So, some crazy driving throughout Upstate New York for us on this Saturday! It actually started out for Jill when she drove to Geneva for Mike's game there. Then, she drove back to Binghamton to pick me up, and we were off! Our race this weekend was through the rolling hills in and around Rhinebeck, New York. Yeah, right, rolling. In all, there was a 700 foot elevation change from start to finish on this half! Along the way though some beautiful scenery. Plus, the weather, although a little crisp, made for good running temps.
We arrived in Rhinebeck around 4:30 and went right to packet pickup. From there to the hotel where we stayed the night on Saturday, that being the Hampton Inn Kingston. Very nice staff, very nice accomodations as well!
After checking in to the hotel, we went across the street to the mall that was there and wandered around for a while to kill some time. For our pre-race carb up dinner, we chose La Florentina which came very well recommended by the reviewers on Yelp. The food did not disappoint at all - the food we got was very good. The service/waitress was terrible. Did not bring us the puffy bread that is their signature item, did not come back to see how our dinners were, did not come back to ask us if we wanted more to drink. Add all that up, and you can check this place off of the list as we won't go back.
Sunday, race day, went well. As I said, LOTS of hills which really put Jill and I through our paces. On top of that, Jill had her ongoing foot/pain issue to deal with. All in all, we were both pleased with our times all things considered.
After the race, we hopped in the car and made our way to Cortland. The Garmin took us along Route 28, and then Route 30, to get there, which afforded us the opportunity to see some pretty awesome scenery as for part of the drive the leaves were still full color. Along the route we hit a gas station/deli/store kind of place for lunch. We arrived in Cortland at JMM just before Mike's game started.
Harry Tony's was our choice for dinner after the game, with a well deserved couple of beers as well. We made the last leg of our crazy weekend journey back to Binghamton after dinner - with a quick stop at Tim Horton's before we got on the highway!
Rhinebeck and Cortland, New York
Saturday, October 22, 2011 - Sunday, October 23, 2011
Total Mileage: 374 Miles
Page Last Updated: October 27, 2011