Well the truth is that I am moving out of Rockland County, a suburb just north of New York City, into Brooklyn, NY starting June 1st. Hopefully, the move will be permanent. So with my last few days in the ‘burbs, I have wanted to take advantage of nature. While many will unfairly deplore the state of the nature in NYC, it is true that mountains, trees and dirt paths are somewhat lacking, so I hopped in my car and headed up to my friend and bandmember’s house in New Paltz, NY to take advantage of the spring, the sky and all that New Paltz has to offer.

0525091719a

I spend an inordinate amount of time in New Paltz, so it is likely to be a fairly constant addition to my Study Abroad section (along with Montreal and actual trips I plan on going on) but today I thought I would address the wonderful bike trail that runs through the outskirts of the little town.

The section of the trail that I took extended about 8 miles north to the town of Rosendale. Most of the trail is leafy, quiet, and made of gravel or dirt. It used to be an old railway (hence the name) and runs right past the semi-farm houses of New Paltz.

By far the best part of the trail was the end in Rosendale where one is led to a wooden bridge overlooking the town.

0525091506

0525091509a

From that vantage point,  with the wooden bridge and the mountains, the tranquility is nearly palpable.

0525091503b

0525091505a

I highly recommend biking down into Rosendale to the Rosendale Cafe which supports a very decent menu