The People's Republic of Rosendale: Coffeeneuring Day 5

It's always a delight to pass through Rosendale, NY. Originally settled by Europeans in 1685, Rosendale was once home to a booming natural cement industry. While it's still possible to locate the old mines, the industry has long since moved away and artists now outnumber laborers on Rosendale's main street. My destination this afternoon was the beloved Alternative Baker, where I found the mixed berry scone and cup of black coffee quite a pleasant counterpoint to the crisp fall weather.

Location: Rosendale, NY
Venue: The Alternative Baker
Coffee: Black
Carbs: Mixed berry scone
Mileage: 24

Coffeeneuring in The People's Republic of Rosendale: Ride 6

A mixed berry scone compliments my hot coffee. 

Today the arctic winds swept in from Canada to give us all a little taste of winter, yet my new Rapha long sleeve jersey was more than adequate to the task of keeping me warm and toasty throughout my midday Coffeeneuring Challenge ride to The Alternative Baker. This great local bakery moved to (The People's Republic of) Rosendale several years ago from Kingston and the new location is much more suitable. Rosendale is a fun little Hudson Valley town filled with odd and interesting shops, galleries and restaurants. Directly across the street form the bakery, one finds the Rosendale Theater Collective, formed several years ago as a community-supported venture when the previous owners retired. Today's ride was short but refreshing.

Red cafe tables make the scene.

In the People's Republic of Rosendale, there's always something interesting nearby.

Ride 6 by the numbers: 22 miles, 1.75 hours, 1 cup of coffee and 1 mixed berry scone.

The Coffeeneuring Challenge: Cup #2

I was scheduled to ride in the VT Fall Classic 200K this weekend, but with the Rosh Hashanah holiday, family in from out of town, a pile of work to dig into and a forecast for steady rain and unseasonably cold temperatures, I opted to stay home and secure my October R-12 ride later in the month. Since I was keeping it local, I decided to spin over to the People's Republic of Rosendale to complete my Coffeeneuring Challenge ride for the weekend. The day began wet and cold, but the skies cleared around midday, so when I arrived at the Alternative Baker I was able to sit outside at one of the lovely sidewalk cafe tables and enjoy my coffee and mixed berry scone in style.

I love Rosendale for lots of reasons. The Rosendale Theater Collective, which was recently organized to take over a decaying local movie theater is one of them and the Alternative Baker, which recenlty moved here from Kingston, is another. Today's scone was spot on, but the coffee was nothing to write home about.

30 miles, mixed berry scone and a black coffee. Where will my coffeeneuring passion lead next? Stay tuned.