There are two things all 21 riders on the Bike Rides for Ordinary People trip to Warwick will remember. It was hot and there were hills. The heat was more consistent than the hills; it stayed hot all three days with perhaps just a bit of humidity drop in the last two days. The hills were inconsistent; some were up and others down. Some were long, others short. Some were gradual, other steep. In all, we got quite a bit of practice shifting gears!

After meeting up at Camp Kutz in Warwick, the early arrivers set out for dinner at the well thought of Russian restaurant. Unfortunately, it had closed since the last trip, so the group found a new eatery, a bistro, just a few doors down from the vacant one. A bottle of Australian wine helped everyone get to know each other and allowed a toast to a good weekend. The rest of the group arrived and found their thankfully air-conditioned rooms waiting. 

Saturday dawned hot and steamy. With a good breakfast of pancakes and eggs to tide us over, we began the challenge of getting down the hill. Camp Kutz sits a top a rather steep road in one direction and a longer, but also challenging groups of rolling hills in the other. Some braved the hill, including Bernie, who did it on her first trip on a tandem. Others chose to load the bikes into cars and drive down. Once tires and water bottles were filled, we (two tandems and 17 “regular” bikes) set off from the ShopRite parking lot for a day of adventure. We soon found ourselves in Pine Island (which is not an island) but is the heart of the black dirt region. The dirt is indeed very dark, great for growing onions, which we smelled in the air now and again.

The air was thick and we needed to stop periodically to be sure everyone was well- hydrated. After a welcome convenience store stop to re-supply, we set off in two groups for the Warwick Valley Winery. One took a more direct route, while the second tackled some bigger hills and screamed down the other side. We enjoyed cider and some hearty sandwiches before sampling and purchasing several cases of wine. Michelle arranged for the booty to be delivered to camp later in the day. Others used the break to rest and look at the rose bushes as music drifted from the main building.

We did get our chance to see the mythical silo on the way back to camp. The heat and hills took a lot of energy, but everyone made it back to camp under their own power. A few even road up the big hill! A festive dinner at 10 Railroad Ave. had people talking bikes, bike trips and other topics like upcoming weddings.

Sunday seemed a bit cooler and a few more people took the challenge of heading down the hill. This time a few more people rode down, this time taking the rolling side down to the Warwick Farmer’s Market, where we met the rest of the riders (1 tandem and 17 riders, two decided to used powered wheels to join the festivities). We picked up fancy breads, jams and pesto, along with some attractive radishes and quiches for lunch. The motored crew packed them up in a cooler and transported them to our lunch stop in SugarLoaf. We tackled more rolling hills on the way and enjoyed the shade and picnic tables near the general store. A tour of town tuned up an ice cream shop (complete with an air conditioned backroom, great for resting) an interesting dress shop and a photographer whose work is “must see.” I especially liked the work which depicted the same tree in each of the four seasons. A few more miles and we hit the Applewood Winery. Again, cider was a hit, though a few more bottles of wine made their way back, too. Again, a few riders had enough energy to climb the big hill even after a long day.  We had a low-key dinner at the Backyard Café after waving good-bye to those who needed to return to Boston. After so much activity, desert was high on everyone’s list! Monday was sunny and perhaps a bit cooler as we packed up bicycles and suitcases for a short morning ride. We stripped our beds, thanked our hosts at Camp Kutz and headed to Florida, the next town over. We parked where the local cycling clubs meet to do their rides (with some hundreds of riders, according to one fellow we met). We headed back out into the onion fields with a brief stop to fill up on water, Gatorade and chocolate milk and finally found what we sought: camels. The off the beaten path animal sanctuary is home to camels, an elephant, a miniature horse, many roosters, an emu, mules  and many animals we did not see. Explained one of the people who works there, about ten percent of the animals “work” in movies and TV to help pay the rent of the others. While certainly not a touristy place, the animals looked healthy and happy.

We headed back to our starting point to load up the bikes one last time for the rides home. While sad the short trip was over, we took home memories of onion fields, local wine, starry nights and a lot of cycling.

--- Adena Schutzberg

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