Pouring rain and mountains did their best to stop us yesterday, but to no avail…we successfully made it 100 miles from Hartford, CT to West Point, NY.
We left downtown Hartford at 7:45 am with sunny skies and dry socks, both of which didn’t last long. After a hearty breakfast at the Main Street Diner in Plainville, CT, the rain started and didn’t stop. We rode on despite any obstacles and adversity, including a rather wet yet quick flat tire fix for Joel.
Lunch was a quick stop at the Newton Country Store, where we ate more than any human should consume in one sitting, but food is our fuel.
Despite all the crazy looks we received from the hundreds of New York drivers who were pumping their windshield wipers at full blast, we made it up and over Bear Mountain, across the Hudson River and into West Point at 8:00 pm, over 12 hours from our start.
For three 2005 graduates, riding through post on bikes was a rather unusually and somewhat emotional return to our old stomping grounds. We went directly to Central Guard Room and worked a deal with the cadet on duty to store our bikes in Eisenhower Barracks for the night.
Dripping wet, cold and hungry, our loyal friends Lynda and Craig once again saved us. Having taken us in as homesick cadets in 2003, they once again came to West Point to pick us up, feed us, and offer us comfortable beds. We can’t express enough gratitude to Lynda and Craig for their generosity to not only us but to so many other cadets over a 20 year time line.
About to pick up our bikes from Ike Barracks and hit the road.
NYC tonight…
The XC10 Guys
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