New York City is the city that never sleeps. We may have at least witnessed it yawning a little bit early this morning as we departed Brooklyn crossing the Williamsburg Bridge one last time into Manhattan. The hustle and bustle was nonexistent on the city roads with the only traffic really being on the main arteries going in and out of town.

It was very nice to see the night skyline one last time as we made our way to the Hudson Valley Trail section of the Empire State Trail. We joined the trail around the Holland Tunnel instead of going down to the start point at the Battery Park trailhead. The trail was essentially empty of all human traffic as we made our way north out of Manhattan.

The golden hour offered a stunning view of the George Washington Bridge as we could see it off in the distance from miles away as we rode up the waterfront. This trail is a jewel as it allowed us to stay really close to the Hudson River all the way through Manhattan.

At the George Washington Bridge, a very happy and energetic New Yorker with the iconic Brooklyn cycling hat offered us encouragement as he was very impressed with our trip. His smile was contagious and he put me in a great mood instantaneously.

We did have some street riding through The Bronx and then found ourselves back on a marvelous rail to trail section. We have truly enjoyed this wooded and scenic trail. I actually saw a live skunk this morning that was very close to the trail and luckily facing us head on as he raised his tail as we passed. A groundhog sighting was also a rare gift for me today.

We made a quick stop for a snack and coffee break at a convenient store and met three older cyclists enjoying a pit stop themselves. The one 78 year old cyclist was very inspirational as he rides 400 miles a week. They gave us some local information on what to expect coming up on the trail ahead like the beautiful bridge crossing the New Croton Reservoir.

Passing through Yorktown Heights we stopped at the Trailside Cafe and had a nice chicken panini and iced coffee. This cafe was set up specifically for cyclists on the Empire State Trail and it was a nice place to relax for a while.

As we continued north, we decided to make a last stop in Mahopac and relax in town. We found a perfect place in the public library overlooking Lake Mahopac to relax for the afternoon as we wait to move just out of town to find a place to wild camp just off the trail. Today was a very easy day of cycling and the miles went by so quickly it seemed.