After a delicious beer and burger at the Cooper's Cave Ale Company nearby, I started my ride eastward from the parking lot at the bottom of Murray St.
It was early afternoon and the sun was blazing but the ride was super flat and easy. It was very scenic all along the way and I snapped a few photos and took a few one-handed videos compiled in the movie below.
At the start
An old road bridge abutment
Where I ended in Hudson Falls
Glens Falls and Cooper's Cave
The highlight of the trip was crossing the bridge into South Glens Falls and photographing the dry rock outcroppings of the falls. They were massive!
A short jaunt under the bridge brought me to Copper's Cave...
Returning to the car back in Glens Falls, it was nice to see the Hudson River sparkling in the mid afternoon sun.
Glens Falls to Lake George on the Warren County Bikeway
Our Ride
My son Greg recently moved to Glens Falls. For this ride, Greg agreed to join me but needed to be back to work at 12 noon so we rode in the morning, starting from his apartment.
We headed over to Dix Street and got on the rail trail right at the Cooper's Cave Ale Company [http://www.cooperscaveale.com]. The first mile or two was through the city and we had to cross quite a few streets.
Once out of the city, it was nicely wooded and Greg rode as much as he could with no hands on the handlebars as it was flat and easy riding.
We had to ride on a couple of slightly hilly country roads but the trail picked up again near Glen Lake. The bomb down the hill into the Glen Lake outlet was fun and captured on a one-handed video (see below). Next was a long slightly ascending section and then we entered a deeper wooded section that paralleled a meandering brook. It was quite beautiful.
From the Historical Railroad Maps I had researched, I knew that much of this section was parallel tracks of both the Delaware & Hudson Railroad and the Hudson Valley Trolley System (Interurban). I stopped to photograph a sign that detailed the Hudson Valley Trolley history and could see remnants of a parallel ROW on the side.
As you pass the Magic Forest statue (StreetView >) you ride a wide shoulder of Rt 9 that is safely guard-railed and then you veer off on a long downhill bomb into the Village of Lake George. It was a blast and surprisingly an easy climb on the return.
I had to snap a photo of the old Spanish-Styled RR depot (now a shop) but we didn’t linger in the Village and headed right back.
Short Video Summary
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LtWAmlR0tfQ
The weather was sunny and pleasant — not too hot and all in all it was a pleasant morning ride.
I stopped back at the Cooper's Cave Ale Company for lunch where I met up with a BHBL high school acquaintance. BTW - their Stout was fantastic!!!
Well it wasn’t biking but there is a bit of railroad history in this adventure so it’s worth posting here…
On Thursday Sept. 4th, we took an 8-mile trip downriver on the Lamoille River ending at Jeffersonville. The weather was hot but beautiful and the river was very peaceful.
Launch Spot
On the River
Pause at the Sandbar
Andrew swimming upstream
Super Short Video
The Lamoille River Railroad Bridge -- soon to be part of a 96-mile rail trail...
Lamoille Valley Railroad was constructed in the 1870s. At the time it was known as the St. Johnsbury and Lamoille County Railroad (StJ&LC) . Passenger service ended in 1956. Major flooding in 1995 and 1997 damaged the line so much that it was not profitable to repair and the line was abandoned.
Also referred to as the Burlington Bikepath, this Rail Trail features 14 miles of super scenic lakeside riding including a spectacular white marble causeway....
What A Great Ride!
This is an amazing rail trail! Skirting the shore of Lake Champlain, it finishes on a spectacular causeway that goes right across the lake. The views across the lake of the Adirondacks are wonderful.
I started at Oakledge Park trailhead in South Burlington and rode the full 14 miles (one way). The weather was perfect as a severe thunderstorm during the night before cleared away much of the oppressive humidity.
Oakledge Park
An informative kiosk
Reaching the causeway was fantastic. It was beautiful with the sporadic trees and the mammoth white marble chunks it was built from...
The causeway was amazing!
There is a ferry here that operates on the weekends to allow bikers to continue on to the islands. The map was on the wall that led to the ferry.
Built in 1899, Rutland Railroad’s Island Line finally provided a direct connection from southern New England to Lake Ontario. Two breaks in the causeway were spanned by a fixed iron trestle and a swing bridge that could be opened to allow boats to pass.
It was a very expensive stretch of track to build. The three and a quarter mile marble-block causeway from Colchester Point to Allen's Point at South Hero alone cost the Rutland in the vicinity of $1 million.
It was a hot humid day but by late afternoon it cooled down a bit and this ride was quite pleasant. It's about a 5 mile trail that--much of the way--skirts a gravel-strewn river. There are quite a few bridges as well as the trail hops from one side of the river to the other quite a few times.
It's a super easy ride but a great addition to Stowe, a fun ride for sure...
Biking the Rail Trail from Croton Reservoir to Brewster
- 40 plus miles round trip -
CLICK TO ENLARGE
I got off to a late start today but at 10:45 AM I was riding. I started from the parking lot just north of the Croton Reservoir. It was beautiful day - not too hot and the Rail Trail had a lot of activity: bikers, hikers, skateboarders, etc.
Croton Parking
This trail was nice because it not only went thru some nice woodsy spots, but it also cut through a few towns so one could stop and buy a snack or whatever if you cared to.
Yorktown Heights Panorama
At Yorktown Heights, I bought a Powerade at the gas station and filmed traveling by the old train station Photo of the station in earlier days here >. A few miles north of Yorktown Heights, there was a long gradual hill going toward Mahopac (but on the return, it was a 15 minute joyride coasting back down it!). My tires were a little under pressure so that made the going a little tougher but Rail Trail hills are super easy compared to road or mountain biking in the area so it was no big deal… I took a Pic of the old Mahopac station and stopped to snap a shot looking over the lake.
Lake Mahopac Station
Lake Mahopac
The trail itself went thru a variety of scenery, marshland, deep woods, farmland and of course small towns. Along the way there were a few bridges over roads or streams.
At Lake Gleneida there was a kiosk with a good amount of info on the Rail Trail efforts on one side and on the other side: the history of the old Putnam line. My favorite item on the history timeline was "in 1972, A teenager steals a Diesel Switcher in Brewster and takes it on a joyride - and finally ends up crashing it"- Yikes!!
Kiosk at Lake Gleneida
Before reaching the end of the line, the Rail Trail cuts right across Middle Branch Reservoir - I have super short segment in the video. The photo is a street view from the highway to the North.
Street View South at Middle Branch Reservoir
Trail's End
There was a nice Pizza Place at end of the line where I gobbled down a couple of tasty slices before heading back...
As mentioned, my tires were soft so I stopped in at the Bikeway store in Mahopac where they pumped them back up to 100 psi. Man what a difference!
The best part of the trip was—once I reached the high point south of Mahopac—the gradual hill I mentioned on the way up was a sweet coast back down on my return. I hardly had to pedal for about 10 minutes or so… I was flying and peaked at 29.7 mph without even trying! (I shot a one-handed video of course :-) ) Most of the rest of the trip back was almost as easy as well.
I stopped for a quick break to eat my plum which I had hung from my handlebars: it was super ripe, juicy and delicious!
Finally... I stopped to shoot-- IHMO--the perfect picturesque railroad cut photo...
TIP: To view maps at full size...
Click on any of the maps below and then
right click and choose "open image in a new window"
1 - East View To Croton Reservoir
The Rockefeller Diversion
John D. Rockefeller was annoyed by the railroad that ran through his family’s estate in Pocantico Hills. Rockefeller approached the railroad with a plan to move the line off his property. On April 15, 1930, a construction crew of 500 men began work on the railroad relocation. Three stations were closed: Tarrytown Heights, Tower Hill, and Pocantico Hills. The new route opened in 1931.
2- Yorktown Heights Section
3- Mahopac to Brewster
4 - Mahopac Branchline to the Mine
Mahopac Falls Branch Line
The Mahopac Iron Mine opened in 1879. A railroad was built to the mines in 1902. It was abandoned in 1931.
