for a detailed map.
Before crossing into Connecticut I started up a very steep climb. After a minute or two I stopped to look at my map to see if I could get where I needed to go without climbing the monster hill before me. I found that with a slight detour I could. I wasn't sure what that detour entailed but I figured it was worth a shot. I could also make my way back to this hill. The gamble paid off! I had an easy ride to get to where I need to go. The road I was on went right along the State line for awhile. Finally I made a left hand turn and I was in Connecticut. For several hours I rode through scenic neighborhoods before reaching Danbury, CT.
Danbury was a bit larger so I was now riding in city traffic. It was a bit hectic so I decided to stop for a snack and some map time. I found a route that would get me out of the city and back out into the country. Along the way I saw some beautiful sights and an interesting sight.
After a scenic ride through farm land and mountain streams I encountered the Tonka Tree and a house that had various toy vehicles attached to its roof and many other places. It was interesting to say the least. In Nevada Ben and I encountered the Shoe Tree. Now in Connecticut I found the Tonka Tree and House of Toy Vehicles. Worth the ride! As much as I enjoyed what I was seeing I needed to get on to Bridgeport to catch the Ferry.
I left the country setting and headed into Bridgeport. I rode through many quaint neighborhoods before entering the city. I crossed under the Interstate and worked my way to the Ferry Terminal. I arrived in plenty of time to catch the 6pm Ferry to Port Jefferson, NY. I had ridden in a light rain off and on for much of the afternoon so I took some time to clean up before boarding the Ferry. The ride was over an hour so I had time to call Celeste and my mom to let them know a good portion of the day was over. I was also able to have some internet time to catch up on email, Facebook and Twitter.
Before I knew it we were arriving in Port Jefferson.
After getting off the Ferry I hit Starbucks up for some hot coffee. It was now 7:30pm so the daylight was fading. After some warm coffee I turned on my lights and headed to Jason's house. It took about 45 minutes to get from Port Jefferson to Stony Brook, NY. I arrived in the dark. Jason came out to meet me and we put my bike and trailer in the garage. After a warm shower I threw my riding clothes in the washer and we went out to an Italian Restaurant. The bread and pasta were awesome! We finished dinner around 9pm and returned to the house. I threw my clothes in the dryer and did some map work for the next day. Both Jason and I had to get up early so we called it a night.
STATS - Mileage Today 78.5, Pace --- , Riding Time ----
Total GTD cumulative miles: 163.9
