A few mornings ago, I was driving on Rt. 84, and got off on the Port Jervis exit. I noticed the I Love New York circular heliport looking artwork in the grass on the side of the highway. As I have passed this a bunch of times, I’ve often remembered the I Love New York TV commercials from the 1970’s. This got me thinking (I know that’s dangerous).

After my appointment, I would drive back to Milford, get on my bike, ride through Montague, NJ, onto the highway, and take a picture with my bike, on the I Love NY sign. As luck would have it, Eric called, wanting to ride. So we met at Action Bikes and Outdoor, and off we went.

We left the shop, traversed Milford, and made our way over the Milford Bridge. We rode up Deckertown Turnpike, made a left onto New Road, and rode over to Clove Road. Turning right on Clove, we roller coastered for about 4.5 miles to Montague, and hung a left on Rt. 23. A mile down the road, we rode on the exit ramp against traffic to get up to the highway. After taking a few photos, I realized that this was a remarkably stupid idea. Not very well thought out. Will never do it again!

From there, we pedaled through the city of Port Jervis and up Rt. 97, made a right on Skyline Drive, and began the climb up to Point Peter. Skyline Drive is a steep climb for about 2.5 miles. Switchback after switchback, we kept ascending until we capped the mountain, and rode back down the other side for about a half mile to Point Peter.

Point Peter offers incredible panoramic views of Port Jervis, Matamoras, the Delaware River, and the High Point monument in New Jersey. After a few photos, we carefully slipped back down Skyline Drive. If you ever want to feel like the road was built especially for you, ride down Skyline Drive sometime. You’ll want to to ride back up just to descend it again!

Hang a right on Rt. 97, a mile later  make a sharp left on Sleepy Hollow Road for a recovery spin along the river and through the west end of Port Jervis. A right on Ferry Street and a quick left on River Road, along the Port Jervis Fitness Path, and back on the the Bridge. Once back in Pennsylvania, we hung a right off the bridge onto Delaware Drive, for a spin on the other side of the river.

A left on Avenue C and over to Mountain Avenue, to avoid Matamoras, and a right hand turn on Rt. 209/Rt. 6. Navigating a busy shopping district, we slid through and made our way back to Milford. Although the ride began very recklessly, the ride up and down Point Peter and the ride through west end made for a fantastic ride on a beautiful day!

What’s Playing: (What am I’m listening to while writing or what’s dancing around in my head while riding) Today –Harry Chapin – Greatest Stories Live