Suppose to leave at 7am or so, but found myself talking with sister for a couple hours. It has been awhile since I have seen her. Finally got my act together and headed out for todays targets right around 930am.
First up in Cookstown NJ. One word sums up riding in southern Joisey. BORING (even Iowa is more interesting). Straight roads (they had nothing to go around), scrub pines, and flat. However there is a fair amount of sand around to make is slidy.
This was outside a haunted house attraction for Halloween. Don't think it is an official Muffler Man, looks more like something stolen from an amusement park.
In Roosevelt had to find 2 different locations. Team Strange only takes post offices and GLMC does not take post offices. With a name like Roosevelt you would think the town had some money. Not this place by the looks of it, however the town has an awful lot of famous writers, painters and scupltors. Maybe they are keeping the place under the radar. It was awarded the 12th best place in Jersey to live.
I was suppose to pick up a factory in Helmetta, however the fire department wording was so good who could pass it up.
Turns out the buidling I passed up was on the Register of Historic Places and was an old snuff factory built in the 1880's. At one time it employed 400 folks. The snuff operattions, well the tobacco kind of snuff operation was moved to West Virginia. New Jersey continues with the other snuff operations ala Soprano style.
Spotswood was named from a place in Scotland and was established around 1685. The fire department was built after that time.
Pulled up on the sidewalk right outside this place. The owner (an assumption) was checking his mail and didn't even bat an eye. Upton Sinclair, the writer, died in Bound Brook. His most famous writing was the Jungle (1906), which exposed conditions in the meat packing industry. In 1906 the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act was passed.
I made my way into the central western part of Jersey at this point and the scenery and roads have become a little more interesting. It has become a bit more trafficy too. Couple of places I don't feel like writing about.
Green Village principally consists of three streets, namely Green Village Road, Meyersville Road and Britten Road. Subject to an ongoing surveying controversy it may include a portion of Woodland Road. Isn't that interesting.
Madison is known as the Rose City. You guessed it they use to grow roses here. With the RR connections to NYC, they provided the roses. NYC millionaires came to Madison for hunting and just getting out in the country. Robert Chapman of Thesaurus editing fame lived here.
Officially back in north Jersey is marked by Whippany. Dan Frishman, nerd and geeks was born in Whippany. I had to pull up on the sidewalk to get this picture. Once I was up there I had to turn around to get out. The sidewalk was blocked by a pole going forward, which of course I didn't see when pulling up here. The guys in the diner next door came out and asked me what I was doing. In a huffing and puffing voice (hard to mover a 600# bike around in close quarters, told them I needed that sign. They shrugged and said OK. Really ??
Hit the Morris's 1-2-3, Great historice area with Washington's headquarters located here. (A National Historic Park).
A couple more stops
A mistake in processing trying to make an artistic statement of something. (gotta figure out what I was saying)(maybe an ad for eye glasses ??)(flashback to the 60's)
This was not a planned stop. I passed this place and turned around to go back to it. The Double Down tour is about repeating letters. Well HO- HO- is a repeating pattern of letters. We shall see. New Jersey Magazine named HO-HO-KUS the #1 one place to live in Jersey. Ho-Ho-Kus is the eighth wealthiest community in New Jersey.
Getting very north into Jersey, almost New York with Saddle River. The borough ranked 28th as of the 2000 Census among the 100 highest-income places in the United States. Lots of green here. On the trees and in the pockets.
Last couple of towns in Jersey.
Crossed the border and the Hudson River into Sleepy Hollow NY. I kept my head about it.
Some more towns
As I headed into Peekskill, it was early evening, something like 6:30. As I rounded RT 9 the cliffs of Peekskill appeared and with the going down sun it was a wonderus sight. It was like a painting. Why I didn't stop to take a picture I just don't know. No doubt I would not have captured in the camera what my eyes saw. Instead I got this place.
Losing the sunlight I got Jefferson Valley. Nice coloring in the sky. Unfortunately it also means the sun will be gone soon as well.
Snaked my way up thru New York in Harriman State Park area, just in time for the sun to say goodnight. At about 8pm in Garrison, NY I said to myself time to let the deer have its way with the area and time for this old guy to find a place to sleep for the night. Pulled into a Dunkin Donuts in Central Valley after crossing the Bear Mountain Bridge to search for a motel. The folks at DD suggested one place called the Hampton Inn. Cough cough do you know of a place that is more reasonable. Ahh the America Best Value Inn was recently redone. A call to them and got a rate for $75 which was cheap for the area. I'll take it and only 1 mile away. I settled in at DD for dinner having a poppy seed begal with cream cheese. Decided I was not going any place else for a nice dinner and ordered a ham and cheese on a hard roll. Sorry we are out of them. No croissants, only bagels. Any English muffins, an affirmative came back and ordered spicy smoked sausage breakfast sandwich for dinner.
Todays trip was just over 250 miles. Captured 33 Double Down towns for 35 points and 4 president towns. Pretty good day.
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