Not Your Average Ferris Wheel: A bike ride at Copake Falls

Sunday, July 27, 2014

A bike ride at Copake Falls

We had one of the most exercise filled camping trips while at Copake Falls. We went on two hikes with beautiful destinations and an awesome 8-mile bike ride on a paved section of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail. We also went swimming at Ore Pit Pond and walked around the campground looking at all of the diverse sites. It's a cool campground, with mostly respectful people, and a lot to do within a few miles. However, there were some downsides - completely gross and dirty bathroom, a questionable stream that started near the bathroom, and a couple whose domestic dispute drew the ire of the DEP police.

Other than that though, it was a fun time. We did have a challenging day and a few rough nights. Mealtimes (a.k.a witching hours) are always the hardest when camping because you are out in the open trying to navigate and control little children who are just a mess from being hungry and/or tired. This is made worse when you yourself are also those things. Patience is hard to come by during those times. I end up feeling like a lousy mother and wondering: why are we putting ourselves through this? Why are we camping? I have to remind myself that it is getting us outside. It's forcing us outside. And camping is giving us the time to be together with no excuses.

The grossest bathroom ever. And seriously - who puts hand sanitizer NEXT to a sink???? Give me some freaking soap people!!!

It's a lot of fun eating with this cutie pie - that is until she starts throwing food everywhere and announcing "All duhn!"

Cole rocks at bike riding.

We rode through a timber wood rattlesnake habitat for about 2 miles (the timber wood is one of the most poionous in the northeast we later learned). I kept telling Cole to be careful and I'm the one who rode right next to one sunning himself on the trail! We didn't tell Cole until the next day.