Ramblings from Moe Mountain

serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Some more

this is/was the way into the park by the train station on High st.
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a pathway along the stream that was once a large pond
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the play ground area looking at what used to be Hoffman La Roach plant
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the same water fountain is still there and operational.
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That's about it. Funny how things today look so much smaller now that I'm big.
Also what used to be great distances aren't so much now.
Is this in Clifton? I think I recognize a couple of places but they are in different parks if memory is not failing me...Vasser park maybe?
 

Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Is this in Clifton? I think I recognize a couple of places but they are in different parks if memory is not failing me...Vasser park maybe?
Nutley is right! On the edge of Clifton. Nichols Park is the name.
My fathers machine shop was in Clifton, Chelsie rd. It had a smokestack with our name DeMattia.
This is all that's left.
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serviceguy

Well-Known Member
Nutley is right! On the edge of Clifton. Nichols Park is the name.
My fathers machine shop was in Clifton, Chelsie rd. It had a smokestack with our name DeMattia.
This is all that's left.
Is that near the Summit Medical Group in Clifton? I still go there, always wondered what those letters on it meant, small world!
 

Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Did a nice hike on my local trails today. I haven’t hiked since January of last year. It’s just something I felt like doing today.
I have ridden these trails, but they have some tough spots that I can’t ride. So I walked it today, looking to see if there were
any spots that need work. All looked good except for one spot with a tree across it. Some people ride over it I see, so it’s not
something I’d change. I don’t like it, but others do. Don’t want to sanitize the trails! It was 2 ¼ miles and about a hour and a half.
Tired me out, but everything went well. I used to love hiking until I had some issues with tendons and muscles giving out.
Maybe I’ll do some more, easy does it though.

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Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Wow! That was a cool adventure. I rode Paradise road which is off Clinton road and goes up through Watershed land.
I rode this years ago two times, once I made it to Henderson road and turned around and came back.
The other time I was Geocaching and only went part way up Paradise.
Today my intention was to go all the way to Henderson and see if it goes through to any main roads.
Paradise is quite an adventure in itself, I think it used to be a real road years ago, but like many things
it fell into disrepair and became a disaster. Now a days nothing can travel it except the best 4 wheel drive vehicles.
Huge puddles that are deep and take up the whole road, so much so that trails have been cut around them through the woods.
Rocky washed out climbs around every turn. Slippery old time woods black mud that easily spins your tires.
It’s only about four miles of this, but it’s relentless. The kind of ride that makes me say, I’m not coming back this way, no matter what,
there has to be a way through this and out to main roads again. There are plenty of off trails waiting to explore,
but I’m sure whatever you choose, you’ll be coming back because they’ll dead end.
When I started out it was snowing, but soon turned to a light rain, then back to snow.
There were many uphill, rocky spots I got bounced off track, lost my line, and had to dismount and walk.
I was holding a good line and then it would disappear and go to total rock garden.
Steep hills too. About half way through I met up with three side by side quads. Pleasant guys out for a good ride.
One said “hay, that’s one of those e-bike’s ain’t it?” I said yup, and you got one of those gas powered things, right?
Yup, we both laughed. I said, but I’m workin’ a lot harder than you guys!
Well, I made it to Henderson rd, which wasn’t any better than the Paradise rd I just came off of. I stuck with it and eventually
it started to turn into a real gravel road, and then some houses! Nice! Civilization! I came upon some guys by their truck and
asked where this took me. They said Canister road and then rt 23. Great, now I know where I am. So off I went on tarmac finally.
Made it out to the hi-way and headed south to Jimmy G’s bar along the hi-way. Pulled in for a beer and then back on the road to finish up.
Funny, my bike computer said I was doing 42 mph on the hi-way down hill, but my Garmin Strava said my max speed was only 24 mph.
Modern technology just can’t get this shit right, can it? Headed back across the hi-way to Paradise rd, and back to the start.
Now it started sleeting, to the point I had to squint my eyes to even see. Said I rode just under twelve miles, felt like twice that!

a party place out by Buckabear pond
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Paradise
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some quads
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finally, a beer
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almost back to the start
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snow, sleet
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Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
I really over did this afternoon ride. I did my usual early morning ride of ten miles,
got back home to regroup and do my road ride to my club meeting in Pine Island, NY.
Everything was going great and I was right on schedule, that doesn’t usually happen!
It should be a 45 minute ride on nice country roads to my club meeting, and it was just that.
A great ride with only 3 cars passing me on the deserted roads.
The meeting is at the American Legion hall, we usually meet outside in the pavilion,
but with the cold they allow us inside at the bar. Meetings are at 11AM, bars not open. Except today,
The person behind the bar was asking who wanted what to drink! Of coarse I went for the double Jack & Coke,
good start to the meeting. It was a short meeting and we broke up around 11:30. Just in time as I finished my drink.
Back on the road I was peddling along and it was such a fine day I decided to take the long way back and explore a little.
The usual ride is about six miles out and six back. I was having such a good time and my legs were holding out,
I squeezed out an 18.5 ride. Now for lunch & a nap.

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meeting time
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nice old cemetery and fencing in Amity NY
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This truck ain't goin anywhere soon
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A remote part of Wawayanda park, AT and all
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my turn around point
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Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Today I had to go for my hearing aid servicing in Warwick, NY. I’ve ridden this once before and it’s a nice road ride, about ten miles.
So I left at 9:15, planning to arrive at 10. Temp was an OK at about 27°. What I hadn’t counted on were the road conditions.
It was snowing pretty good when I left. I even had to pull over to put sunglasses on because of the painful precipitation on my eyeballs.
It’s all back roads to my appointment, which I like, but with today’s snow it was challenging, including black ice, and snow covered icy puddles along roadside.
I’m glad there isn’t much traffic on these roads that I have to watch out for, although they might have cleared the way for me, I don’t know.
Got to my destination without mishap. Did my servicing and was back on the road towards home. I decided on a little side trip to the
Diner in West Milford for lunch. My friend owns the motorcycle shop across the street and I figured he’d be hungry too. So I got us a
grilled cheese on rye and onion rings, pickles, and cold slaw. This we will split as half is fine for me. A cheap lunch at $7.45 for the whole thing.
He was hungry, we ate, I left to make the climb up Warwick Tpk. And back home. A very nice ride and lunch doing about 21 miles, and 2000 ft elevation.

the road there
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The AT crosses this road
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Nice view before descending into Warwick town
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This is how workers park on these country roads! Can't imagine this working anywhere else!
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Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Something different today, I went to the West Morris Greenway for a ride. The website says ten miles and an out and back.
It was a little tough to find the trailhead. I arrived about seven AM and drove around a little, saw a park with dog walkers and stopped to ask.
This was the spot. The fellow said just go down that path and you’ll see a fork, stay right. I did that, but was disappointed to see the trail not
going the way I thought it would, I was confused with North and South. My Garmin set me straight and I was on my way. It’s a flat,
combination of cinders, gravel, and mud. I didn’t see anyone for the first five miles. When I got to 6.5 miles it put me on a road which seemed
to me the trail ended. I rode up and down the road looking for a continuation, but never found one. I headed back,
remembering an off trail to Black River something, up a very steep climb. So the plan was to try that. Great! Up and up I go,
thinking I can do this! Very steep. Maybe 400 feet long. I’m doing pretty good until I get to within about ten feet from the top,
when my heart and lungs are about to jump out of my chest! I had to quit, or die right there. I pushed the bike up the remaining ten feet
and rode on, following the trail. There was one cross trail, but I kept straight. Then it got smaller and narrower and brush covered
to the point it was only a 3 foot hole in the bushes. I turned and went back, thinking, now for the challenging downhill.
All went well and I was back on the West Morris Greenway heading back to my start, trying to catch my breath and hacking my brains
out after that killer climb. I had a fun time, even though I felt cheated that the trail ended at 6.5 miles. Now for a nap.

The start
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How old is that!
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Many trails
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Ends at a road, the river
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The uphill
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the uphill trail ends
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the down hill
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Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Today was one of those weird days! I was going to sleep in and not do my early morning ride because of the ice storm.
7AM I couldn't stand it any more, it wasn't raining that hard yet. So off I go to the park. Great the gates aren't locked and I can enter and ride.
Everything was iced over, I'm happy for the tire studs. After about five miles of road ride I figured I'd get thrown out soon as things were icing up.
That didn't happen and I got my second lap in making ten miles. Leaving the park the gates were closed with the chain around, but the lock was unlocked so I could swing the gate open and close it back up behind me. Great, got my ride in.
Next it was off to the Trek Store about thirty miles away for a repair. My E-bike battery is stuck in the frame and won't come out.
I've read that this is a known problem on some bikes because the lock mechanism needs readjusting, that's why I'm going back to Trek
They were very pleasant and asked if I could leave it. I said I'd rather not, it's a long ride. OK, we'll see how it goes.
There will be a labor charge to do this they say. I reply, well that stinks! On a bike that is not eight months old. Sorry they say.
I say, whatever it takes, I want it fixed. I waited around about an hour or more and then they said they need more time because
one of the screws won't come out and they might have to drill it out, and they don't have any replacement screws either.
Damn, I said OK, I'll go away. They said they would work on it the rest of the day and I could pick it up tomorrow. Fine.
I said give me the screw you need I might have one home, they said fine, but we have a pretty good assortment of screws ourselves.
So home I go. I DO have the screw they need, so I'll bring it with me tomorrow. I called Trek headquarters when I got home, just to
hear them confirm their shitty warranty policy. Surprise, they took the name of the Trek Store and told me "don't worry about it. we'll take care of it".
Good for me, huh? While driving home I decided to get two slices of pizza for lunch. Pull in the lot but the guy in front of me got the last parking spot.
I had to park away farther, got to the pizza store and there was the guy, buying the last two slices of pizza. I just laughed and left.
Hope they have my bike ready tomorrow.
 

Kaleidopete

Well-Known Member
Well it's been about a month since I wrote here. Lots of snow lately in Wawayanda which has been great fun.
I have other responsibilities in my life that are of importance to me, but I'm still bicycling every day, next week I'm
coming up on my 365 day bicycling streak. Yea bikes! My lower back pain is acting up again, been good for 20 years.
I'm not pushing my rides as much as I used to, just relaxing a little more and enjoying the ride.
Went to the Polish American Legion hall today to meet with friends. I'm surprised I could order a double Jack & Coke at
10:45 AM, thought they had noon time rules? The roads there and back were pretty crappy with ice and snow and slush,
but it was great getting out,

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Mtbdog

Well-Known Member
Well it's been about a month since I wrote here. Lots of snow lately in Wawayanda which has been great fun.
I have other responsibilities in my life that are of importance to me, but I'm still bicycling every day, next week I'm
coming up on my 365 day bicycling streak. Yea bikes! My lower back pain is acting up again, been good for 20 years.
I'm not pushing my rides as much as I used to, just relaxing a little more and enjoying the ride.
Went to the Polish American Legion hall today to meet with friends. I'm surprised I could order a double Jack & Coke at
10:45 AM, thought they had noon time rules? The roads there and back were pretty crappy with ice and snow and slush,
but it was great getting out,

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10:45am here= 3:45pm in Poland! 😉
Congrats on 365! Super job Big respect 👏
Hope your back isn't too bothersome, heal up quickly.
Keep on keeping on!👍🚵‍♂️🎈🎉🎊
 
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