I’m grateful to Rich for the following guest post! ~Zhanna
You might be surprised that we ended up in the ‘Gunks region twice this past weekend, once on Friday to ride at Minnewaska State Park, and again yesterday for a short hike up the Shawangunk ridge at Sam’s Point to recover a tri-station (we wanted to hike for a change, and we needed an interesting goal, too).
We had an excellent time Friday. Everything came together very well, including the weather. Minnewaska didn’t quite kick our butts like Mohonk did almost a full month ago, but it wasn’t as warm as it was then, either. We had mid-90s that day in late April. Yesterday it was in the mid-to-upper 80s, very dry, and with a nice breeze. The sun was intense, though, and I could definitely feel the effects. We both look a little like lobsters!
The carriage trails were, for the most part, in very good condition. Grade-wise, they consist of short rolling hills, not much harder than some of the carriage roads in Acadia National Park. The Castle Point carriageway contains a l-o-n-g gradual undulating climb, about 3 miles in all, but since there are quite a few overlooks along the way, a rider can take plenty of little breaks. We rode a total of 15 miles. Only one trail was a little rough, in particular the steeper switchback sections on the return from Castle Point. We rode a new trail over to the ridge of Millbrook Mountain and back again, then we rode the reverse direction of another loop that we had done last time we visited this park. Naturally, the views were spectacular everywhere! Oh, and we performed a BM recovery at Castle Point!
Afterwards, we had supper at the Mountain Brauhaus. After ordering a couple of very tall and cold Franziskaner wheat beers to quench our already insatiable thirsts, we shared a Reuben Strudel appetizer. Zhanna got a bratwurst platter with potato pancakes, and I had spice-rubbed grilled ostrich, which was outstanding!!! Then we shared a Lemon Mousse for desert. Needless to say, this put the crowning touch to a terrific workout and a very memorable day.
Unfortunately, we didn’t take a lot of photos. Midday sunshine is usually way too harsh and contrasty for the kind of photography I like to do. It didn’t get cloudy until much later in the afternoon, and by that time we weren’t feeling in the mood for messing with cameras.
