What was I thinking? Monday and Tuesday were two of the hottest, sweatiest, most-energy sapping bike riding days I have experienced in a long time. Temperatures were consistently in the high eighties and low nineties, with high humidity to boot. The result was that I was way too exhausted on both days to even contemplate writing and posting a blog entry. So this Day 3 entry will have to suffice to cover Days 1 and 2 as well. Some might say that is a good thing - under the less is more theory (especially with my writing).
Days 1 and 2 were primarily spent getting through Long Island, which, as usual, was sort of a mixed bag. Day 1 was 73 miles, and got me to Port Jefferson, NY. Day 2 was 81 miles, the first 60 of which got me to the Orient Point ferry terminal at the very end of the North Fork, for a 17 mile ferry ride (don't worry, I didn't count it in my mileage totals) to New London, CT, from where I then continued 21 miles on to Stonington, CT.
I call it a mixed bag because, on the positive side, Long Island is pretty flat. But on the negative side, Long Island is pretty flat - and flat tends to be a bit dull. Plus riding through Nassau County just can't be redeemed. Too many malls and 4-lane roads with no shoulders. As I've mentioned in prior blogs, riding through Queens, however, is quite lovely, with lots of decent bike paths, both on roads and through parks. Suffolk County, once you get into the farmland, is also nicely scenic, with large sod farms, farm stands burgeoning with fresh vegetables and cut flowers, wineries with folks milling (and limos waiting) and glimpses of the bay and surrounding marshes.
Once in Connecticut, I enjoyed the cycling a bit more. I always get a thrill crossing the huge bridge out of New London into Groton over the Thames, but afterwards turning south and going by the General Dynamics submarine storage and repair area is also fascinating (if only for all the "photographing forbidden" signs) and pretty nice cycling on empty roads. And, after the New York Times story on Amazon as a work crucible the other day, I couldn't help but notice that at 4:00 p.m. sharp (actually, I had it as 3:58!), literally dozens of employees were streaming out of the General Dynamics buildings to go home (I noticed because I had to stop and let them all cross in the crosswalk ahead of me!).
What Connecticut giveth, it also taketh, though. I had to stay at an Americas Best Value Inn, which, quite frankly, is anything but (as compared to my Port Jefferson Airbnb, which was excellent). To boot, it advertised a free continental breakfast and not only did it not have that, but it did not even have coffee anywhere on the premises. And any reader of my prior blogs knows what that does to me. Fortunately, at dinner that night in Stonington (which was 2 miles away but I was able to get an Uber both ways - who knew? - apparently none of the locals, who told me it was at least a 30 to 45 minute wait for any cab, but my Ubers both arrived in less than 10 minutes - end of digression) they were able to give me coffee in a to go cup, which I was then able to microwave the next morning. Phew, crisis solved (or, more accurately, avoided).
Where was I? Right, I think I was up to Day 3, which I was looking forward to because it was a completely new route taking me north up to Providence and then down to Bristol, as opposed to south through Newport as I did in my prior Cape Cod routes. Plus (at least according to Google Maps, and we know that I've been hoisted on that particular petard before), it had not one, but two, amazingly long bike paths, one leading northeast into East Providence and then the other heading south along Providence Bay. About 25 to 30 miles worth in all.
Route-wise, it turned out to be a pretty good day. Both bike paths existed and were excellent, the East Bay bike path particularly so, with routes on causeways through the edges of Providence Bay and beautiful marshes and scenery all around. Roger-wise, the day was a little bit more mixed. It was still hot and humid, and I began sagging (energy-wise, not in a van, sheesh) after 50 miles. The full day was 68 miles, but the final leg of 15 miles, heading south, was into a pretty stiff headwind. So I arrived at my B&B pretty beat, but feeling good about the accomplishment and delighted to immediately spot a coffee maker in my room.
The routes, of course:
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