End of the Line

For an upcoming unicycle race, I'm training by riding at least 15 miles a day. I decided that it made more sense to accomplish the brunt of this while my little one is off at pre-school, so for just over two hours a day, I can ride around New Paltz. The roads are generally pretty safe -- drivers tend to give cyclists a decent amount of space, and I haven't heard of any accidents since we moved. I need to work on hill-riding, so I'll take to the roads soon, but I much prefer riding on the rail trail. It's a pretty ride, and tho it's not hilly, it's bumpy and twisty and the ground is unpaved.

What I didn't know until this week is: It ends halfway across a bridge. I was zipping along, riding across what I assumed was yet another gorgeous wooden bridge, when suddenly the road came to an abrupt end. Weirder still, this happened literally at the midpoint of a once-spectacular structure. It's now a half-spectacular structure; the other half is a weather-beaten assemblage of huge Tinker Toys that appears to be on the verge of collapsing into the river 150 feet below. The first time I came upon the half-bridge, I gingerly walked it, afraid that the boards would creak and wobble, but it seems to be quite hardy, and when I rode it today, I felt confident that it was safe. Later I found out that someone owns the decrepit half and was hoping to turn the spot into a bungee jump but failed to get approval or funds.

That point is just under 7 miles from the preschool, so it's a decent round-trip distance, and when I add a bit more riding thruout the day, I can easily reach the 15-mile minimum I've set myself. I just wish the bridge went all the way across!