The Ride
With the first few days of clear roads after the seemingly endless snow this season, it was great to get back out on the BMW R1200GSA for today’s ride. It wouldn’t be a long ride as the Beeline compass indicated 22.6 miles as the crow flies to my destination on the other side of the Hudson River. See our article on discovering new roads with Beeline.
I knew it would make more sense to take the Tappan Zee Bridge… err, Mario Cuomo Bridge since that let out close to Piermont on the western edge of the river. As they lead to more populated portions of Westchester County on the eastern side of the river, I didn’t have high hopes for the roads and expected to hit a bit more densely packed roads.
I left Cross River, heading west on Route 35, which winds alongside the Cross River Reservoir. After crossing Interstate 684, I crossed the Croton River and turned southwest on Route 100. I passed the Muscoot Farm, now a county park that still has livestock, which provides an educational opportunity for people to see what farms in the area used to be like.
I turned west onto Route 118 as the Croton River turned west. This is a lovely road following the river toward the New Croton Reservoir. There is a small road following along the Gate House Bridge across the Croton River, which I take. The road is named Croton Dam Road as this was the original location of the Croton Dam to fill in the reservoir.
At the intersection of Aquaduct Street, I turn left onto that road, as it aligns better with the compass. Beyond here, Croton Dam Road becomes more of a dirt road. While on the GSA, I’d never tried Aquaduct Street, so I was keen to explore it.
The road climbs a small hill and then begins to parallel the Taconic State Parkway. It lets out at Kitchawan Road, a major four-lane road providing access to the IBM T.J. Watson Research Center from the Taconic State Parkway. I could see the entrance to the IBM facility directly across from me as I pulled up to Kitchawan Road. IBM has several facilities across Westchester, with its headquarters in nearby Armonk, NY.
Kitchawan Road, or Route 134, heads southwest along a gentle winding path. It crosses Route 9A, a highway section, and heads toward Ossining, NY. Ossining is home to Sing Sing Prison and First Village Coffee, which we’ve previously covered on the site.
I turn south onto Route 9, a main road passing through several small towns along the Hudson River. Fans of the Headless Horseman will recognize the village of Sleepy Hollow, home of the Sleepy Hollow Cemetary and the nearby Old Dutch Church and Burying Ground across the street from Philipsburg Manor. The church was featured in the Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and Katrina van Tassel’s real-life inspiration is buried there.
After passing through Tarrytown, I enter Interstate 287 across the Tappan Zee Bridge. On the far side of the Hudson River, I head south on Route 9W. Coming down from 9W, there is a steep descent to the ground level with several switchbacks. One passes an earlier train station for Piermont, but the line has been pulled up and is now a rail trail. The station I passed was built in 1873, though service ended in 1966.
I turn right onto Pierpont Place and find Bunbury’s Coffee Shop. Rever indicates I’ve traveled just 33.4 miles, though due to the town’s history, passing through Sleepy Hollow feels like a bit of time travel. See the route below.
