September 7, 2021 - Douglaston, NY, to Wildwood State Park, NY
End: Wildwood State Park, NY
Miles: 76.2
Feet climbing per mile: 72
Record of the day's ride: https://ridewithgps.com/trips/74813071
This trip was my first time ever riding on Long Island and my first time camping since September of 2019 when I spent a night at Beaver Pond Campground about 50 miles from home. I initially created a fairly direct route to Wildwood State Park, but I realized it would be an unpleasant and dangerous ride due to the traffic. I then created a route that would stay as close as possible to the north shore. This increased the distance substantially, so I decided to take a Long Island Railroad train to Douglaston to shorten the distance and to avoid riding through congested areas.
I set my alarm for 7:00 so that I could catch the train that left from Penn Station (a half mile from me) at 7:55. But as I went to bed I thought that if I woke at 6:00 I would get up and catch the train that left at 7:01. I woke at 6:25 and was able to catch the earlier train because I had packed all my gear the night before my departure. I arrived at Douglaston at 7:30 and was on my way.
As I began to ride I was pleased with the good surface of the road, the minimal traffic, and the abundance of trees. I had done well taking the train to Douglaston to avoid the denser areas of Queens west of Douglastan. Although there was a substantial amount of climbing, all of the climbs were short and, for a while none required me to walk.
At mile 27.9 I stopped at the Cold Spring Plaza Delicatessen where I bought a Mountain Dew that I enjoyed while looking at the Cold Spring Harbor.
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| Cold Spring Harbor |
I often find hazards on the road large enough that I stop to remove them. This trip was no exception. At mile 28.7 I saw a large rock on the shoulder and moved it to the side.
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| The rock before I moved it to the side |
Whenever I see horses I almost always stop to say "hello". The horse shown below accommodated me by posing for a picture.
Many of the roads looked like the one in the picture below.
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| Sunken Meadow Road |
There were also some roads that were a little narrower, like the one shown below.
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| Breezy Hollow |
At mile mile 50 I wondered, "Where have all the horses gone?".
In Port Jefferson, East Broadway became so steep that I had to walk. As shown in the map below, I rerouted onto Thompson Street in order to avoid such a steep climb. I'm not sure the rerouting helped. There were a few other times throughout the day when I needed to walk because of the steepness of the climb.
At mile 53.8 I stopped to have a Mountain Dew. At mile 64 I stopped at McNulty's for ice cream. I ordered black raspberry truffle, which was quite disappointing. The black raspberry flavor was indistinct and the truffles consisted of hard milk-chocolate bits, most of which I discarded.
I arrived at Nik's Nook at mile 75.9 just before 5:30. I had hoped to eat dinner at Ruggero's Family Style Restaurant after setting up my tent and having a shower, shave, and change of clothes, but I had forgotten that they were not open on Tuesdays. Fortunately Nik's Nook was open until 6:00 and fortunately I had caught the train at 7:01 in the morning rather than 7:55. I had a Greek salad with chicken and a root beer while siting on the sidewalk in front of Nik's Nook (the tables and chairs had been put away). I also ordered a spanakopita to eat later that night.
I arrived at Wildwood State Park, just a half mile from Nik's Nook, at 6:30. While I waited for someone to return to the office to check me in, I used the outlets I found on the outside of the building to recharge my electronics. When I arrived at my campsite I was pleased to see that the previous campers at the site had left a rock for me to use as a hammer to drive my tent stakes.
I set up my tent in about 30 minutes despite not having been camping for two years and not practicing before leaving. I realized that I had not checked any of my camping gear while at home. Fortunately all the lines were good (although I need to replace the tent pole's elastic which has signs of wear), the air mattress and air pillow both held air, both sleeping bag liners were clean, and nothing smelled of mildew. I had chosen to leave my clothesline at home, which I realized was a mistake.
The camp sites were spacious and the campground was not full. I loved the sound of conversation of the families nearby, especially that of the kids. However I would have preferred that they follow the posted rule of quiet after 10:00. Twice after midnight I yelled from inside my tent, QUIET PLEASE!, which seemed to have no effect. My neighbors were finally quiet sometime after 1:00.
Next day: Wildwood State Park, NY, to Orient Point, NY, and Return
I guess it's not so simple for everybody.
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