LIFECYCLES ECR '23 - Day 7
Yonkers to Battery Park, NY (and a little exploring in the Financial District) - 26 miles - 768 ft of elevation gain
Ferry ride from Battery Park area to Liberty State Park
Liberty State Park to Somerset, NJ - 44 miles - 1365 ft of elevation gain
Breakfast opened at 6 am and most everyone was down for the early breakfast. While the team gathered their room supplies, Al left to head to the Yonkers train station to pick up Jon from the station. Jon volunteered to drive the support van so that Al could do this portion of the ride. So once Al and Jon returned, we began loading up the van, filling the water jug, and getting ice for the cooler. We pulled out of the parking lot just before 8am.
Around the corner from the hotel, after a little hill climb and a dodge through a neighborhood, we hit the greenway trail from Yonkers through to the tip of Manhattan. It was a lovely trail that weaved around the outskirts of the city. As continued south the path turned to a dedicated bike lane for the remained of the ride to the ferry. Walkers and runners had their own path. We took a short detour to see the 9/11 memorial, Trinity Church, and the NY Stock Exchange before waiting for our ferry. Jon was helpful because he met us near the memorial so that we could refill our water bottles (I missed the stop at Grant’s tomb because it disappeared from my route directions… oops).
Once at Liberty State Park we ate lunch, took some pictures, and then Al took over driving and Jon returned by ferry and train to Yonkers. The route took us pass the back side of the Statue of Liberty, through Jersey City, Rahway, over a bridge to Staten Island, then over another bridge to Elizabeth, NJ and then south to Somerset (our stop for the day). The traffic was minimal, the sights from the bridges put our path in perspective, and any tree that provided shade was welcomed. At one point we were all out of water, so the great thing about riding through towns is that you are bound to come upon a convenience store. I bought 3 gallons of cold water, which was a very needed stop, as the van was headed at our next water stop.
It was a long day because of navigating the roads, lights, and waiting for the ferry, but it was certainly a memorial day. We ordered food and Al picked it up so that we could relax for a little and not have to drive everyone to a destination. Unfortunately this isn’t the best hotel, as the pool is dirty, one of the showers was stuck on hot, I didn’t have towels in my room and discovered too late, and there is no breakfast, but the price was budget friendly and every needs a reminder that not all hotels are created equally (even ones by similar names).
Tomorrow is the last day of this tour. We will head south to Philly, take pictures at the Rocky Steps (aka the Phila. Museum of Art), and then head on the Schuylkill River Trail to Valley Forge for our extraction. We are going to try to get a jump on the day so that we can beat the heat and arrive at a reasonable time for pick-up.
