Fandi Aditya 1/2/21 Fandi Aditya 1/2/21

CHAMPLAIN CANAL LOCK - NORTHUMBERLAND FARMLAND GRAVEL

During our trip to the Adirondacks we made a slight detour to visit the Champlain Canal Lock area. The area, full of farmlands, is beautiful and the gravel roads are awesome.

Fandi Aditya 12/23/20 Fandi Aditya 12/23/20

ADIRONDACKS FOLIAGE RIDE

We keep coming back to the Adirondacks, this time to see beautiful foliage. Also, it’s our first time ever knocking on a stranger’s door asking for help.

Fandi Aditya 10/23/20 Fandi Aditya 10/23/20

Tappan Zee/Cuomo Bridge - NYC Half Century Ride

For my birthday weekend, I attempted to tackle my first half century ride and ended up with a few more miles. It was my longest bike ride ever and a great experience testing my endurance limits. I hope I can do a century ride (100 miles) in a few years.

Fandi Aditya 10/23/20 Fandi Aditya 10/23/20

Two Lakes and a Pond: Where to go biking in the Adirondacks

Did you know that there are a lot of lakes in upstate New York? We drove up to the Adirondack Mountains during Labor Day weekend and did some bike riding in the area. Brant Lake, Schroon Lake, Beaver Pond, they are all beautiful! Adirondacks we will be back!

Fandi Aditya 7/23/20 Fandi Aditya 7/23/20

Lake Minnewaska

After riding at Mohonk Preserve we had lunch at New Paltz and drove to Lake Minnewaska. We didn't bike much but we did bike up to the lake from the lower parking lot. The descent was great! Also, we are deliberating whether to keep renting cars or buy our own.

Fandi Aditya 7/23/20 Fandi Aditya 7/23/20

Mohonk Preserve - Spring Farm Trailhead

The northern side of Mohonk Preserve is where you can find Bonticou Crag and Table Rocks. However most of the trails are hiking trails so we were not able to fully enjoy its natural beauty. But it's still a very nice place for gravel cycling!

Fandi Aditya 7/11/20 Fandi Aditya 7/11/20

Combo Ride: Wallkill Valley + O&W

We drove to New Paltz and did the combo of Wallkill Valley + O&W (Ontario & Western) rail trails. The itinerary: from New Paltz to Kingston and back. We are glad that although not a full loop, it's also not a full backtracking. Both trails are pretty easy and definitely recommended for everyone. We also found this very cool outdoor cafe in the woods: Rosendale Rail Trail Cafe https://www.railtrailcaferosendale.com/

Fandi Aditya 6/28/20 Fandi Aditya 6/28/20

Catskills Weekend Part 2: Catskill Scenic Trail

This is the second part of our first ride outside NYC after state of New York entered Phase One of Reopening. After staying in Woodstock and exploring Ashokan Reservoir, we went deeper into the Catskills region and explored the Catskill Scenic Trail. It is one of those former railroads that are abandoned and now turned into a recreational trail that goes through rural farmland areas. The goes through Bloomville, South Kortright, Stamford, Hobart, Grand Gorge and Roxbury, but we only did half of it in this video. Hudson Valley, you have a competition!

Fandi Aditya 5/31/20 Fandi Aditya 5/31/20

Catskills Weekend Part 1: Ashokan Reservoir

This is our first ride outside NYC in three months. With the state of New York entering Phase One of Reopening, we decided to go on a road trip for Memorial Day weekend. We went up to the Catskills, stayed in Woodstock and rode around the Ashokan Reservoir. The Ashokan reservoir is part of the New York City water supply system which, according to Wikipedia, is one of the most extensive municipal water systems in the world. The Ashokan Rail Trail was pretty, but the Ashokan Promenade was breathtaking!

Fandi Aditya 3/8/20 Fandi Aditya 3/8/20

New Croton Dam: Revisited

New Croton Dam a destination that never gets old. Park your car at Kitchawan Preserve and enjoy the beauty of the New Croton Reservoir. Also, a bit of detour to Teatown Lake. It's a solo riding since Lisa was in Europe enjoying her vacation. And yes, it was before the COVID 19 frenzy.

Fandi Aditya 3/1/20 Fandi Aditya 3/1/20

Stewart State Forest

Another ride in below freezing temperature at a beautiful forest in upstate New York. It went down to 28 degrees, but at least it was not muddy. We stopped by Beacon afterwards to have some late lunch. Also, some musings on whether Fandi is a mountain biker deep down inside.

Fandi Aditya 2/22/20 Fandi Aditya 2/22/20

Hop River State Park Trail

Our coldest, dirtiest, muddiest and most difficult ride so far with temperature went down to 27 degrees. We ended up with frozen mud on our bikes. It's such a beautiful trail though. Shout out to Breakaway Brew Haus and Trek Manhattan 72nd Street bike shop!

Fandi Aditya 1/31/20 Fandi Aditya 1/31/20

Palisades Interstate Park via George Washington Bridge

Solo riding along Hudson river and first ride with bike computer. It seems like the Palisades is where the cyclists hang out around here. Also we found ruins!

Fandi Aditya 1/25/20 Fandi Aditya 1/25/20

New Haven Loop: Farmington Canal and West Rock Ridge

We realized that we are gravel converts now; Farmington Canal Trail is too tame compared to West Rock Ridge!

In the seventies West Rock Ridge used to be a party spot (allegedly) and open to cars. Here's some information we found about West Rock Ridge: https://westrocktrails.blogspot.com/p/west-rock-user-guide.html

Also, we learned the hard way that smaller ride events book up pretty quickly. Looking forward to the Five Boro Bike Tour!