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The Call of the Bear, Bear Mountain

So my dreams tried to kill me last night.

In the first one I was in a brand new apartment building that was supported by the outer walls and had an open inside with a glass elevator that you could see all the way up or down from any floor.

I rushed to catch one and just made it with one other guy as the doors closed. Oddly I had to reach all the way down to the floor to push the down button.

The elevator started going down a few floors then abruptly slowed and stopped and headed up again. Near the top it again reversed but this time started moving quicker downward. I made a mental note not to worry and that everything would be fine, though I'd have to tell maintenance to shut the elevator down as soon as we got out.

Near the bottom of the building it tilted out from the bottom and started accelerating up and this time it passed the top floor and continued three stories before unhinging from the rails and sending us flying towards the roof. I awoke immediately.

In the second dream I was at a party on one of the piers on the west side of manhattan late at night. It was a pirate themed party with lots of docked ships and boats and free flowing rum. I decided that I was a bit bored and went out down the pier in my row boat. I was warned not to go too far or I would not be able to return.

As I coasted down the pier it got darker and darker and all I could see was the glow of two dull lanterns on either boardwalk. The mist turned to fog. I passed a skeleton in a boat who was standing guard. I realized at that point that I may have gone too far.

Again, not worried, I floated a little further and saw many dim lights coming into focus. There was a strong and visible current at the end of the pier where the river flowed. It was like rush hour traffic, filled with rowboats and ships piloted by skeletons.

I was pulled into the current amongst the dead.

Since I couldn't go back I tried to navigate my way towards a larger ship to explore by I was awoken by my alarm.

With this as a backdrop I got dressed, packed some food and drink, and headed out the door to face Bear Mountain.

I stepped right out into a thick, persistent fog which we almost never have in the city. Visibility was no more than 40 meters and I ran the lights on my bike to hopefully help cars to see me.

After passing through Brooklyn and Manhattan and began to cross the Hudson river I began to wonder if I wasn't actually dead. 40 miles later in Piermont, NY at 1pm the fog finally broke and I was greeted with sunlight.

Here are a few pictures taken from my Treo:

Fog in Prospect Park, Brooklyn

Thick fog on the Brooklyn Bridge

Manhattan obscured

Fog soup

Arches of the George Washington Bridge over the Hudson river leaving Manhattan

Most bikes that go up Bear Mountain are gas powered

A view from the top

The ride itself was the furthest I had traveled alone; 122 miles. There are a lot of hills on 9W both there and back but the actual Bear Mountain climb itself is pretty interesting. It is a constant uphill grind with some sections near the top steep enough that I had to stand to keep going in my lowest gear. If you can maintain 10mph it will only take you a half hour to reach the top. After you've gotten your fills of the scenery you'll be treated to a 10 minute uninterrupted ride down coasting between 40 and 50mph, which beats the pants off any carnival ride.

Today I am glad to be alive and fit.

Posted by Aaron R. Deutsch on October 6, 2007 09:11 PM