Originally Posted by
kaos joe
I'd check out routes that have been uploaded by other riders on RideWithGPS.
Good idea, I've been underutilizing their search.
After a bit of figuring out one thing that turned up was a lot of recordings of a Foxwoods to Danbury leg of Boston-NY charity ride that's presenting some possibilities to split. I have my own experiences of a lot of great roads east of the Thames (though there was the day where I kept accidentally ending up at Foxwoods), but the New London to New Haven portion joins a few other routings for that I need to compare in detail.
What's really grabbing my interest though is the New Haven - Danbury. It looks to have two abrupt climbs I need to identify but a New Haven via Danbury to Brewster to Poughkeepsie would both tie together past distance rides and mean I finally get to try the new part of the Maybrook. Key thing there will finding an affordable midpoint overnight as even if the distance were theoretically possible I hesitate to do a personal limits ride on untried route far from support, and train schedules are limiting. No later evening options from Poughkeepsie and even getting off a train at 7:30 am in New Haven wastes two hours I'd need to be riding if I were trying for more than 80 miles. The really gutsy move would be to continue to Albany on an additional day or two - too bad the MA split of the Lake Shore Limited seems not to have a baggage car.
Hmm, if I ever got a chance at a lift west, and then do it southbound taking advantage of increasing bailout opportunities on commuter trains at Poughkeepsie, Brewster, and Danbury? I need to fight my way back to the ability to do consecutive 50's or 60's I was tentatively building in the mild weather of February and March '20.
Tried to price one way car rentals to Albany but just getting "sold out" for the next few months. Of course what that really does is make finding a route west to Albany more interesting, as then there'd be a grand loop since the canal trail presents a way from New Haven back to MA.
Originally Posted by
Greenhil
That's interesting! I'm driving north on 91 later in the summer and had thoughts of stopping to do a bit of the Ammonoosuc rail trail (probably part further east), seems this is almost connecting running in the other direction.