The Brewery Bicyclists

Being the story [currently being written and revised] [please send me some more info to fill in Thursday and Friday and any other things that you would like to have included... send it as email to BobThomas@escort.org ] of the travels of 5 campers and three leaders in a six day and five night loop begining and ending at 4H Camp Shankitunk near Delhi, NY. of Read about more 4H Camp Shankitunk cycling at http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/thomasrl/cycling.html

Sunday July 7, 2002 - 4H Camp to Stamford 24 miles
Leave camp ASAP after 1 PM to travel along the Back River Rd, SR 28, Delaware Ave, Delhi - S. Kortright Rd, SR 10 and SR 23 to the Chris and Ann Leal's home in Stamford. We'll have a snack along the way and possibly a swim in Stamford if time and weather permit.

Here's how we looked before we 'bravely' walked out of camp - yes - the gravel ramp out of camp is so steep that walking out is advised, especially for cyclists first mounting loaded bikes.

Sunday, Fitches Bridge near Delhi, Bicycle Bob

In the shade of the bridge slowly playing the name game we worked out these names - the equipment was distributed at camp before we left.

the entire itinerary is listed below for reference - it is also pasted into the beginning of each day throughout the narrative

NOVICE BICYCLING TRIP ITINERARY
4H CAMP SHANKITUNK
JULY 7 - 12, 2002

Sunday - 4H Camp to Stamford - 24 miles
Leave camp ASAP after 1 PM to travel along the Back River Rd, NYS 28, Delaware Ave, Delhi - S. Kortright Rd, NYS 10 to Chris and Ann Leal's home in Stamford. We'll have a snack along the way and possibly a swim in Stamford if time and weather permit.

Monday - Stamford to West Fulton - 32 miles
Breakfast in Stamford and then on the Catskill Scenic Trails Rail Trail to Grand Gorge. After a break in Grand Gorge along NYS 30 to Mine Kill St Pk for a swim. After the swim, a picnic lunch and some hill climbing to the Hayes residence near West Fulton. To reach the Hayes house we will turn off NYS 30 onto Bear Ladder Rd and then continue along CR 4 to their house.

Tuesday - West Fulton to Cooperstown - 46 miles
Rise and shine to cover the mileage along CR 4, NYS 10, NYS 165, CR 35, Pete Hendricks Rd., Fish Rd., Pink St. and CR 33 to Cooperstown. Lunch in Roseboom most probably. Perhaps a late afternoon swim at a park just outside the village of Cooperstown. Laundry in Cooperstown. We'll stay two nights at the Otsego County Cooperative Extension Service Center.

Wednesday - Cooperstown Museums - 4 Miles
A day of rest and recuperation in Cooperstown. Museums in the morning and perhaps a swim in Otsego Lake in the afternoon.

Thursday - Cooperstown to Oneonta - 28 miles
A beautiful easy ride following the downstream course of the Susquehanna River from its source in Cooperstown to Oneonta. In Oneonta we can swim in the city pools and in the evening we can catch an Oneonta Tigers game if it doesn't get rained out. To get from Oneonta to Cooperstown we will follow CR 33, CR 35 and NYS 7. We'll stay in the First United Methodist Church.

Friday - Oneonta to 4H Camp Shankitunk - 31 miles
To avoid the rigors of Franklin Mtn we'll follow Main St, Old Southside Drive, NYS 23, CR 11, CR 10, Elk Creek Rd, NYS 10, Delhi - S. Kortright Rd, Delaware Ave, NYS 28 and Back River Rd to reach camp. If time permits and enough interest is shown a guided tour of the Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith is possible. We will arrive at camp before 5 PM and all campers must be picked up before 7 PM Friday evening.
.........................................................Total -163 miles
The camp phone number is 607-746-2004. If you must contact a camper during the trip call camp and leave a message. Trip leaders will call daily to check for messages. Campers will write daily until Wednesday. They are not permitted to make phone calls except in emergencies. To get a brochure and camp application [applications for the bicycle trips must be postmarked by June 1 of the year that you wish to join us - brochures are usually available in March] write to:

4H Camp Shankitunk

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County

PO Box 184

Hamden NY 13782

Below is a map showing where the campers and leaders are from and also a very sketchy idea of the route. The map is a composite of images from http://maps.yahoo.com

near 4:00 pm July 7 on the lawn of the Hidden Inn, South Kortright Bicyle Bob recording

Roadkill says,"My butt hurts, and things stink around here - something died here." Cassie says," I see lots of farms - and here comes a tractor now."

About 5:15 pm Stamford Pool - group comments

The water was cold. Old people were asking about the bike trip.

About 6:00 pm Chris and Ann Leal's house in Stamford - Messy Jessy

I fell into a hole where there was a cut in the road for construction because some stupid cyclist passed me.

MONDAY - Stamford to West Fulton 32 miles
Breakfast in Stamford and then on the Catskill Scenic Trails Rail Trail to Grand Gorge. After a break in Grand Gorge along NYS 30 to Mine Kill St Pk for a swim. After the swim, a picnic lunch and some hill climbing to the Hayes residence near West Fulton. To reach the Hayes house we will turn off NYS 30 onto Bear Ladder Rd and then continue along CR 4 to their house.

9:50 am Monday July 8 Grand Gorge Jessy Messy

I feel very sick and wanted to go home because my head hurts, but I took tylenol. Cassie kept me up the whole night and took my PILLOW. But I'm fine now. I feel 20 times better. The rail trail was great.

9:58 July 8 Grand Gorge Tailspin Taylor

Last night we played bocci ball, guys vs girls, us guys clearly were beating the girls, but they had to cheat to stay close. It's all in the wrist.

July 8th, Sassy Cassie

I did not hardly get any sleep last night between the guys snoring and Jessie's snoring too. Then, in the morning the stupid crows were cawing. The rail trail was okay; it was funny due to Jessie's fall. We saw a fawn and a big deer. The scenery is the same (FARMS) and I saw a ZEBRA!

July 8th, "Missy" Spencer

We went on a rail trail. It was 7 miles long. Then Jessie fell and I slammed into her. The trail seemed longer than it was.

July 8th, Monday, Minekill St Pk Pool, Bicycle Bob

Summer sounds of splashing swimming and squealing kids. The weather is nice- the group is biking along nicely. Did the rail trail from Stamford to Grand Gorge- saw 3 or 4 walkers. One was a woman with a dog, two were women alone, and one man was working on cleaning brush away. Everyone climbed well up out of Grand Gorge. We stopped for the photo opp. Then we went on to the Minekill Falls- plenty of water roaring down through the falls. We walked to the bottom- the water looked clear but had a green tint to it. Have to keep an eye on the rack bolts - one of Vanessa's fell out but I saw it along the side of the road, picked it up and replaced it when we stopped at the parking area to walk down to the Falls. Some very nice photos of the trail and the falls that I found on the internet are below.

After a swim in the pool some people took nice long warm showers. For lunch we had peanut butter and jelly, homemade molasses cakes (made by Miss Radish and very good!!), cheese!, and mustard.

Chris and Ann were super last night. They had water boiling ready to make spaghetti, plus tossed salad and then some watermelon. We ate on the deck and heard music over the internet from an upstairs window.

July 8, Monday, Blenheim Gilboa Pumped Power Storage Visitor Center (around lunch) Ness

We started on this grass trail after lunch to avoid the hill back to route 30. It led us to the visitors center and Lansing Manor. The trail was OK at first until we all started to fall trying to get up the grassy hill. We were very glad to make it there alive!

Now get a load of this! This lady leading the tours at Lansing Manor must have been 80 or so. We thought the tour would be nice, but we walk in and this lady says one word like every 10 seconds. It was bad enough trying to understand, but then she skipped so much about the manor. What a lady! We were so glad to get out of that place. We thought she was going to die in our arms. I'm surprised she made it up the stairs. - Missy

After the visitors center, it was real windy, and fast. On route 30 we went down past the post office to the covered bridge in North Blenheim. It is the longest single span covered bridge in the world [at least that is what the sign says!]. We biked across it. We followed Bear Ladder Rd. to a stop sign by the West Fulton town highway garage. Jess, Taylor and Spence waited about 25 min for everyone to catch up.

Then we biked uphill to the West Fulton post office. We made it just in time to buy out this kid's lemonade. He was just setting up, and we bought all seven glasses and he was sold out. It was really refreshing after a long steep uphill climb. We wrote our daily postcards while we were there drinking the lemonade. - Tailspin

STATS:

Day 2

30.8 miles . on road 8am, off at 4pm.

1130 climbed.

10.0 mph average while rolling

July 8th, Missy Prissy a.k.a. Spencer

We rode 30 miles today. The rail trail was nice. I was going close to 40 mph down some of these hills on day 2. We're sleeping on the deck, except for the girls who get to sleep inside.

Don't even ask me about the name Missy Prissy. LOL (laugh out loud). There are like 5 dogs around where I am sleeping. These sheep had better not keep me up all night. They go baa-aa-aaa-aa for hours. We have a long day tomorrow so I am gonna stop writing. Peace out.

For dinner tonight we started with grapes first, then went on to cherries and bananas. Next came the water and chips. Then we moved along to the macaroni and cheese. We then managed to eat hamburgers and hotdogs. Next we stuffed ourselves with fresh corn and some soda filled to the top with ice. After another swim we ate some ice cream.

Tuesday - West Fulton to Cooperstown 46 miles
Rise and shine to cover the mileage along CR 4, NYS 10, NYS 165, CR 35, Pete Hendricks Rd., Fish Rd., Pink St. and CR 33 to Cooperstown. Lunch in Roseboom most probably. Perhaps a late afternoon swim at a park just outside the village of Cooperstown. Laundry in Cooperstown. We'll stay two nights at the Otsego County Cooperative Extension Service Center.

July 9th, Sassy Cassie

Umm, my butt hurts, and we went swimming. In the morning we ate homemade pancakes and sausage, with maple syrup.

July 8 Sap Bush Hollow Farm Tailspin Taylor

I was glad today ended when it did, I was a bit exhausted. The pool wasrefreshing for the first second, then it got freezing. It seemed like all the pools we went to were cold. The lemonade we had was very unexpected, but it was really refreshing.

-Cassie-

My butt hurts alot, I'm very tired of the hills and my chain fell off.

Tuesday 7/9 11 am on rt 10, just beyond Hyndsville Bicycle Bob

We sat on the cemetery lawn smelling the thyme and eating some fruit. The big downhill to Warnerville was fun. At the bottom Cassie biked right passed Jessie at the I 88 underpass and Jessie had to chase her down. The sky is overcast, we had a few rain drops. Word from my office is that storms are coming from Syracuse and from the west . We may get wet one way or the other. Jessie says, "I liked going down the big hill, I went like 38 mph."

Tuesday about 2:00 pm in Roseboom by Bob's General Store - Spencer

After Hyndsville we got on NYS 165 and there wasn't any place to get more water. Bob stopped and got some from some guys fixing a chimney near the Pattee's log cabin. Then we came to a huge 'guard rail' hill. Miss Radish and Taylor went back down the hill and helped Jess and Loch Ness with their bikes. They were happy for the help. After that the biking was better until the rain came. We didn't worry too much about it - we just pedaled hard to get to Roseboom.

We chilled in a garage and snacked on Ginger Snaps - first time for some of us. Bob called his office and got the weather report - the rain was supposed to end - but it as going to get cooler. We left Roseboom and went up a big hill and stopped to look across a field at a hop barn. Then we turned onto some dirt roads. That's where Cassie's rack fell off the back of her bike because a bolt fell out. After she biked off to catch up with people she crashed as she turned.

We got to Cooperstown about 5 pm - we were wet and cold. Miss Radish offered to let us have 'navy showers' we drank tea and ate the rest of the ginger snaps while we took turns using the shower. [Navy showers are hot water conserving showers. The plan is that you get everything set and get in the shower - turn it on and get wet. Turn off the shower and shampoo your hair and soap your body. Then turn the shower back on and rinse out the shampoo and rinse off the soap. Turn off the shower. In most homes, by the time you dry off and get out of the bathroom there will be enough hot water to serve the next person.]

After showers we went to the laundromat - then got pizza at Sal's while the clothes washed. The rain had stopped and we ate out on the deck.

July 9 Cemetery, Hydesville Messy Jessy

I do not like the hills, i like the downhill. my butt hurts.

July 9 Cemetery, Hydesville Sassy Cassie

I fell on the dirt, it really hurt, my bike rack fell off. I'm having a bad day

Wednesday - Cooperstown Museums 4 Miles
A day of rest and recuperation in Cooperstown. Museums in the morning and perhaps a swim in Otsego Lake in the afternoon.

July 10 Cooperstown Tailspin Taylor

Today was our day off. We slept in until 8. We checked out the baseball hall of fame, it was nice. then we wondered the streets of Cooperstown to shop. I can't wait to get back on my bike.

July 10 Cooperstown Vanessa

I had a great day visiting the museums [The National Baseball Hall of Fame and the Fenimore Art Museum]. They were very intersting even after I already been there. I really enjoyed the dinner we had, taco UM.

Wednesday MissyPrissy

It's our last night in Cooperstown and we're writing a thank you to the 4-H Extension Office. They let us use their room to sleep in. They gave us t-shirts and water bottle holders. I had to buy a new towel today, cause mine got really dirty. I also had to buy a pillow cause my head's been hurting when sleepin'. The hall of fame was cool. It was a fun day of resting from the biking.

Wednesday Messy Jessie

Today was great! We toured and we got to eat tacos at Miss Radish's with refried beans twice and fries at lunch. The shopping was fun. I still can't forget Cassie's fall when she coming around a curve and waving to us and saying "Hey Guys!" at all once except she fell and we had to get the bike off her.

Thursday - Cooperstown to Oneonta 28 miles
A beautiful easy ride following the downstream course of the Susquehanna River from its source in Cooperstown to Oneonta. In Oneonta we can swim in the city pools and in the evening we can catch an Oneonta Tigers game if it doesn't get rained out. To get from Oneonta to Cooperstown we will follow CR 33, CR 35 and NYS 7. We'll stay in the First United Methodist Church.

Thursday MissyPrissy

This was an easy 30 miles. Went real quick. The beer factory (Ommegang Brewery) was fun, but I couldn't drink any, damn. The chocolates were real good. I can't wait to swim.

Thursday Tailspin Taylor

The miles were really easy. The brewery was very interesting, too bad we couldn't taste, the chocolate was really good though.

Thursday Sassy Cassie

Todays riding was so easy... I think we should go right to Delhi...

I am soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo happy Amanda came!!!!

Thursday about 3:30 pm at the Wilber Park Pool in Oneonta, Bicycle Bob

The ride down from Cooperstown started out pretty cool, some might say cold. We took our time getting clear of Cooperstown to let the sun do its work. We stopped on Fair St to pick up our new co-leader Amanda Smithson. After introductions - she learned their names quickly - we were on our way. Well, we got on the bikes, but we stopped before we passed the end of Amanda's block The reason for our stop? To look at an ancient bicycle. A bronze 'bone shaker' type of bike with wooden spokes and wooden wheels and steel tires. It had the pedals attached to the axle of the front wheel like a child's tricycle. It was made in Paris in the 1870's and today it is in a case in the medical arts building across the street from Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. I should have taken a photo of the bike to put in the journal.

We rode for a short while and then stopped at the Iroquois Fairgrounds where the Junior Show will be starting this weekend. Nessa will be there showing two cows and I think six pigs, her sister will also be there showing six cows. It is a really big show and she explained a bit about it as she pointed out the different tents and areas of the fairgrounds. Good Luck next week Vanessa!

Next stop was the Ommegang Brewery where a young man was just carrying out the 'Open' flag. The young man was Orion Palmer who took this same bike trip with me back in 1991. He gave us a great tour of the brewery. We walked outside and had a look at some growing hop vines. Inside we sniffed hops and tasted other spices that go into these special Belgium beers, such as anise, cumin, orange, and about three others I can't name at the moment. During the tour Sassie and Roadkill took a few minutes to pet the brewery cat. Then Orion offered the campers samples of root beer, various mustards, pretzels and a chocolate spread that Tailspin liked so much he bought it. As we headed out one of the big wigs of the brewery asked me if I could help him find some people to organize a cyclocross event on the brewery grounds. I told him that I would speak to my friends in the Central New York Cycling Club and at Velosophy Bicycle Shop in Cooperstown. I scolded him for not having a poster of Eddy Merckx - the most famous racing cyclist in the world and a Belgian to boot - in the brewery. I promised I would come up with a Merckx poster if he would display it. I'll keep you posted with any developments along these lines.

The sun did its work and warmed us as we headed on toward Oneonta. Our next stop was a pizza break at the Alfresco's Italian Bistro in Oneonta. If you ever need a great slice of pizza - the kind that can fill the hole created by 25 miles of pedaling a loaded bicycle this is a great place. Hunger is the best sauce! It is also great for a fancier meal too, but the bike trip is on a pretty tight budget - so we had pizza and water - and bought soda later at a convenience store. The weather had warmed up enough so that we could eat outside, alfresco, if you please! On our way back through Neahwa Park we stopped for a second to look at the caboose where the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen was formed. Oneonta used to be a big railroad town. I should say BIG railroad town. The largest roundhouse, a building with a turntable for turning locomotives, in the world was built in Oneonta. It is no longer in existence. In fact, I don't recall any monument to its existence, but there is a monument to the labor movement in the form of the caboose in Neahwa Park. If you can't jump on your bike and cruise to Oneonta, but still crave a view of the caboose have a look at the photo below. I didn't take it. It wasn't as cold as these 4th graders look when we were there. Their trip is covered on the web at: Mrs. Brackett's 4th Grade - Walking Tour of Old Oneonta, 10-13-00 http://oneonta.k12.ny.us/gp/4B_walkingtour.html

A bike shop is often needed on a bike trip. Messy Jessy's bike wasn't shifting well so we turned to my first choice Oneonta bike shop for some help. SportTech - on Main St. has come to our rescue on a number of occasions. This time the problem with Jessy's shifting was apparent as soon as we put the bike on the bikestand. One of her bungee cords was clamping the rear derailleur cable against the seatstay. We moved the the bungee to a better location and everything was hunky dory.

Bike, eat, swim and sleep - that's how our bike trips run. Swimming was next on our schedule so we headed up to the City of Oneonta pool in Wilber Park. The pool is nearly deserted since it is still a cool day with nearly cloudless skies. Everybody takes a dip except for Amanda Panda - but she still goes in the pool area to watch everybody swim and dive. The lifeguards at this pool don't even let you splash - the campers still enjoyed their swim but felt a little cramped.

Here's a photo the Wilber pool from the 1999 bike trip. It hasn't changed much.

Thursday, July 11, 10 something PM at Bob's office on the SUNY Oneonta Campus - Amanda Panda

well, day 1 for me, but I think day 5 for everyone else. My butt is soon sore, too, though. I live on the same block as the state's oldest bicycle but had never seen it. Go figure. I leave the hospital clinic grateful to be on a modern rental from Velosophy.

The next appearance of a two-wheeled riding machine was in 1865,
when pedals were applied directly to the front wheel. This machine
was known as the velocipede ("fast foot"), but was popularly known
as the bone shaker, since it was also made entirely of wood, then
later with metal tires, and the combination of these with the
cobblestone roads of the day made for an extremely uncomfortable
ride. The bike that we saw had a metal frame, wooden hub and spokes, and metal tires.

They also became a fad, and indoor riding academies, similar
to roller rinks, could be found in large cities.

Next stop Brewery Ommegang. Again, close to home but never before explored. I am still not quite sure what the Passenger Pigeons had to do with brewing beer. But, the tour guide was friendly and knew Bob and we had a great tour. And great Belgium chocolate spread after. (again... what does chocolate spread have to do with brewing beer?? no complaints, though). I have learned that the beautiful countryside can only fully be appreciated with a sore neck and a sore butt. No scenic drive can compete with a ride. The farmland is truly beautiful. I wonder how sore everyone else must be. I was the designated "tail" of our train, so I got to watch everyone else's orange flags bob and sway. Cassie and Jessie and I had a good time talking, interrupted only by an aggressively friend Dalmation, that should have been tied up. The pizza slices (try the "white pie") were huge. (How big is their oven?)

The UMC Church that is hosting us overnight is beautiful and ivy covered. I am looking forward to tomorrow's adventure, though I am nervous about the aforementioned "mountain climb". wish me luck. til tomorrow... amanda panda

Friday - Oneonta to 4H Camp Shankitunk 31 miles
To avoid the rigors of Franklin Mtn we'll follow Main St., Old Southside Drive, CR 11, CR 10, Elk Creek Rd, CR 10, Delhi - S. Kortright Rd, Delaware Ave, NYS 28, Arbor Hill Rd and Back River Rd to reach camp. If time permits and enough interest is shown a guided tour of the Hanford Mills Museum in East Meredith is possible. We will arrive at camp before 5 PM and all campers must be picked up before 7 PM Friday evening.

YEA! I DID IT! I CYCLED 160 MILES AROUND NEW YORK!! oh wait... not quite.
YEA! I SURVIVED 6 DAYS OF CYCLING!! uh, yea, i did not really do that either. Okay, so I only came in for the last two days! I got to HEAR about the other four! AND I climbed up the hill NEXT to Franklin Mountain on a bike. And I got t coast down 10 miles of smooth sailing. boy I love going downhill. AND I learned what a sawmill actually does (hires nice old men to make broom handles). AND I got to know 6 awesome new people. Bob, Jessie, Cassie, Vanessa, Spencer, and Taylor: I had a fantastic time learning to cycle with you. Thank you for the Gatorade, sunscreen, gum, liquid chocolate, shampoo/soap, Burts Bees chapstick, and many great memories. (next time I will pack more thoroughly, I promise). I felt a real sense of accomplishment pulling back into camp (I kept thinking it MUST be just around THIS corner...). I can only imagine how proud of yourselves you must be to have logged on so many miles. What a great way to spend a week!
And what a great group of teenagers you are. I think you should keep in touch. Sharing the same jar of "liquid chocolate" sitting in a stranger's frontyard, who does not know you are there, after climbing a big hill on your bike gives you a special bond that few others can understand. Please (really) visit me when you next crank (or stumble) into Cooperstown.
I will be waiting for you.
Love, Amanda Smithson (65 Fair St, Cooperstown NY 13326... amandasmithson@stny.rr.com)

Read about more 4H Camp Shankitunk cycling at http://www.oneonta.edu/faculty/thomasrl/cycling.html

Learn more about 4H Camp Shankitunk at http://www.catskill.net/shankitunk/

To contact the creator of this page send email to Bob Thomas at BobThomas@escort.org

Page last updated July 14, 2002