Day 4 of our Montauk to Niagara ride, from Peekskill to Accord, in the foothills of the Catskills, was by far the most challenging to date. Those who never leave Long Island may be shocked to hear this, but there places in the rest of the world where the crust of the earth goes up and down and up and down - sometimes with shocking abruptness and regularity - as I discovered to my horror! Still, I "gutted it out" (sounds like a fishing term, no?) - sometimes (oh, Shame!) beside the bike as well as on top of it - and did finally (around 6:30) arrive at our final destination, the house in Accord of John's former college roommate Bob, his wife Aileen and their 5-year old son Jose. Click on the photo for more:

Day 3 started in Middle Village, Queens and ended in Peekskill, in the NW corner of Westchester County, right on the Hudson River. It was by far my best day so far. My bike was working, my legs were working, the route was lots of fun (not least because it was largely on designated bike roads. Dan Dunmire, a new friend from the Stony Brook UU Fellowship joined us this morning did today's ride and will ride with us tomorrow and Sunday as well. He is a nice guy and a welcome addition to our venture (IMHO).

Click on photo to go to today's album:
Michael, John, William and Dan

Montauk to Niagar Ride - Day 2: Miller Place to Middle Village, Queens
Today's ride took us from John's house in Miller Place through Nassau County to his nephew's house in Middle Village Queens. On the way we passed:
Right in front of the hall in Plainview where John and his wife, Lee, had their wedding reception
right in front of the Islamic Center of Long Island (whose members in 2003 kindly offered me and my ex, Zoila, a spot on their bus to Washington, DC to a rally protesting the Bush administrations plans to start a war in Iraq) and
within a block of the back gate to the apartment complex in Westbury where I lived from 2000-2008 (and through whose gate I wheeled my bike every morning and evening on my daily commute).

Tomorrow: on to Peekskill via the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Greenway.

Montauk to Niagara Ride, Day 1: Montauk to Miller Place
Hello, friends and blogfollowers: well, I survived day 1; not too much the worse for wear and tear. Slightly sunburned and with sore legs, but we did 81 miles today (according to John's odometer) - 7 more than planned due to scenic detours, so I feel pretty good all things considered. We were lucky to have four other riders accompanying us today: Greg & Michele Maggio and Alice Cialella - all fellow congregants at UUFSB and Rick Wagener, who works at Brookhaven Lab (and is a freind of Alice's). The photographic offering is going to be somewhat interesting - not to say amusing - since I was using a brand new Toshiba super mini video camera (that also snaps photos). Needless to say, I was a bit out of my depth for most of the day in the media dept. I'll share what I can and let you judge.

Click on photo to go to today's album:
Michele and Greg Maggio, John Morris, Alica Cialella, Michael Crowell

Well, today is the big day. Looks as though the weather gods are giving us good weather for our departure day, at least. I hope that's a good omen.

In my ideal world I think I would have allowed more time to train for this trip and more time to pack. I was at work until the usual time yesterday afternoon (about 6 pm), giving out data (more bad news!) from our second monthly press release. But then again, maybe some god is smiling on me. At least by not having much time to contemplate or sit worrying, I have not had a chance to give in to total panic at the enormity of the task ahead. I don't mean to be melodramatic, but it does seem a bit scary at this point in my life (age 50!) to take on my biggest ride to date. Just now questions - like: why only 11 days??!? to go 600 miles - are just hitting me.


Still, the process of preparing - mainly to or from my job in Hicksville to Ronkonkoma - 25 miles each way - has been fun, and I'm in better shape - and lighter! - than I've been in years. I think I'll just try to take it a mile at a time. I mean, to average 10 miles an hour on a bicycle is not that hard, right? A that rate most the days' routes on our trip will be done in less than the time I am usually at work. Piece of cake!

Anyhoo, I must leave now. My bike and all my gear is already in the car. I'm driving up to my fellow madman, John Morris,' house in Miller Place, 25 miles northeast, on the north shore of LI, where we'll load everything in his van and drive out to Montauk for the first day's ride - 75 miles which will only bring us back to where we started! I don't think John intentionally planned it this way, but it's like having a dry run built in as the first day of the ride. If I've forgotten any vital piece of equipment - or way overpacked - I'm not stuck living with that mistake for the next 11 days.