Long Island, NY

On the advice of some trusted sources I decided I would hop the Long Island Sound and ride Long Island into the city instead of going through all of Connecticut. As soon as the ferry docked into Orient Point I knew I had made the right decision. Long Island is beautiful, full of vineyards and goat farms. I thought to myself that these are the roads that people must ride when they pay to go on a guided bike tour. I was still riding with Ryan but I told myself I would ride my own program from the start. It didn't really matter because Ryan was still recovering from yesterday's ride. After just a few short hours Ryan told me that he has decided to throw in the towel and catch a train home.

Riding with Ryan thought me a big lesson about touring or any big adventure for that matter. While it can be hard to do a big trip by yourself you should be really careful not to do a big adventure with just anyone. It takes the right person to be a good partner. You must be able to get along, have similar goals and skill levels, both should bring unique skills to the table, you should know your partners abilities so you can push them to their limits without pushing them over the edge. In short it's hard to find a really good partner but what I have discovered is that if that person (Adam Duce) can't make the trip you might be better off going at it alone.

My original plan was to camp on Long Island and wake up early so I could get through NYC as quickly and painlessly as possible. When I was on the East side of the island, amongst the farms and vineyards, I thought I would have no problem finding a place to through up a tent. As I got closer to the city the farms and vineyards turned into suburban sprawl. I began to panic, I needed to figure out a plan quick. I realized I needed to make it into the city and find a place to crash. I blasted everyone I knew with text messages trying to find a place to stay last minute. Luckily I have some great friends and family and found a place to stay. Now I just needed to navigate the concrete jungle of NYC to find Jack's apartment in Manhattan. Dodging taxi cabs and pedestrians I finally made it to the apartment. I was able to experience the joys of a fifth floor walk up with my bike and panniers, that was super fun, but I was relieved to have found a place to stay in the Big Apple.