Wednesday, June 30, 2021

Hawk's Nest (Bushkill) 200K -- Course Notes (updated)

*** Update 1

Another pre-ride was conducted on 5 July by Chris Nadovich. Some small tweaks to the course were made as a result. The latest cuesheet is version 6 and the latest RWGPS route was modified 2021-07-5 10:53:38 EDT. Full information about this event, as well as online registration, is available on the Event Web Site.

The main change was to use Community Drive at mile 9.5 rather than the segment of US 209. This is the original routing. US 209 was used as a detour for a while (years!) as Community Drive was blocked by numerous tree falls. Now Community Drive is open again. There are a few potholes (not even half as bad as what you'll see on Old Minefield Rd). And it's quiet and pretty -- better than riding on US 209.  

Speaking of rough road, the very end of Railroad Ave -- the segment after the Pump Track -- is rougher than I remember it. The summer plant growth makes the exit at the yellow gateposts harder to see.  Keep a sharp eye for that exit or you will need to switch to a rail bike.
 

*** Original Post

On 6/19 a pre-ride of the Hawks Nest (Bushkill Approach) 200K route was completed by Bill Fisher and Gavin Biebuyck. The cue sheet is spot on with no corrections contemplated. Full information about this event, as well as online registration, is available on the Event Web Site.

Notes on services:

Services are rather limited for the first 60 miles. The Pickerel Inn General Store at mile 25 is open and has convenience store items which you can purchase after browsing their collection of live bait and ammo (spoiler alert, 30-06 shotgun shells are on sale). Sadly the 402 Café (Control 3) fell victim to Covid and appears to be permanently closed. The route organizer will have water and ice for riders.

Port Jervis is an open control with the excellent Riverside Creamery noted on the cue sheet. There is a slop sink in the bathroom of Riverside Creamery for convenient bottle refilling. If riders need additional provisions, Woogie’s Deli is 1 block off route at the corner of US209/Pike St. and King St.

Road Notes:

Traffic on SR402 from mile 24-39 is a little heavier than optimal but the shoulder is generally adequate. After enduring that stretch, riders will enjoy beautiful roads following Decker Creek and the Lackawaxen River.

The Climb to and after Eldred (Control 4) was as challenging as ever; fortunately both The Corner and Peck’s Market are open for business.

The Old Mine Climb at mile 110 has been made somewhat less painful with the recent repaving work. Unfortunately, the last few miles of Old Mine Rd. continues to deteriorate and is rapidly approaching the status of Old Minefield Rd.; be cautious while picking your way around the potholes as you return to the Water Gap.

For riders that have not crossed the I-80 bridge; after crossing under I-80, look to your left and you’ll see a hand rail marking the ramp up to the bridge. At the end of the handrail you’ll take a sharp left to proceed up the ramp and onto the bridge. 

The picture below shows the ramp on the left, which is in between the road you will be traveling (on the right) and Rt 80 (far left):

Ramp up to the I-80 Bridge

You will be facing on-coming traffic as you go across the bridge. This can be somewhat harrowing. It's a very long bridge, which is part of the Appalachian Trail.

 

Tuesday, June 8, 2021

Ride Report: Holiday Inn Hollywood 200K

Preliminary results for the inaugural running of the Holiday Inn Hollywood 200K brevet, have been posted on the PA Rando website.  Record high temperatures turned what should have been a cream-puff of a brevet (by PA standards) into a rather difficult affair, as only 6 of the 8 not-heat-acclimated starters finished under the time limit for a 75% completion rate. Congratulations to the finishers and chapeau to all who attempted this event in such hot weather. Please review the results and let me know if something doesn't agree with your recollections.  The results will be submitted to RUSA for certification later on and become final at that time. 

Adam Bowen was riding his first brevet ever. Welcome to randonneuring, Adam!

Daniel Cummings and Oleksiy Guslyakov were riding their first PA brevet. Congratulations on your excellent rides and welcome to Pennsylvania! 

Rando veterans Bob Torres and George Retseck also completed the course in good time. Kathleen Casner had some trouble with the heat and abandoned the brevet in Pineville. Her riding partner Scott Franzen abandoned with her out of comradeship.  

Kathleen and Scott broiled medium rare.

The New Hope control was staffed by yours truly. I found a lovely niche to set up on the side of the road in the shade by a creek.

Despite a helmet glowing red-hot from the record high temperatures, "What heat?" says first finisher Daniel Cummings, pausing for some water and V8 at the New Hope roadside control.

Volunteer Steve Schoenfelder did the pre-ride which involved some on-the-fly rerouting around invisible roads. Steve again went out on the course the day before the event to verify the continued existence of the war torn bridge in Wassergas. After getting up at 2AM Saturday to make coffee for the cranky organizer of the 600K (an event running in parallel with this 200), and after assisting him with the 4AM start of the 600K, Steve ran the start control for this 200, darted out onto the course to staff the Tabora control, and then darted back to the hotel to deal with the caterer of the 600K food and staff the finish for the 200. Steve also did a bunch of other stuff, too extensive to list.  Thanks Steve for your indefatigable support of PA Randonneurs. 

Monday, June 7, 2021

Ride Report: Philly - Pagoda - Pocono 600K

Preliminary results for the final and most epic ride in our ACP Super Randonneur series, the Philly - Pagoda - Pocono 600K brevet, have been posted on the PA Rando website.  The record high heat wilted a good portion of the field, as only 7 of the 12 not-heat-acclimated starters finished under the time limit for a 58% completion rate. Congratulations to the finishers and chapeau to all who attempted this very difficult event. Please review the results and let me know if something doesn't agree with your recollections.  The results will be submitted to RUSA for certification later on and become final at that time. 

Greg Keenan completed a Pennsylvania 600K brevet on a fixed gear, joining an elite club of very few riders who have accomplished this difficult task. 

This ride also completed Greg's sixth Pennsylvania SR series. Only Greg and Guy Harris have ridden six PA SR series. The only person with more PA SR awards is Bill Olsen who has ridden nine. Greg also rode the 400K and 300K fixed, so Greg still needs a fixed-gear 200K this year for a fixed gear SR. For some reason Greg thought the Pagoda 200K would be too hard on a fixie, so he rode that one freewheel. Really? 

If Greg rides a PA 200 fixed this year, he will unseat James Haddad as most recent fixed-gear PA SR badass. James did it in 2018. Records show that Guy Harris and Paul Searce did it in 2013. It's possible that Rick Carpenter also accomplished a fixie SR but Rick doesn't remember for sure and early PA Randonneuring records are spotty. The secret may be locked in ancient rando scrolls buried in the basement of Tom Rosenbauer's house.

Fixed gear fanatic and soon to be sinister nut recruit, Greg Keenan, finishes the PA 600. Volunteers Scott Franzen and Bill Olsen are his welcoming committee.
 

With their 600K finish, three other riders completed the PA SR series this year, albeit on freewheel bikes: Iwan Barankay (2), Vadim Gritsus (2), and newly minted Super Randonneur Brad Layman who was first finisher.

Also, a fifth rider Nicolaas Van Rhede van der Kloot who finished this 600K is still in the PA-SR hunt as he has completed the 300, 400, and 600K PA brevets in 2021 and just needs an PA 200 for his second Pennsylvania SR. He hopes to pick up a PA/ACP 200K later this year. 

Niccolaas is clearly crushed in disappointment upon learning that he doesn't yet qualify for a PA SR despite his achievement in finishing three of the hardest events in the PA rando menu. Just come back and do the Hawk's Nest 200, Nick --- you can ride it with Greg Keenan!

Gavin Biebuyck and Gert Schmitt completed the 600K as well, and are congratulated for their impressive efforts. They are missing a Pennsylvania 300 and/or 400 required for the SR, and these distances will not be offered again by PA in 2021.

Congratulations to these Super Randonneurs, 600K finishers, and all the riders attempting all or part of this difficult event series on any kind of bicycle.
 
And a super randonneur thanks to all the volunteers that made it possible. Volunteer support for this event was phenomenal.  As soon as they were able to speak coherently, the first words out of the mouths of finishing riders was how much they owed to the volunteers. Even the DNF-ing riders were expansive in their praise of the volunteers. With the excessive heat, the inherent difficulty of the course, and the remoteness of some parts of the route,  the volunteers made finishing possible for many, and survival possible for all.
 
Setup and registration at the Holiday Inn Express were handled by Steve Schoenfelder and yours truly, Chris Nadovich

Riders assemble for the start of the Philly-Pagoda-Pocono 600K brevet
 
The first volunteers that riders encountered on the course were the Rah-Rah Rocky Squad at the Rocky statue by the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Members of the squad included: CJ Arayata Woody Felice, Nick Manta, Ryan Stanis, Zack Rachell, Pat and Cece Gaffney, with their volunteer dog, Connie
 
The importance of volunteers at this location is not possible to overstate.  It's not the food and water they supply -- the riders are hardly depleted yet. Rather it's about the energy.  No other moment in this 600K has as much positive vibe, and the impulse of encouragement riders receive here needs to last them more than three hundred miles further.  It's like launching a moon rocket -- you need to give it a forceful shove at the start to be sure it's still moving forward at the end.   
 
Rider George Metzler chats with CJ Arayata at the Philadelphia control. In the background are cats of the Philly Rocky Rah-Rah Squad (PRRRS), and their only dog member, Connie.
 
 Volunteer CJ Arayata, after herding with the Philadelphia RRRS cats for a while at the Art Museum, went out solo to the Morlatton Village control to staff that location, ensuring that riders found their way to the SRT detour, and providing one last impulse of enthusiasm before the climb to the Pagoda ends the party. 
 
Vounteer CJ Arayata helps George and Vadim replenish at the Morlatton Village Control
 
CJ also snapped a bunch of pictures.
 
Bill Slabonik staffed the control in Fleetwood. This location is reached immediately after completing the Pagoda climb and the rolling transit of  the McNight pass through the Reading prong of mountains. The temperature was peaking and riders finally knew that the party was over. Bill was the first in a series of volunteers who helped riders in the battle they would wage against the siren song of quitting the ride. Unfortunately, there were two DNF casualties in Fleetwood and Bill unselfishly drove these lost souls back to the start finish. Thank you so much for your efforts, Bill!
 
 
Jan and Vadim thinking that the canoe might have been a better choice on this hot day.

The course segment Between Fleetwood and Wind Gap is generally flat and can be beautiful and invigorating to ride on a mild day. Unfortunately, the record heat turned the big-sky exposed farmland into a hellish furnace. The volunteer fireman in this course segment was none other than RBA emeritus Tom Rosenbauer, who roved the sun soaked land handing out ice socks, water, and words  of encouragement. Sadly, two more PA SR awards went up in flames here, the riders opting to return to the start by bike, using the cool, shady, D&L trail along the Lehigh.

Wind Gap is the gateway to a final course segment leading to the overnight. This final segment is, without a doubt, a supreme test of mental and physical endurance. There are several big climbs, countless small ones, and many long grinds through a remote area with little or no services.  Most riders do this segment entirely in the dark.  Despite these near insurmountable challenges, all the riders who crossed the mountain at Wind Gap successfully made it to the overnight. Their success is a testament to their will power and their strong legs, but it's also in no small part due to the volunteer efforts of Ed Bernasky who dashed here and there through that darkness,  maximizing every rider's chances of success. 
 
Ed had already helped out at both the Fleetwood and Wind Gap controls, but his real contribution was after midnight  in Promised Land, where the we-are-open-24-hours (but not in a row) Exxon control turned out to be shuttered. As one example of his fine o-dark-thirty volunteer work, Ed had been distributing tea to the riders and this turned out to be so popular and valuable that his supply emptied.  Worrying that Nick and Vadim would go without, Ed darted down to Hawley and back to have two teas waiting when the riders arrived at the service-less Promised Land control. 

4 AM tea delivery courtesy of volunteer Ed Bernasky

Ed shepherded six weary riders to the overnight at Pine Grove Cottages, where volunteers Andrew Mead and Jim Bondra did their best to rest and rejuvenate them. Juevos rancheros del Bondra with a side dish of mac-n-cheese smothered in salsa was washed down with Folgers. The coffee was made with real spring water by volunteer and 2AM coffee artisan Steve Shoenfelder, who helped the 600K several other ways, not to mention almost single-handedly running the simultaneous Holiday Inn Hollywood 200K brevet.
 
Jim Bondra, el burrito jefe at Pine Grove Cottages   
 
The six riders who arrived at the overnight cottages by bike, left the cottages by bike. Iwan and Brad were on the road 6:12 AM, Greg and Gert at 7:08, and Vadim and Nicholas left at 7:48. Andrew reports that Vadim spent exactly 2.0 hours at the control,  1.5 hours of that was sleep. He was the epitome of efficiency, going from snoring to pedaling in less than 20 minutes:
...it was amazingly efficient. He got up, toted his bag out, ate, filled bottles, and left.
RBA Andrew Mead admires rando efficiency experts Nick and Vadim departing the overnight control.
 
At this point in the story a flashback is needed.  It should be remembered that volunteer pre-rider Gavin Biebuyck a few days earlier also arrived and left the Pine Grove Cottages overnight by bicycle and completed the 600K practically solo. At the overnight Gavin had no support, no drop bag, no Juevos del Bondra, and no companionship. The other pre-rider, yours truly, fell prey to the sirens of Wind Gap and abandoned him almost a day earlier, so Gavin was on his own through that difficult segment. Doing a pre-ride alone and unsupported is a step up in difficulty for any course, but for this course it's a serious undertaking. Chapeau Gavin.
 
To be fair, there was some pre-ride support. Cottage owner Donna Grosso  did set out some fresh bagels, bananas, and instant coffee for us that Gavin was forced to take care of alone (glad to help buddy). Donna has been exceptionally accommodating to PA Randonneurs.
 
Pre-ride support also came from the Philadelphia Rah-Rah Rocky Squad, this time from members Iwan Barankay and Brad Layman who were waiting for us at the Rocky statue with coffee, bananas, jambon beurre sandwiches and my favorite pastry of all, sfogliatella. Thanks Iwan and Brad -- those hit the spot. 
 
Iwan and Brad, deliver sfogliatella, jambon beurre, and other essentials to 600K pre-riders.
 
Back to our story. For his day of event volunteer duty, Gavin Biebuyck staffed the control in Port Jervis, an important duty because the ice-cream shop control was closed. Ranging south on Old Mine Road and NPS615, Gavin provided all-important hydration to the riders as the temperature climbed into the mid 90s, helping them make it through another hot, isolated, and hilly course segment with few services -- a segment that ends with the one-two punch of climbs on Old Mine Rd and Millbrook Rd.  Somehow, all riders made it through this segment.
 
Greg and Gert at Gavin's doughnut control in Port Jervis

The penultimate control was staffed by Scott Franzen. With some forays up and down the nearby roads, Scott spent a lot of time in Blairstown administering first-aid and psychological counseling to six heat-exhausted bike riders. The route from Blairstown to the finish is relatively straightforward, without any significant climbs, but it is exposed to the sun with a lot of annoying car traffic. Riders wisely rested-up in Blairstown before the final push to Easton. 
 
For the finish and DNF arrivals, the hotel control in Easton was staffed Saturday by Steve Schoenfelder who also ran the 200K event on Saturday. It was staffed Sunday by myself and Bill Olsen. Bill, along with Tom Rosenbauer, helped with the final cleanup at the hotel. 
 

Newly minted Super Randonneur Brad Layman finishes the 600 in style.
 
Brad Layman writes...
A great start riding through Bucks and Montgomery Counties into Philly and then out the SRT to Reading. There was a nice fog in the early hours and it was very peaceful with little traffic. It was brutally hot from Fleetwood to Wind Gap. The second day started out beautifully before the brutal heat returned. For that, I was grateful that the second leg was under 200k.

Thank you to all of the support from the volunteers. It was extremely helpful to receive encouragement, ice water, and snacks at the staffed controls.

The PA SR Series was an incredible experience. I originally thought I would start with just the 200, but each time I completed one, I couldn't help but look forward to the next. Thank you for welcoming me to the club. Chris always organizes a scenic and carefully designed route, with a perfect balance of support and self-directed adventure. And thank you Iwan for helping me learn my way around randonneuring (still a lot to learn!).

Vadim Gritsus (from the city of Rando love) writes...

Only two weekends ago we were wishing for warm weather and I must say our wishes came through this weekend, and then some. This was truly an amazing event, a combination of fatigue, sleep deprivation, scorching heat and 15% climbs. What more can a rando wish for?!  This event made us truly reevaluate our strategies and certainly made us appreciate our volunteers even more!
 
Special thanks to Ed B who was making jasmine lavender green tea at four o'clock in the morning for two very cold rando guys trying to make it to a sleep control!  Speaking of temperatures, the range was from 50 to 97 in the span of less       
than 24 hours.
 
*An unexpected discovery: O’Doul’s alcohol free beer works wonders for hydration and electrolyte replacement. That certainly takes place of V-8 in my book.* 
 
Once again, many thanks to the organizers for making this potential disaster into yet another smooth experience 
Vadim with the Philly cats
 
Ed Bernasky writes...
Great job organizing [Andrew and Chris], excellent!

PA roads are not unlike those on PBP, old farm roads that inflict with a thousand cuts, none of which is particularly difficult but cumulatively extract a mental challenge that resides close to the core of randonneuring. It was my pleasure to see this courage up close. Canadensis to the Promised Land had to have been quite the test at 3 am. That 600K was one beast of a ride.

Again, great job putting this all together.
 
Our "Angel of the Promised Land", Ed Bernasky, isn't too worried about Iwan.
 

Iwan Barankay writes...

Let me start by thanking from the bottom of my heart all the volunteers who spent countless hours waiting in the heat or darkness to offer refreshments and moral support.  Being able to see a familiar face on the route and have them sit with you for a while was easily the best thing about this 600K. I can only imagine all the glorious chit-chat that happened on the volunteer sms feed.

Everyone who started this 600 was a hero in my book.  I was rather nervous about this 600 and barely slept the previous days and when I did I dreamed about the weather forecast. Shout out to the fixie-SR Greg Keenan! It takes a certain kind of insanity to come up with the idea to do the series on a fixie and special sort of sanity to complete it.  Congratulations also to Brad Layman for his first series. He only started randonneuring this spring and finished first in Easton on Sunday.  It goes to show that riding with a boombox gives you wings – being a supreme endurance athlete also helps. I look forward to many more accolades for him.

This time, allure libre meant how fast one can ride without collapsing from the heat.  The flat undulating stretch on Walpack Flatbrook was when my thermostat finally failed.  I stopped just before Old Mine to put my feet in the water under the bridge whilst a local showed up and waded into the water with his fishing rod. Rando romanticism at its finest. In Blairstown I thought I had suffered enough and just did not want to ride any further. I felt like we were cycling on Mercury. Scott sat with me patiently at that control and talking to Chris and texting with CJ helped me regain my wits. Plus two V8 and a prosciutto sandwich. And a Coke. And a Pepsi. And a coffee.

Also a very special thanks to you, Chris, for having the vision and perseverance to organize this SR series. Not so long ago it was not yet clear how this year would evolve and whether new strains would make vaccines ineffective but you were undeterred and just went for it, went over each route, cue by cue, hauled all the breakfast items from the storage, and drummed up volunteers. That is the difference between commentary and leadership.

 

Wednesday, June 2, 2021

Holiday Inn Hollywood 200K -- Course Notes

On 31 May a pre-ride of the Holiday Inn Hollywood 200K course was completed by Steve Schoenfelder. Based on his observations, the route has been updated. The latest cuesheet is version 6 and the latest RWGPS was last modified 2021-06-2 08:08:39 EDT. You will find these, along with other important information on the event web site

The following are some visual notes from the course:

Mile 9.1, bridge out on Lower Saucon Rd (view looking backward after crossing the bridge). You'd better hope that this bridge is still passable because the detour using Apple Rd and Alpine Dr has a big climb.
 

Mile 14.4 Knechts Covered Bridge:  the longitudinal boards have some big tire-eating gaps near the  entrance.  Please walk your bike across this bridge and the extra-bumpy Sherd's Mill bridge at mile 22.5.


Mile 28.7, W Schwenkmill Rd, metal grate bridge


Mile 61.5, mailbox control near Hollywood, hidden in shadows before the CVS. 



Mile 62.3, Pennypack Trail Entrance. This is a multi-use trail and can be crowded. Please be respectful of other trail users. Give wide berth to pedestrians, particularly those wearing sombreros.


Tuesday, June 1, 2021

Philly - Pagoda - Pocono 600K Course Notes (update 3)

*** Update 3

Gavin note:  the worst rail crossing he experienced - diagonal tracks with big ruts at about mile 278.5 on Masthope Plank Rd shortly after the RR  underpass before the Lackawaxen river crossing. Cuesheet version 12, RWGPS 2021-06-2 21:02:13 EDT.

*** Update 2

Drop bag service is available for one small bag brought to the 600K overnight control Pine Grove Cottages.  Make sure your name is clearly marked on the outside of your bag!

 

*** Update 1

Minor cue error in Blairstown, mile 342.4. Dale's Market is actually on the right. Latest cues are now version 11, RWGPS updated 2021-06-2 09:50:28 EDT

 

*** Original Post

On 31 May a pre-ride of the 600K course was completed by Gavin Biebuyck. Based on his observations, and the observations of several others who scouted parts of the course, the route has been updated. The latest cuesheet is version 10 and the latest RWGPS was last modified 2021-06-1 20:19:48 EDT.   You will find these, along with other important information on the event web site.

Note: some GPS units (e.g. Garmin) may not be able to handle the full course. You will need to split the route into three segments. Splitting at the Pagoda and the overnight control seems to work well.
The following are some important notes regarding the course.

mile 36.4 -- You will need to temporarily become a pedestrian to go straight across old US202 using the pedestrian crosswalk.  Then immediately return to the road.  Don't follow any bike trail yet.

mile 38.2 -- After crossing new US202, turn right onto the bike trail. To be precise, this is the multi-use trail off US202 to the left while heading south, not the "bike lane" physically on US202. The multi-use trail is generally nice, but it does require you to follow pedestrian rules at every crosswalk. Please use the buttons and follow the signals. Cars are generally sensitive to the presence of bikes at the crossings, but keep your eyes peeled.  

mile 49.3 -- This is easy to miss but otherwise simple. Basically you want to go straight on Knight Rd. They built a landscaped median to prevent cars from doing this. So you need to take the little connecting crosswalk through the grass berm TRO Knight Rd. 

To remain on Knight Rd
 

mile 65.5 -- You probably want to get on the Schuylkill Trail here at the Falls Bridge. Because of the high speed traffic on Kelly drive, it's generally safer to ride on the bike trail, but the trail is multi-use, which presents a different sort of hazard. Use your judgement for where to ride and be respectful to other users of the trail. Also, be careful entering or exiting the trail.

mile 70 -- Martin Luther King (MLK) Drive was under construction and may still be under construction the day of the 600. Fortunately, the bike path between MLK and the river has been recently paved and is very good to ride on. There's some confusion at the beginning and you may need to search for a safe place to enter the trail, but once you are on the trail, there you will stay till you reach the Falls Bridge. 

mile 113.6 -- The exit from the SRT to the Morlatton Village control is very easy to miss. There's a small interpretive sign with a map next to a narrow path on the left side of the trail. The map is pretty good to look at and will help you understand where you are headed. Follow the path and then go straight across the paved road following the unpaved road to the info control at the historic homes. When you return, backtracking from the control, you will turn right on Old Philadelpia Pike with the White Horse Inn on your left. Bear right again at River Bridge, and right onto 724. This 3 mile segment of 724 is necessary to avoid the trail bridge construction. Route 724 is PA Bike Route L here, and there is a reasonable shoulder (no worse than the 20 miles of NJ 519 you will ride tomorrow). Please do not take the illegal scramble route across the SRT construction.   

Leaving the SRT at Morlatton Village

mile 128.8 -- If you rode the Pagoda 200K you should recognize this spot as the place you joined the SRT after riding across downtown Reading. You had to walk up the grassy slope to the trail just before the painted bridges. This time you will be on the trail  and this location is a little harder to recognize. I always know I'm approaching Reading because after two tall bridges with beautiful views, the next Schuylkill River bridge has high metal sides that block any view -- as if nobody really wants to see the city of Reading. Shortly thereafter you cross the small painted bridges (which you can't see are painted) and the grassy slope to walk down will be immediately on your right.  If you find yourself with Reading Area Community College (RACC) to your right, you missed the exit.  

mile 132 -- I don't know who designed the bike lane on Skyline Drive, but it's problematic for a number of reasons, the worst of which is that it is usually filled with debris. While it may be safe enough for climbing at slow speed, it can be a real hazard when descending at higher speeds. Please consider riding as usual on the right side of the main road, especially on the fast descent.

mile 195 -- The section from Wind Gap to the overnight control will be ridden at night. The roads are dark, twisty, and narrow. Please bank enough time earlier in the brevet so you aren't pressured to ride faster than your guardian angel through this difficult section.  Be especially cautious of the descents, as there are many potholes. 

mile 262 -- Most will ride Beach Lake Hwy at night. This is a paved road but there are numerous potholes on the shoulder and some traffic. Please be very cautious here.  

mile 266.1 -- Adams Pond Rd is unpaved and has many potholes. If you are leaving the overnight before dawn, take extra care on this road.

mile 306 -- Railroad Ave in Port Jervis is probably the roughest road in the course. Skinny tire riders need to take it down a notch. 

mile 346 -- NJ 519 has narrow shoulders and fast traffic.