The North Fork Eastern Long Island

The Levis' denim jean line from early miner's model to the current 501, Long Island

The Long Island Sound from Iron Pier Beach, Aquebogue, Long Island

East End Arts Council Barn, Riverhead, Long Island 

The Big Duck Flanders, Long Island

Spring 2015 finally here.

Second Day of Spring 2015. The Peconic Bay finally defrosted 

Reeves Inlet from The Peconic Bay. The Osprey should be returning soon.

Two Week prior the Bay was frozen from the North Fork to the Hamptons.

You could skate or walk across the bay.

The last snow of winter 2014

 In anticipation of the snow storm of 2015

Sunday Club Rides

Yea, brothers and sisters, welcome to the flock of  SBRA open now your books to Revolutions, gear ratio 53:12. When Sunday morning rolls around you know it's time to pray to lord bicycle, and this is no false idol. Lord bicycle will get you 100 km down the road aided only by a breakfast burrito. Today's ride is rated a C, meek riders shall not grovel before the wheels of the strong, for they shall not be dropped.  Halleluiah! Amen!

2011-02-18 See The Seals

The weather warmed up this weekend. Took the opportunity to ride to Cupsogue Beach to say 'Hi' to the Seals that winter there. Its a short walk from the lot to the lookout. I don't recommend riding on the soft sand, though some cars did make it through.

Skinny Skis in New Hampshire

Cross Country Skiing is one way to stay fit for the bicycling season during the Winter, though it is not an easy affair. Particularly if there is a lot of wet percipitation, unless it's snow. Otherwise it's a weekend trip up North. New York City has had more than it's share this winter great for us. However the Northern ski areas recieved very little. Two days before our annual trip with the LIXCSC to Jackson, New Hampshire a large snow storm along the Northeast rescued our trip.

No Magnolia Muffins Ride

Wow, it's been a while since my last entry. I've been riding, but inexcusably not writing. So, I finally finished a Jeff ride and decided to write about it. I've caught several of his SBRA B-, and B rides before, though all while midway into, or just finishing my own ride. As I said, I finally finished this one. However I actually didn't start with the group. I met them midway, as I was late in getting to the meeting spot. Anyway, arguably the best part of any ride are the food stops. Though on a previous ride I threw my back out bending over to pick up one of those blueberry filled muffins. No, these muffins are not from the over rated Magnolia Bakery but from the local L.I. Briermere Farm .

Winter Riding

Winter has it's own beauty. However riding in 4-5 inches of snow creates a myriad of problems. Safety is the main problem. However Nordic Skiing is one of the best aerobic execises when bicycling is not possible and the best thing is there are no cars. We caught The 550 acre Muttontown Preserve on a cloudless morning after a heavy snow. Unfortunately it lasted only for a few days.

Country Roads

What a beautiful Saturday. Rode 4 miles to meet the SBRA group at the Riverhead Water Front. The good weather certainly accounted for the large group. Interestingly though can it also be the reason for so many polite drivers stopping at intersections to allow us to pass, and pleasent wait staff at the deli stop. Some SBRA ride leader named their ride a de-stress ride. After a week of rain and work stress this ride certainly qualifies. With a leisurely C pace, a timely stop for lunch and the company of SBRA members it was icing on the cake. However it was not 100% stress free, at least for one person. Halfway into the ride that member experienced a 'Wardrobe Malfunction', as their bicycling shorts decided to split apart exposing a full moon before lunch. I'm no bike snob but I'm one who believes in security and a new pair of shorts every season.

Tour de Jamesport

What a weekend of bicycling. Denis Mechov won The Giro d'Italia by a close margin. Lance Armstrong finished despite a broken collar bone. Inspired by their accomplishments I rode my version of the Giro, despite my flating at the beach fans waited patiencely to cheer me on.

Fat Tire To Mattituck

Memorial Day, the unofficial first day of Summer. Unofficial as it may be, it's the first long weekend of the warm weather season. I officially reset the odometer on my bicycle and my log entries. It's a method I've used over the years to gauge my century readiness. The rainy weekends have set my training schedule back. I decided to ride my fat tire bicycle which is usually reserved for used for cold temperature training. My logic may be wrong but the increased rolling resistance and heavier weight seems to make me work harder thereby increasing the training effect. My fat tire stats 42.8 Miles, Average Speed 11.5 MPH Max Speed 19.2 MPH.

The Lighthouse Ride

Eight o'clock, not the best weather to start my ride. The fog was so thick I couldn't see the steps to my deck. I decided to start later. I didn't want to be invivsible to some idiot driving their SUV while using a hand held cell phone. Though it's against the law, too many SUV owners treat traffic laws as suggestions. An hour later the fog finally lifted. Rolling smoothly out I rounded the bend over Meeting House Creek. If a picture is worth a thousand words. This is the biggest fishkill I have seen in 22 years. The Seagulls having gorged themselves were just bobing in the creek amid the dead fish. The DEC released a short memo saying it was a natural phenomena. Which reminds me of another natural phenomenal experienced last June. I'm glad this pehnomena didn't try to mate with me. As I sat unexplicably relaxed on a nearby bench staring transfixed by the site, and with the Horton Point Light House still 20 miles away, I started to make excuses to sit and relax. The weather was threatening. It was getting cold. As I was about to make up my mind a pack of riders passed by, I heard someone yell "alle, alle" urging me to join the peleton. I left the pack, more correctly they left me at mile ten. I continued alone on Sound Road, away from the Bay and warmed by the late sun, I clocked forty two miles round trip with an average speed of 17.3 MPH, and max speed 23MPH. Riding with a group is alway more motivating. I needed that motivation today.




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First Ride of 2009

Finally a dry Saturday. My first ride of 2009... correction my first ride out in the East End for 2009. I've been taking mostly short flat rides in the city. I chose to take a short loop of the 'Tank Hill' on Sound Shore Road. As I crested the hill a group of riders were comimg down in the opposite direction. The ride was pleasant with a short brake at the Beach for a view of the Long Island Sound. The ride back West was another story. The head wind was stronger than when I started out. Right now my legs are paying the price for cranking it up into the headwind.

My ride stats: average speed was 14.5 MPH, Distance was 20.1 Miles, Max Speed was 27.7 MPH, must have been on a downhill stretch.


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XC Ski Indian Island Park

After several disappointing weekends of poor snow conditions in the Adirondacks I decided to stay closer to home. The weather forcasters predicted snow accumulation in the East End to be more than up North. Though not ideal Indian State Park was a great change of scenery.




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Aquebogue and Jamesport

Out in the east end of Long Island the summer rental crowds are gone and everything seems to return to its bucolic state. The trees, compared to the Catskill Mountains are not as showy with their colors, the sandy beaches and the gold brown seagrass of the salt marshes all add to the tranquility. These photos were taken along my bicycle route from Aquebogue to Jamesport and Mattituck.

Bethpage State Park

This path runs from the middle of the Island in Bethpage to the south shore village of Massapequa New York, paralleling the southern section of the Nassau-Suffolk Greenbelt Trail. Despite the fact that it is in the heart of a densely populated area, it provides a quiet, bucolic environment that is rare in this part of the island. The northern starting point of the path is the Bethpage State Park picnic area.

Back To The East End

Back to the East End of Long Island this weekend, back to beaches, farms, vineyards and flat roads. The sun is setting earlier as winter is slowly but surly coming. Retuning later than expected from my ride I couldn't pass up the opportunity to capture the changing colors of the setting sun reflecting off the Peconic Bay. I paid the penality for stopping. My legs stiffened and my fingers numbed from the cold as I struggled to maintain a pace during the last few miles toward home. It's not too soon to plan for an alternative to my bicycling weekends. Door Number One or Door Number Two

North Fork Pumpkin Picking

It's mid Fall, as I bicycle pass the farms they are full of families with children picking pumpkins and losing each other in the tall corn stalk mazes. Most pumpkins are made into jack-o-lanterns and with stacks of hay and corn stalks used as decorations for halloween and the fall season.

Fall Farm Harvest

It's Fall out East, the farms stands are displaying their harvests. It's always a colorful and amazing display of what the land provides. My bicycle ride is always interupted in the morning by the smell of fresh baked doughnuts sprinkled with cinnamon sugar and in the afternoon by pumpkin pies and a glass of fresh squeezed apple cider at Wickham's Farm

Tour Of The Hamptons

The Tour of The Hamptons organized by The Massapequa Park Bicycle Club is a bicycle tour through the summer playground of New York's Rich and Shameless. The club offers tours from 25 miles up to a century.