Bicycling the Bayonne Bridge

I have wanted to do this trip for a long time.  I recently saw an updated Bike Path Map of Staten Island and I noticed there was a large park area in Bayonne, NJ that looked intriguing.  Thoughtfully, that NJ bike path has now been removed in the new ONLINE version below by the NEW YORK publishers.

http://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/staten-island-bike-map/

 I highlighted it in red in a photo below.

Full disclosure. I have a fear of man made heights.  The reptile base of my brain subtly knows that this bridge was built by the lowest bidder, 75 years ago.  Still a great ride.  NOBODY EVER TOLD ME THE DETAIL YOU SEE BELOW, which is why I never did the ride till now.  About a 6 - 8 mile adventure.  Park in the Muni lot at Morningstar and Walker St as shown below.  Free.

Ride to the sidewalk as shown but THERE ARE NO SIGNS to get onto the bridge.  Like famous New Jersey signage, it is HEY, YA JUST GOTTA KNOW.  You will see reassuring Anti-Suicide signage all along the ride.  :)

You can ride most of the way up and down, but right around the peak part of the span you will want to walk your bike because the path is narrowest and we share it with pedestrians.

NOTE: At the end of the Bridge part of the ride, you must carry your bike down about 30 steps.  Not bad, but you must be in good shape to do this.  Horrible note #2: you must carry it back up at the end.  The bridge ride is about 2 miles, one way by itself.






Here is the destination.  After the bridge, it puts you on to W 4th St.  Make your way to the park at the waterfront.  We turned right at JFK Blvd, a major artery not far from the bridge.  Go to the water about three or four blocks more.   It is about a one mile ride through the park.  At the end of the park, you can do some creative navigation to get to 5th St.  There is a healthy industrial business here and lots of warehouses.  We ended up at the Windmill on 5th St, past the Cal Ripkin Ballpark.  That felt like the best place to turnaround as the roads got curvy with more traffic.

The view of the bridge from Mayor Collins Park.




















Hilarious, in that as you enter the park on the right corner, you may be greeted by a big Silcata Tortoise looking for handouts.  Bring kale.  Just kidding.  Seriously, tortoises love kale.

The Bayonne Wind Farm.
Enjoy,
JA

A Spider and a tale of two hikes on Staten Island

Perhaps not quite as hard as finding a Pygmy Seahorse in a haystack, but still a challenge.  Hiking Mount Moses on Staten Island over the weekend.  Part of our Greenbelt.  Ran into this tiny spider species I never saw before.  Mount Moses is one of the highest points in the city and makes a nice short hike especially on the evening of the full moon.  Play the game and try to find the spider.

http://johnares.photoshelter.com/gallery-image/INSECTS-SPIDERS/G0000_66n_J7qzp0/I0000iydkkdhnJk4

BONUS HIKE:  Egbertville Ravine.  This trail starts right where the car was parked near Meisner Road and Manor Road.  Happy Accident.

Staten Island: SERPENTINE COMMONS

Staten Island is a lot of things, and has many "Secret Places."  We discovered a place today that is a little gem.    It is called Serpentine Art and Nature Commons (SANC) .   It is not a city park, but privately owned.  Check the web link for more info in its fascinating history and wildlife opportunities.



























DETAILS:

Park near 589 Van Duzer Street.  The entrance is directly across the street through a door in a chain link fence.  The park is open from Dawn to Dusk.

• Class II hike.  Gain 225 feet in elevation.  Wear hiking shoes or sneaks.  Here is the map of the Serpentine Commons.  This may be the only one on the net. 

• Three trails, one is a the "9/10 of a mile" Orange trail with a spectacular view of NY Harbor and the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge.  The Red trail goes to Howard Avenue.  We did not do the Yellow Trail.
• Takes about an hour or so to do the Orange Trail loop.
• The entrance fools you.  There is no blaze and you think you need to go straight somehow.  WRONG  - MAKE A HARD LEFT and walk along the fence until you come up to the start of the ascent.

• Like anywhere in New York State, the state flower, POISON IVY is everywhere, so know your 100% ORGANIC, PURE AND ALL NATURAL TOXIC WEED.
• The Area is named for the SERPENTINE Rock formations in the area (see below)

• Enjoy the reward from the Orange Trail. - JA