i~ IAnae:l'ican Adventu.:I'e

,.~ New York,New Jersey, Pennsylvania

Riding The High CountryOur riding group

posing in front

of the Starrucca

Viaduct in

Lanesboro, PA.

BY KENNETHW. DAHSE

Foran overnight tour, the only thing all

riders truly desire is great roads. Theborderlands of New Jersey, New York,and Pennsylvania easily meet that crite-rion. These roads took my intrepid

group to mountain passes,rural villages, and historicsites, as well as some jauntsalong pristine rivers.

Leaving from Ringwood,New Jersey, we rolled west onCounty Road 511, which hugsthe shoreline of the windsweptwaters of the Wanaque andMonksville reservoirs. Thewarm air and sun caressed myface as I cruised with eightfriends rumbling behind me.The Monksville Reservoir

42 May 2012 • RoadBike • RoadBikeMag.com

spans over 500 acres and is part of Long PondIronworks State Park, which has trails to remnantsof the Ironworks industry that once thrived there; itsupplied the iron for General George Washington'sContinental Army during the Revolutionary War.Nearby, on Sloatsburg Road, is Ringwood Manor,which was visited by General Washington five timesduring the war. Still on 511, we snaked along theroad as it paralleled eight-mile-long GreenwoodLake. If you want to trade your road ride for a waterone, marinas abound.

Our bikes climbed the serpentine Route 17A withaplomb to the Bellvale Farms Creamery at the sum-mit of Mount Peter. Itwas far too early for ice cream,but picturesque farmland and mountains spread outbefore us like a multicolored quilt. Riding intoWarwick, just across the New York border, we pickedup County Road lilA and .thundered through theblack dirt of the Pine Island farming region, headingtowards the town of Port Jervis.

We turned right at County Road 12,then left at US Route 62 to see a farmwith camels that I had heard about.Although there wasn't anyone around, oreven a name for the farm, camels, horses,donkeys, and peacocks graced us withtheir presence. Turning left at the farm,we reconnected with 1, then caught USRoute 6 into Port Jervis. We sailed toHawk's Nest, where Route 97 hangs onthe mountainside hundreds of feet abovethe Delaware River, like a mountaineeron the Eiger. There are several scenicoverlooks here, and opportunities to seehawks and hang gliders sail across thesky like sailboats in the heavens; if you'relucky, you might even spot a bald eagle.The deck of the Inn at Lackawaxen is anexcellent vantage point.

From Hawk's Nest, we thunderednorth on 97, which parallels the pristineDelaware River that separates New Yorkfrom Pennsylvania. This rollicking road-way is one of the best motorcyclingroutes in the Northeast. Area liveriesoffer bikers an opportunity to not onlycruise alongside the river, but alsoexplore it by canoe, kayak, or raft. I sug-gested a "ride the river run" to "MadMac," "Uncle" Vito, Columbo, and a fewothers in our group; unfortunately, no one else was interested.We rumbled along 97, watching the river flow, breathing in thesweet pine-scented air and basking in the warm sun. A break atthe famous Delaware Aqueduct in Lackawaxen, Pennsylvania,allowed us to view the renowned Roebling Bridge up close. Itwas built in 1848 as part of the Delaware and Hudson Canal;now, instead of barges loaded with coal, riders can enjoy cross-ing this exceptional bridge.

Just down the road from the bridge is the Zane Grey

Overlooking the Delaware River at Hawks Nest on Rt.97looking south.

Museum, the former home of the famous writerZane Grey who wrote the famous Western novelRiders of the Purple Sage, a book that inspired meto write my own Western novel called The Hell

Riders (which can be ordered through any bookstore or online from Amazon). After a brief respite,

we fired up our machines and continued north on 97 toNarrowsburg, where we crossed the river into Pennsylvaniaand traveled along the western bank of the Delaware toDamascus on River Road. At Damascus, we headed west onPennsylvania 371, the Great Bend Turnpike, bouncing alongthis hilly serpentine road through back country farmland untilwe hit the much more hospitable State Route 171 and took itnorth toward Lanesboro and the Starrucca Viaduct. But first westopped at Arlo's Gas and Country Store. The owners are fans of

entertainer Arlo Guthrie ofAlice s Restaurant fame andnamed their place after him.My friend Leslie was happy forthe stop, but my buddy, the'60s-hating "Dumont" Joey,wasn't, and called Guthrie "Justanother useless hippie singer."

From there we roared norththrough the hinterlands toLanesboro (population 546) ,home of the massive StarruccaViaduct. Built in 1848, it's theoldest stone railroad bridgestill in use in Pennsylvania.According to the Lanesboroweb site, the viaduct is 100'high, 25' wide, and 1,040' long.

The one-lane Roebling Bridge inLackawaxen, PA, was originally anaqueduct,but has been converted tocarry pedestrian and motor traffic.

RoadBikeMag.com. RoadBike • May 2012 43

The new Hancock House Hotel, in Hancock, NewYork, stands on the site ofthe original Hancock House built in 1848.

That information, however, conflicts with a sign on-site thatclaims it's bigger. Nevertheless, our female bikers, Lynn,"Nordic" Linda, and Leslie, were more impressed with it thansome of the guys were..We bounced southeast on State Routes 1009 and 1011 to

Starrucca, where we grabbed State Route 4012, which Leslieaptly described as a "cow path." At Shehawken, we took StateRoute 4016 to Preston Park, then jumped on State Route 370north. In Hancock, we stayed at the relatively new HancockHouse Hotel, which has. modern, cleanrooms, a pub, a restaurant (free breakfastfor guests!), and ample parking. After din-ner at the Blue Stone Grill, we enjoyed afew libations on the hotel's veranda.

The next morning, we fired up ourmachines and continued our tour of theborderlands. Taking State Route 268north to Route 10 north to Walton, wesailed through forests and farms gazingupon the mountains kissing the gloomysky. You can also take a slight detour on10 and ride the other direction, to thesouthwest, alongside the CannonsvilleReservoir to the town of Deposit. It's onesweet ride either way.

From Walton, we continued north on10 toward Dehli, enjoying the views of thewestern Catskill' Mountains on the hori-zon. After a brief stop, we took the sinuousRoute 28 to the artistic little village ofAndes, where we picked up Route 30.Challenging the twisties as it paralleled thePepacton Reservoir gave us all an adrena-line rush. As "Woodstock" Mark saidafterward, "That was far out, man."

Our last stop turned out to be for alate lunch at the Famous Roscoe Dineroff Route 17. "Wild" Bill, Nordic Linda,Woodstock Mark, and Uncle Vito need-ed to get back for evening engagements,

Our group riding alongside the CannonsvilleReservoir on Rt.10 with the Catskill

Mountains in the background.

44 May 2012 • RoadBike • RoadBikeMag.com

The 12S-foot-long Hamden Covered Bridge, seen from Route 10 in NewYork, spans the west branch of the Delaware River.

so we decided after lunch to blast to Jersey. As we rumbledhome on Route 97, riding alongside the Delaware River,which delineates the New York/Pennsylvania border, I rumi-nated about what a great ride we'd had. I've cruised this samearea several times in various seasons, both solo and withfriends, and it never bores me. With great roads, interestingsites to see, and spectacular scenery, the borderlands of NewJersey, New York, and Pennsylvania are a motorcyclist'sdream come true. RB

BORDERLAND BEATArlo's Country StoreUniondale, PA570/727-2970www.ArlosCountryStore.com

Bellvale Farms CreameryWarwick, NY845/988-5414www.BellvaleFarms.com

Ringwood ManorRingwood, NJ973/962-2240www.RingwoodManor.com

Starrucca ViaductLanesboro, PA570/853-4781www.LanesboroPA.com/Viaduct.htmlRoebling's Delaware

Aqueduct Bridge/Zane GreyMuseumUpper Delaware Scenicand Recreational River.Lackawaxen, PA570/729-7134www.NPS.gov/UpDe

The Inn at LackawaxenLackawaxen, PA570/685-7061www.LackawaxenHouse.com

Hancock House HotelHancock, NY(307/637-7100··www.NewHancockHouse.com