It's not the destination, it's the journey

The Great Hudson Valley Pedal 2010 is over, and we've all returned to the real world. But I have to say that there's nothing like an agenda that consists entirely of:
Wake up
Eat
Ride
Stop
Eat
Sleep
Repeat

Aside from the beauty and history of the Hudson River Valley, what I'll remember most about this trip were my fellow travelers.

Here are just a few images from the trip. You can find all of my photos online here.




There's a lot of history in the little villages along the Hudson River, like these old stone houses (c. mid-1600's) in New Paltz.










Tent cities are built at each of the tour overnights, like this one in Nyack Beach State Park.






Jackie and I did the optional out & back up Bear Mountain, over 2 miles of climbing. From the top, you could see the Manhattan skyline. I think this climb was the highlight of my trip.






Honestly, does Dave have a tapeworm or something???











Keith needed some excitement in his day, so he busted a spoke in the middle of nowhere. It sounded like a gunshot. He had the wheel fixed and was back riding the next day.









This is Jamie's bike. Jamie had a brain aneurysm when he was a kid. His dad drove up with him from Florida, and meets him at the overnight stops. Jamie's bike is a recumbent trike. It doubles as a clothesline anchor.







This is the view from the bridge in Poughkeepsie. The bridge is actually a parkway path, for pedestrians and cyclists.







We were told that there was some big shindig here in Rhinebeck a couple of weeks ago.








Of course, I wouldn't trade my Bianchi for anything, but this set of wheels caught my attention. (My first car was a '77 Malibu, in the same color).







Highlights along the way: the Vanderbilt mansion, FDR's home in Hyde Park, Tarrytown, Boscobel, Val-Kill, and too many more to list.







Camping sure does bring out my inner hillbilly!









Susan will be celebrating her 80th birthday in October.












We followed Route 9 almost the entire way from Albany to NYC. There was no shortage of hills. Plenty of traffic most of the time, too.










Hubert's everyday riding kit included taping up his pantlegs so his cuffs wouldn't get caught in his chain.He carried all his stuff in cardboard panniers. Solar panels are mounted to his handlebars, so he can charge his electronic gadgets. When my camera battery died and I was asking around for a charger, he pulled out an old voltmeter - I'm not making this up - to measure the voltage across the dead battery. I found someone else who had the charger I needed.




The average age of our group was 55. This gang of retirees from Bonita Bay, FL, almost certainly were the reason for the skewed average. They were amazing riders, too. I hope I can fly up those hills when I'm their age...








The view from the Rip Van Winkle bridge. We had a total of 5 Hudson River crossings along this route.












No doubt it will, but I kinda prefer non-fiction...







NYC is just a little ways away...


















The Runcible Spoon, in Nyack, is a cycling hangout. Any given morning, you'll find the racks packed with all kinds of 2-wheeled transportation.








Those Bonita Bay people are some kind of party animals!











A couple of the younger riders hanging out by their tent after the ride up to Nyack Beach park.









Downtown Nyack has an amazing chocolate shop. We bought some stuff to go, but it didn't last very long.















Peyton was the youngest rider on this tour. He was 4 years old, and the stoker of a tandem (his dad was the captain). He completed the entire 220+ mile trip.