Two-Wheeled Expedition to Highland's Underground Coffee & Ales

The Ride

Opening the Beeline app on my phone, I plugged in Underground Coffee & Ales into the search bar.  After a couple of seconds, it had found the location, and I selected the compass rather than the fast or fun routes also offered by the app.  The arrow on my Beeline Moto 2 pointed north-northwest and indicated 36.1 miles as the crow flies to my destination on the other side.

Whenever my destination lies on the other side of a river like the Hudson, I need to ensure I’m heading toward a crossing.  The size of the Hudson River means the number of crossings is more limited, so I checked where the straight line crossed the river and found the closest bridge to that path, which is the Newburgh-Beacon Bridge.  I modified the route to include the middle of that bridge as a midpoint for the compass route and then hit ‘Go’ on the app.

The screen of my Beeline Moto 2 updated with my new, slightly closer next waypoint, indicating about 26 miles to the bridge crossing.  I pressed the power button on the right switchgear of the BMW R18 Classic, and the speedometer began its sweep, and the LED screen at the bottom came to life.  Pulling in the clutch (required to start an R18, whether in gear or not) and pressing the starter button resulted in the big boxer shaking to life with the characteristic rotation to the right.  The BMW R18 is filled with character, and I’d urge readers to give it a try… it is a truly unique motorcycle experience.

With a clunk, I put the bike into gear, and the low rumble of the motor began to pull the bike forward as I let out the clutch.  Heading north on Route 121 put me roughly in alignment with the compass heading, which was more northwest.  A left onto Route 138 got me heading west, crossing over Route 22, Interstate 684, and the Muscoot Reservoir before the road turned more to the north and joined with Route 100.

I took this toward the town of Somers and turned in front of the Elephant Hotel, originally built by the founder of the Bailey Circus (later joined with P.T. Barnum and then the Ringling Brothers).  Route 202 headed west, and I passed Bobo’s Cafe, previously featured on this site.    At the end of the road, I headed north, passing Lake Mahopac and searching for a road that matched the compass.

Hitchcock Hill Road looked promising, and the winding path leading up the hill seemed like a great find.  Unfortunately, the road turned into a private road called Golf Ridge Road, so I needed to backtrack toward Bullet Hole and then onto Peekskill Hollow Road, which sits in the notch between the hill I’d been on and Moose Hill on the other side.

The hollow leads to Route 301, one of the area’s best roads, but I’m only on it for a short while, turning onto Hortontown Road to lead me to the Taconic Parkway and then Interstate 84 so I can cross the bridge.

Across the bridge, I turn north onto Route 9W as the compass is pointing nearly due north.  9W isn’t the kind of road I’d intentionally pick.  It’s basically a strip-mall-laden major artery running parallel to the Hudson River.  With only 14 miles remaining to my destination and the arrow perfectly aligned with Route 9W, I begrudgingly took it.  Route 9W has a ton of stop lights, so I did have plenty of opportunities to enjoy the massive torque delivered by the 1803cc of BMW’s big boxer, so that was my consolation.

The downtown of Highland, NY, where the cafe is located, is just off of Route 9W, and I’d missed the initial turn, and there wasn’t a way to come at it from the other side once I turned around, as Route 9W became an elevated separate highway for a bit.  However, I was delighted as I followed the winding Milton Road to downtown and found a parking spot very close to the entrance of Underground Coffee & Ales.

Looking at Rever, it had recorded a route of 72.5 miles or roughly a 2:1 diversion ratio.  There weren’t really any direct paths available, and paired with a couple of backtracks, my total distance was longer than a typical ride for that compass distance.  See the route below.

REVER is a mobile app designed to help you track, plan, or navigate your ride. With the app, you can easily plan your route, view maps and directions, and track your distance using GPS technology. The app is an excellent tool for anyone who loves to ride and wants to keep track of their progress and distance.  Check out our full review of Rever.

The Coffee Shop

The tiny hamlet of Highland is located in the town of Lloyd, NY, just north of the Mid-Hudson Bridge, which spans the Hudson River from Poughkeepsie on the other side.  Lloyd was originally part of New Paltz, and still borders it at Swarte Kill, but in 1845, the state legislature made Lloyd its own town.

Franny Reese State Park sits on the Hudson right around where the bridge crosses to Poughkeepsie.  The property was an estate called Cedar Glen, built by a dentist named Charles Roberts in the mid-1800s.  The estate fell into disrepair as heirs fought over the property.  His oldest daughter, Frances, bid on and won control of the estate, which she maintained until she died in 1946. With her sisters being the only beneficiaries, as Frances had never married or had children, it was ironic that the property, so bitterly contested, returned to them.  However, they were unable to maintain their own properties or the estate, and the roof began leaking.  When those sisters died in 1958, the property sat abandoned and was stuck in surrogate court till it was bout in 1971.  By that time, all that remained of the estate were crumbling walls and rubble.  It was acquired by Scenic Hudson in 2003 and subsequently transferred to the state in 2009 to become a park.  Today, the park is named after an environmental preservationist, Franny Reese, who, while sharing the first name of the eldest daughter of the family that built the estate, has no relation.

The park features hiking trails throughout the property, offering great views of the Hudson & the remains of the once-grand estate can still be seen.  In many ways, Cedar Glen reflects the outcome of many of the grand estates all along the Hudson.  Massive wealth allowed their creation, yet they were no longer sustainable by their descendants, leaving the properties to either decay or be taken over by the state as museums and parks.

Part of the business district, the narrow streets are a nice juxtaposition to the main thoroughfare of Route 9W that led me here.  Worn wood floors, full windows over the entire entryway, a painted black tin room, and lots of wood around the back and sides of the bar and kitchen area give it a warm vibe.  It reminds me of several places in Brooklyn, NY, with a worn, reused aesthetic that evokes a nice feeling for a coffee shop. However, this is also an ale house with a wide selection of beers on tap for later excursions.  My visit was at the first thing in the morning, so coffee was the beverage of choice.

I was the only patron when I arrived, and the staff offered me to grab any seat & they’d be over in a moment.  I was handed a menu as the space has a full kitchen in the back.    Drip, americano, latte, cortado, flat white, cappuccino, chai latte, cinnamon fog, oat & honey, and Paris fog were available for beverages, with many options for food on the menu.  Within 10 minutes, other tables filled up with customers hoping to have breakfast.

Banana and berry pancakes paired with a Cortado

I chose a Cortado, which was served in a ceramic mug.  I also got the bananas and berry pancakes.  The pancakes were delicious—Fluffy with a sweet flavor from the berries.  The coffee paired well with the chocolate-like pancakes, making for an enjoyable breakfast.

While the path up Route 9W was a downside, the nearby Franny Reese State Park and the outstanding food and beverage options available from Underground Coffee and Ales make it a compelling choice for your next ride.