This was a better day of riding but it ended at a rip off motel in Middletown. I'm sitting in my $45 room which is clean, but lacks air conditioning, window screens, and pretty much everything else. The comparison to my $56 (which included breakfast) room last night is ludicrous. On the other hand, Gino's Motel is on my route and all other motels 'in' Middletown are about 6 to 7 miles down busy 4 lane roads, moreover they are probably charging higher, weekend, rates. My room from last night would cost me more like $70 tonight. Still it would be a better buy than this! Gino, who looks and sounds like the Godfather, is simply taking advantage of my situation. I just hope the heat and the noise (car alarms, screams, that sort of thing) don't keep me from getting a good night's sleep. Welcome to New York!
I started the day riding north on Penn 191 to Stroudsburg. That was a good ride, if you like hills. After getting away from the Allentown area, it was just pretty good riding to Bangor. There I had the choice of riding east to Portland and then up the Delaware river or north, crossing the Appalachian Trail, to Stroudsberg. I've already crossed the trail by bicycle in all of the states south of here except Maryland, so I figured I should go for it in Pennsylvania. It was a good climb - about 2,000 feet of climbing to get from Nazareth to the trail and another 500 to get from there into Stroudsberg. The grades were up to 13%, but the really long climbs were half of that. I used my 19" granny, but only on a few of the steeper sections. Rather like riding the Blue Ridge Parkway. although the heat and humidity and bugs were much worse. After Stroudsberg, where I stopped at a gas station/dairy bar for a snack, I rode north east on Bus 209 to 209 which runs up the Delaware Water Gap. This was also pretty good riding although the first third is heavily commercialized ( I KNOW I've been to the Poconos!) and the part through the park itself got rather boring. I did things like adjusting my derailleurs to relive the boredom. I was happy to get to Milford and have a good lunch. While I was eating somebody took my riding cap from my bike. It will be hard to replace. I did bring the pads for my helmet in case I lost the hat, but I didn't bring a sweat band. In addition to protecting my bald head from the sun, my hat also had a sweat band. Oh well, It isn't a major problem, but it is the first time I've had something taken from my bike.
I left Milford on 209 and entered New York at Port Jarvis. The bridge's steel mesh was a bit tricky to ride - if I did it again I'd use the sidewalk - and the road quality deteriorated coming into New York State. Prices for everything went up. I continued on 209 to 211 and took 211 - nice road with good shoulders - on into Middletown. The AC route avoids most of 211 for reasons I don't understand. There is a lot of climbing getting to Otisville, but the AC route goes through there as well. I did notice that what I think is part of the AC route was closed for construction, so you might want to check on that. If I had it to do again, I'd have ridden 209 to 17 and stayed at one of the motels between Middletown and that intersection and then ridden on the AC route without entering Middletown. But AC said there were motels here and I knew 17 wouldn't be as much fun as 211. So it goes.
I look forward to getting out of Gino's early in the morning and I will try to get to Connecticut tomorrow. It is about 165 miles from here to Hartford, but only about 100 to the Connecticut border, via the AC route which I will try to follow. Pretty hilly miles, though. Now I think I'll try to kill the fly that is annoying me in my room. On the other hand it is warmish in here and killing the fly might work up too much of a sweat. Life is so hard...
