Ken, June 2004:
I took the Metro North train up and skated back thru Sleepy
Hollow and Tarrytown and on south all the way to the Broadway Bridge
and Manhattan. I followed a bicycle route
GWB to Bear Mt Bridge Loop, using the cue sheets for East side
sections D, E, F, G, H with Variation F-3. I liked most of
this route and would do it again -- though were a couple of tricky
hills in section H, so next time I might use Variation H-4 there.
route section D (see
cue sheet directions): Skating south from the Philipse
Manor train station after mile 1.6 was straightforward.
route section E (see
cue sheet directions): Second time I've skated down
Beekman Ave, and I liked it again for its sweeping views of the
River and the Bridge, and the side trip to Pierson Park was nice.
The climb up Franklin St was indeed steep, but shorter than I
feared. The rest of the way up to Rt 9 was straightforward.
And the width of Rt 9 lanes made me feel OK skating with the
non-heavy traffic volume I encountered that day. I also tried
Variation E-3 and that went OK.
route section F with Variation F-3 (see
cue sheet directions): With this Variation I was on Rt 9
all the way. The sections with two lanes in each direction and
no shoulder are not something I enjoy, but with using my mirror and
turning and waving to overtaking vehicles, and sometimes
pulling over and slowing or stopping, it seemed OK for me with the
light traffic that day.
route section G (see
cue sheet directions): I always like getting off Rt 9 to go thru
Dobbs Ferry. This time I surprised myself by not stopping for
my usual snack at the Settepani Bakery. There was some
construction on Warburton Ave along the west side of the road
(south-bound lane). When I reached Yonkers I was plenty hungry
and thirstly, and I stopped in at the Greyston Bakery & Cafe.
route section H (see
cue sheet directions): taking Buena Vista and Hawthorne
south-bound from Yonkers worked fine. And I like the hills on
Riverdale Av much better in the south-bound direction, because most
of the downhills do not go into traffic-light intersections.
The downhill on 248th St is indeed very steep, and there's no grass
available along the sides. Perhaps I should have taken my
skates off and walked, but instead I side-stepped down carefully,
keeping my wheels aimed across the slope not down it. Palisade
Av was quiet and pretty. I did not like the long downhill to
230th St (after the road curves around toward the north, and changes
name to ? Johnson St ?) -- the road is not that wide, and the
pavement is not great. Next time I might prefer to take
Variation H-4 -- or the South-bound route in the
Access to Trailways from NYC reports on the Bike Hudson Valley
website.
