First of all, great ride today, mud and all.

I checked out Google Earth and there is no paved road that takes you back to 9W without getting onto the Palisades Parkway unless you turn around and ride back down the road to the entrance to the observatory (the same way we came up to State Line Lookout).

However, there is a hiking trail that you can take through the woods from the Lookout that takes you to a walking bridge over the Palisades and onto 9W. It passes through the Women’s Federation Monument and seems to be the closest route from the top of State Line Lookout back to 9W without backtracking.

Any time you guys want to take another mud ride and try out the trail back to 9W, let me know. In fact, I’d like to repeat the same route we took today (505 to Bradley and Tweed to Nyack, back through Tallman State Park, through the Lamont-Doherty Observatory, up Old Route 9W to State Line Lookout) and try taking the trail past the Women’s Federation Monument, onto the walking bridge over the Palisades Parkway, and back to 9W.

I’ll post a message when I’m planning on doing it and if anyone else gets motivated to try it out, let me know as well.

Now I’ve got to start cleaning my bike…

- Rob R.