- --- Todd Hollritt <thollritt_@_yahoo.com> wrote: > Has anyone biked the former Erie Mailine from Goshen to Middletown? > What are the conditions like? Quite varied, mostly bad. My first problem was FINDING it to go west; I ended up taking West Main Street out to US 6 (thought I found it, but it was an old spur) and found a road that went back northeast, 6 1/2 Mile Station Road, which hit it. At that point, it's wide and clear. After the next cross road, though, it becomes heavily overgrown, including thorny stuff. Some is used by ATV's and the r-o-w is covered with large loose rock (I don't think it's ballast, but that kind) with lots of humps and bumps the rest of the way to the O&W. McVeigh Road parallels it part of the way into Middletown (as far as Dolson Town Road), then use the power line straight ahead. You may have to walk the bike, and be careful of hills - I took a bad spill there. Leaving Goshen, the roadbed goes through a senior citizen housing project and it's fenced at the far west end. I later learned from the Google satellite photo that it can be bypassed: take Grand Street northwest from the station area to Spring Street and turn left (west). Go about 600 feet and you should see a way back south to the roadbed. I did not come back this way so I don't know if it goes through a company's lot, etc, and it could be fenced... The New York photos that Google uses don't cover the area between Goshen and Middletown well; it's fuzzed in, as is one section near Middletown. > I know the Harriman to Goshen portion is great, completly cleared > and paved. Uphill all the way to Goshen though! Actually, it's somewhat downhill for the first five miles west of Monroe. I cruised out there at about 20 mph; my usual speed on flats is 15. Look at the Google and Teraserver satellite photos to see the line; it is visible as is much of the O&W. Take lots of water and snacks. A refreshment stand IS available east of Chester, but probably only Memorial Day - Labor Day. Let me know when you decide to go; I might want to join you. Gary R. Kazin DL&W Milepost R35.7 Rockaway, New Jersey __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com The Erie Lackawanna Mailing List Sponsored by the ELH&TS http://www.elhts.org ------------------------------
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