On September 17, 2012, I finally left New York City behind and moved to Olivebridge, New York. I had been riding up here for years, always taking the train from Grand Central and then leaving from Poughkeepsie. I always had this notion that someday I’d live here. Well, here I am in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains, and this is the view from my window.

And why not? Our neighborhood—South Street Seaport—was going the way of the East Village circa 2003, mostly due to the fact that the fish market had moved out. We both work from home and have no particular reason to be in the city any more.

We were particularly lucky because, just a few weeks after we moved, our neighborhood was flooded and our building was rendered more-or-less permanently uninhabitable.

I’ll be honest: I mostly moved up here because of the riding. This blog will focus on riding in the Catskills, particularly the rough and dirty rides on back roads, on gravel, and occasionally cross country (although the latter is almost always accidental).

I’ve had a chance to ride most everywhere in the Tristate area and beyond, and—take it from me—this is the best riding to be found in three states, and perhaps anywhere in the US. All of it accessible by train from New York. I’ll try to provide guidance on the best rides, where to start, where to refill your water bottles and eat, and what to avoid, and I’ll include maps and GPS files. I’ll also talk about my bikes, post an occasional product review, and lots of pictures of animals.

Enjoy!

John

www.medicalwriter.net