You finish this ride in the flat, busy heart of Bergen County, New Jersey, between Ridgefield, Moonachie and Little Ferry, only a few miles across the Hudson from Manhattan. The landscape is the Meadowlands, a huge tidal wetland along the Hackensack River that was for decades a dumping ground for trash and industry and has slowly been cleaned up. Today it is a strange mix: warehouses, highways, rail yards and an airport, alongside reed beds, mud flats and channels full of herons, egrets and ospreys.
The views are surprising. On a clear evening, the Manhattan skyline rises above the reeds to the east, glowing in the sunset, with the Empire State Building and the towers of Midtown sharp against the sky. To the south, MetLife Stadium, home of the Giants and the Jets, sits in the middle of the marshes. Teterboro Airport, one of the busiest private airports in the country, lies just north of Moonachie, and small jets drone low overhead all day.
Riding in is a matter of traffic and patience. The New Jersey Turnpike, Route 46 and a maze of local roads cross the area, with heavy trucks, tight merges and frequent potholes. Expect congestion at rush hour and around the stadium on game days. The lanes through the towns are lined with diners, delis and car dealerships, and every road seems to end at a traffic light. It is not scenic riding, but after the twisting roads of the Upper Delaware and the Hawk's Nest above the river, the sudden urban density has its own fascination.
Fuel, food and coffee are everywhere. Remember that in New Jersey an attendant pumps gas by law, so wait to be served. The area is famous for its diners, open long hours, where you can get breakfast at midnight and coffee refilled endlessly. Ridgefield and the neighbouring towns also have strong Korean communities, with excellent restaurants nearby in Palisades Park and Fort Lee.
For a last look at the river, ride a few minutes east to the top of the Palisades in Fort Lee or Edgewater, where the cliffs drop to the Hudson and the George Washington Bridge spans the water to Manhattan. It is a fine place to end a long day, with the lights coming on across the river.