Day 3: Windsor Locks, Connecticut to Poughkeepsie, New York 90 miles, 5200 feet of elevation. Forecast for rain, thunderstorms, hail and a potential tornado.

All of us heard, read or saw the forecast for today from our ride leaders, from our various apps or from the meteorologists on every TV channel we surfed this morning.  As we loaded our gear in the van, the skies above were growing darker by the minute.  No one knew what was in store, but we all hoped for the best.

Somewhere up there, the cycling gods were smiling down on us.  As we talked about the weather over breakfast, we were rehearsing what to do and where to take shelter should the worst case scenarios come to pass.  Whether it was lightning or hail or a tornado warning, most if not all of us have gone through the drills of where to take cover and where NOT to be in the event of fiercely foul weather.

We rode through a lot of farmland today.  Some of the best shots were the vistas from high above the many hills we climbed.  However, I wasn't about to stop mid-climb to take those shots and, in truth, my phone seems to collapse the shots a bit so that beautiful, far away valleys and ridges seem to be crunched into the same space as the foreground.

The first piece of good news was  that the major storm cell approaching us veered off to the northeast.  Instead of heavy rains, we just got the clouds and some sprinkling of rain.  But a second storm cell, approaching from Scranton, Pennsylvania, was bearing down on us and expected to hit our area between noontime and 2 PM.  We were all glued to our latest favorite app, MyRadar, which seems to more accurately show the paths of storm cells better than the Weather Channel or AccuWeather apps (yes, available for both iPhone and Androids).

Third day, fourth state.  On the Cross Country Challenge, we could ride for almost a week and not leave a state.  Tomorrow, we'll hit Pennsylvania.

In between the clouds and light rain and the many hills, we road along very narrow state highways with little to no shoulder.  If we thought the impending weather might be uncomfortable, the anxiety of riding alongside big trucks took our minds off of the heavens above.

For years, we used to sell Cabernet Franc grapes to this vineyard for their Cab Franc wine.  Now we keep it for ourselves for our T'Jara Cabernet Franc and for blending in our other reds.

Along the way, we did get to experience something I haven't ridden on in quite awhile...a rail-to-trail hiking/biking system.  Today, we hit two of these trails.  The first was the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.  Parts of it were reminiscent of the Natchez Trace trail I rode on during my Mississippi River Ride four years ago.

A trail map of the Mid-Hudson area.  One of the things I realized as we've been riding through the Northeast -- between the buildings, cemeteries and churches, there are so many reminders of the Colonial and Revolutionary War eras of this region.  In two days, we'll be entering and I will spend the remainder of my ride though lands that remind us of the Civil War era.

About 15 miles before the end of the ride, the second storm cell arrived.  But, again, we got lucky.  Oh, we got drenched. But it was only rain.  No lightning, no thunder, no hail or worse.  As we later found out, that cell veered south.  To turn a phrase, lightning didn't strike twice :-)

Part of the Harlem Valley Rail Trail.  Smooth as silk.  No cars.  No trucks.  A 1-2% grade at most.  Excellent riding!

The second was the Dutchess (County) Rail Trail.  That led us into Poughkeepsie and our hotel for tonight.  However, had we continued on that trail, we would have hit the Hudson River.  That, as it turns out, is our treat for the beginning of tomorrow's ride...riding over the Walkway Over The Hudson.

After dinner, I walked down to the Hudson to take this shot of the bridge/walkway we'll ride over in the morning.