June 18, 2020
This was our final day on our New York adventure and state number 39 on our challenge to ride 100 miles in all lower 48 states. It’s always an exciting day when we finish our 100 mile ride in a state and are able to add another sticker to our map.
This trail provided an awesome ride – starting at the southern end in Ithaca, it’s a steady grade for 8.5 miles to Taughannock Falls State Park near Trumansburg. It was a hot day but there was plenty of shade provided by the forest. We were high above Cayuga Lake but views were mostly obstructed by the trees.
The trail is named for the Black Diamond Express which ran from Buffalo to New York City not for the difficulty of the trail. The 8.5 mile steady climb was surprisingly easy and the ride down was out of the house fun!!
After finishing Black Diamond we still needed a few miles to finish our 100 so we biked the Ithaca Waterfront Trail. We enjoyed the smooth asphalt surface as well as the views of the city.
We did our “trailhead showers” and were off to spend the night at Buttonwood Grove Winery in Romulus. They were very welcoming and when the winery closed at 5:30 we were the only RV there. Quiet, serene evening and night – only 4 hour drive from home.
Beautiful end to our New York 100!!
Woo Hoooooo …another sticker reward for the US map in completion of New York. Well done!
Ain’t no pandemic gonna stop the Peterson’s !!!!
And if there is a parking competition somewhere, my money’s on you guys to take.the top billing! I can’t believe you nestled that GINORMOUS RV into a regular spot! Well, except for the back end extending over the grass, but really, I am impressed!
Thanks for.sharing some history of the trail and documenting your AWESOME ADVENTURE!!