Wow, what a day! At 65 miles, the longest day on this year's CTHV. But also very eventful! Last night it never got below 75 degrees, and very humid. I slept OK, but it stayed humid through the day today, and up to 86 degrees. Plus strong sun a lot of the time. Very wearing! I started around 7:30. The first three miles were hilly, as we backtracked to the Wallkill Valley Rail Trail, right at the spot where we left the trail yesterday. We rode the rest of the trail, crossing the historic trail bridge over the Wallkill River. Then a quick transition on New Paltz streets to the Hudson Valley Rail Trail, where we rode 7 miles to the Walkway Over the Hudson, a modern marvel! The Walkway was created from the 1889 Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge, which carried trail traffic for almost 100 years. The Walkway now serves pedestrians and cyclists, with incredible views. Another purpose of the Walkway is to preserve the bridge structure. The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In Poughkeepsie, we joined the Dutches Rail Trail for 13 miles to the first rest stop in Hopewell Junction, at the Hopewell Depot Museum. The 1873 depot served passenger and freight traffic until 1974. Then we joined the Maybrook Trailway, a paved, smooth trail that follows the 1889 Maybrook Line railway, which carried freight until the 1970s. The Maybrook Trailway is remarkable. It runs through very rural country. But such smooth pavement! And so wide! Gentle hills. Lots of greenery and trees. Lots of interesting bridges, causeway, and even tunnels. We rode the Maybrook Trailway for 15 miles to the second rest stop. Those miles include a gentle climb over the Appalachian Mountains, with Whaley Lake near the summit. There were brief sprinkles not long after Hopewell. Then, before reaching Whaley Lake, I rode through about 15 minutes of steady rain. The temperature quickly went down to 75, and the rain felt great. I didn't put on any rain gear. My bike clothes and shoes got soaking wet. I'll put a fan on the sites overnight. The sun came out, and by the rest stop, my clothes were mostly dry. As were the three pairs of socks I pinned to the bike's rear rack to dry. Then back on the Maybrook Trailway to Carmel, where I stopped at Starbucks to get my morning coffee. Then Putnam Trailway for a few miles, crossing an impressive causeway over Middle Branch Reservoir. And then up the hill to Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park or campground tonight. It was a challenging ride, but in interesting ways!