Day 37 - Bonking into Kent!
Yesterday was another beautiful day for biking. After the quick heat wave from the day before it came out beautiful, dry and cooler. I started my ride with a big breakfast at a local diner before riding through Newburgh, NY and crossing the Hudson River over to Beacon. I knew I had 2 big climbs before I got to Kent.
Google didn't disappoint. I kept expecting a big climb and they were back to back at the end of the ride. I didn't drink or eat as I am supposed to, so that second climb was a killer. And once again the road went from pavement to dirt over the top. Fortunately it was packed down hard. The good news is that between the climbs, I got to ride over the Housatonic River and go over Bull's Bridge, the iconic covered bridge over the Housatonic. It was kinda fun having cars wait on me at the 1 vehicle at a time bridge!
I was bonking all the way over the second climb and I was out of water. I knew that once I got to the top it was downhill all the way to the B&B . Once I got to the Constitution Oaks B&B I was done. But the owner wanted cash for the stay so I had to drop my bags off, water up, and head off to the local ATM which was 4 miles away, or so I thought. She was not there when I got there, so I dropped my bags and headed off.
Then Google disappointed. I decided on the direct route that was up over a hill. Google missed a turn so I went an extra mile or 2 out of my way. This was across hills of course. Then she said make a U-turn. Fortunately, the extra water and some food I had at the B&B when I stopped helped me recover a bit. So I made it to the local joint Clamps that I guess has been here for 100 years. Based on how over priced it was, I can understand. For $14 I had chicken tenders (overcooked), coleslaw, and 2 chocolate milks. The good news is that they helped me recover significantly.
I made it to the ATM then chose the longer, but flatter, direction back. This time Google did not disappoint. I rode through New Preston and found an awesome waterfall.
Then, I rode along the western shore of Lake Waramaug for several miles. This is only the second time I've ridden by a lake and the road was right on the shore. They were also building in spots along the shore - something that wouldn't happen in Maine. But the place was beautiful. It was a small lake, but they had a state park I road through and thankfully I made it around the hill that I took on my way to the ATM. This is a beautiful area of CT - out in the woods!