New York pushes, and I push back

Thursday, 25 September: It was kind of a tough ride today. There was no direct route through the part of Connecticut I was in to the bridge over the Hudson that I needed to cross in New York. I spent the morning working my way through a bunch of quiet, lovely, but ridiculously hilly roads in a wooded part of southwestern Connecticut to get to a main road. Once I got there, it was both a relief and a bummer.

It was interesting to note how much the courtesy afforded me by the other vehicles on the road plummeted once I had rolled across the border into New York. There was a fairly clear demarcation.

Once again, I underestimated the distance to my intended camping spot, as well as my stamina on the hills. And the hills themselves. I saw a good spot to stealth camp, but I hadn't filled up my water, because I thought there would be more, you know, anything other than residences on this side of the Hudson. I rolled on until I reached a town that pretty much had nothing in it but a bunch of houses and a really big library that was open until nine! I went in and inquired about camping, and the nice girls who worked there couldn't think of anywhere close I could go. Since they were young and hip, I got a bit more assertive-- NY drivers are rubbing off on me!-- and asked if I could camp at the library. They said it was fine to set up behind the library, since I was planning to leave well before it opens again tomorrow. I thanked them, filled up my water in the bathroom, and set up. I even discovered an outlet on the backside of the building, so I was able to charge up my phone, since there was no sun today. Yup, I stole power from a library where I was allowed to camp for free. Take that, New York!