Hi. It’s Laura.
I ended last week telling the
story of how I over scheduled myself and was trying to figure when & how to
fit it all in.
By the time Saturday morning
rolled around, I was so tired. The Husband and I needed to get the apartment
clean. We also wanted to get our area rugs down. We only moved in a month ago
so we are still putting the place together. After cleaning, we got them down.
It took us much longer than I thought it would partly because we both
underestimated the weight of our dining room table. I consider myself strong
and I could barely lift it. I mustered and we did.
If you are a regular reader of my
blog you know that I prefer to train in the morning. After cleaning and rug
laying it was well past noon. My second
obstacle of the day I still have no idea where to ride. I pulled up Google Maps
and try to figure out a path. Somehow I have to cross the Harlem River to get
into Manhattan and down riverside. In all of the driving (yes, driving, hate
it) I have done in the area I have not really seen a bike path that crosses the
river.
I took my chances and headed east.
I got lucky and found my way to the Hudson River and wound up having a lovely
ride down to 125th St. the only problem with this ride is the very steep hill
right in the middle of it. It is steep enough that tourist bike riders will
walk their bike up it. I need to get out of the saddle to climb. My ego is way
too big to ever let me walk my bike up a hill.
Remember I said that.
I finished up the first week with
a 5:00 p.m. swim. Not really how I
saw my Saturday going. Best laid plans and all.
Monday rolls around and starts off
easy enough. A 5 mile run. I should have
strength trained too but the rest of my day was fully scheduled. I feel some
guilt over this and I don't covering my gray hair and making nice with members
of the board of our building is just as important.
If I knew upper Manhattan better I
probably could have found a shorter way to the bridge be that as it may, I did
make there. I approach the entrance ramp
only to be stopped by a fellow cyclist. My assumption of cyclist (not including
me) is that they are all assholes and extremely inconsiderate. I need to change
that. This guy stopped me to let me know the ramp was closed. He then proceeded
to give me directions to an alternate route to get over the bridge. Nice guy.
I follow his direction, head
around the road to the other side of the bridge and wind up a flight of stairs.
Ugh. Who knew you that the GWB had two pedestrian walks? I thought there
was only one. I dismount, hike the
stairs with the bike and resume riding for all of 250 ft. I now need to descend a flight of stairs,
cross a platform and head back up another flight of stairs. I was keeping in
mind that I am going to have to do this on my way back as well. I finally hit the main span of the bridge. I
will admit I was a little scared. I have
not crossed the bridge since last summer and it being a different side I was
worried. I had a short internal
conversation. "Look at all the cars and trucks crossing”. “The bridge will not fall down” who said fear
is rational.
The view from the span is
spectacular. The crowd is lovely (empty).
I make it to the other side of the span just to wind up at another
flight of stairs. Two minutes short of my first leg, I said nope. I turned
around and headed back. Once over the
bridge, I followed the voice instructions of my iPhone. I do not have my phone
mounted to see the directions, I was listening to her directions.
When I programmed the phone I told
her to take the greenways. Off the
bridge I head up Ft. Washington Ave. into Ft. Tyron Park. The GPS tell me to head into the park and
head toward Riverside Drive. I go around the park with no clue where to go. I
stop and look at the GPS, I can't figure it out. I look at the map in the park,
I can't figure it out. I think I will
try again. One more time around the park (Ft. Tyron is not a big park) I am
following directions and I am still not getting it. I am growing increasingly
frustrated. I know I am not a stupid person and I know there is a way out, I
have the damned GPS tell me turn! turn! turn! But there is NO STREET.
I stopped switched out
the iPhone for my shuffle (yes I know but I only had 15% power left on my phone)
I make it about two blocks when I realize I don't actually know how to get
home. I stop again, switch back to the iPhone and restart the
directions. Now she has me going the
same way I went on Saturday. Ok, headed home.
I make it back into the Bronx. YAY! I am on the right path when the GPS
says make a left. I hesitate then
remembered on Sunday I saw a pathway from the car and I was hoping it would
bring me home through Inwood Park.
That is exactly where the GPS
takes me, into Inwood Park. I am
excited and now 90 minutes into what was supposed to be a 60 minute, I am
getting tired.
Half mile into Inwood park,
she says turn right. I look to my right
and it’s another flight of stairs. I checked to the end of the path just in
case but nope this was it. Up the stairs I go.
Riding, riding, riding. I finally
see my neighborhood. Problem is there is a river between us. At this point I
thought about swimming across the Harlem and pulling my bike. I am so tired and
frustrated of not knowing where I am going.
I get a little bit of luck. There is a construction worker for the
bridge working on it. I ask for directions. He gives me options: the short way
or the long way. I opt for short. I am
just so done.
The long way would have taken me
back through Inwood Park, to Broadway to home. Probably another half
hour. The short way start me off on a
gravel path that turns back into paved in about 50 feet and it is steep. Did I
say steep? Steep enough that I got off my bike and pushed it up the hill. There was no way, this early in the season
and being a bit mentally defeated that I was going to be able to ride the hill.
It did deposit me at the mouth of
the Henry Hudson Bridge was grateful that I was so close to home. As soon as I make the left off the path to
get on the bridge I see the big red sign “BIKE TRAFFIC STRICTLY
PROHIBITED"
I think you can guess what I did.
Once over the bridge, I was in my
neighborhood and so happy to be there.
Lesson learned! I bought a mount for my iPhone and
looked at Google Maps on how exactly to get in and out of Ft. Tyron on a
bike.
Off to swim!
Laura
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