When you get days this beautiful, in November, if you have the time, you take advantage. This morning, I wanted to do as much leaf crunching as possible and decided a new route was in order. I got an idea to connect the Delaware State Forest to the McDade Trail.

I rolled out of the driveway and up through my community to the deer run the leads to Five Mile Meadow Road. With the hunters taking a day off from throwing beer cans out of their truck windows, the forest was super quiet today.

I made a right on Ben Bush Road, a viaduct created by the logging trucks, and floated to the bottom, then hung a left on Standing Stone Trail. Standing Stone dumps out on Silver Lake Road. I ripped through Little Mud Pond and jumped up to Flat Ridge Road for a four mile cruise along a pristine gravel road that runs parallel to the Burnt Mills snow mobile trail system.

A left hand turn took me up Bushkill Falls Road and into the Minisink Lake area for an out and back through Whitaker Trail. Back on Bushkill Falls Road, the roller coaster type road took me passed Bushkill Falls and down to and across Rt. 209 to the McDade Trail.

The McDade Trail is pretty flat from Bushkill to Dingmans Ferry. I entered about 1.5 miles from the Bushkill Boat Access and rode along the river for 14 miles. Most of the trail was covered by a thick layer of leaves. It was difficult with the sun glare and shade from the trees to pick up the trail as I wrapped around the twists and turns. But, that’s what made those miles fun.

I pedaled into Dingmans Falls, where I stashed a car and thought about what a beautiful ride this was. I know I could avoid most of Bushkill Falls Road by taking Raspberry Run and Minks Pond Road to Big Egypt Road and down across 209. Hopefully another warm Sunday affords me the opportunity.

What’s playing (what am I listening to while writing or what’s dancing around in my head while riding), today – The Marshall Tucker Band – Can’t You See