In an Effort to Stay Distracted

West Point

So when I first started this blog, I was hoping to keep my personal life out of it. Well I'm breaking that rule today...

My boyfriend (of 3 years) is in the Army at West Point. I have been spoiled the past few summers in that I've had 3-5 whole consecutive weeks with him each year in-between his trainings. This summer, I'll be lucky to get a weekend, which is why I created a very extensive Summer To Do List.

I've spoken to many other girlfriends, fiancés, and wives that each have their own strategy in dealing with long distance, and those trainings/deployments where you have no communication at all. Everyone has their own strategy but the only one that has consistently worked for me is getting involved in activities where I can't use my phone/computer anyway! It keeps me busy and prevents me from constantly looking at my phone and/or staring at my computer screen wishing I could talk with the guy.

Peter is "in the field" for the next couple weeks, so I get very little (a few texts) to no communication with him. So yesterday and today I hopped on my bike to keep myself distracted! I also get to cross TWO things off my Summer To-Do list. Yesterday I rode to Coney Island and enjoyed a few hours of utter relaxation, other than constantly looking back and checking on my triple locked bike. Then today I biked to the Rockaways!

Summer To-Do List
Bike from Westhampton to Montauk
Visit Washington DC
Try Stand Up Paddle Boarding

Gorgeous Greenway dead-ends into Coney Island

Explore Governor's Island
Explore Roosevelt Island
See Kaaterskill Falls
Bike from my house to the Rockaways
Visit the NY Botanical Gardens
Bike the Manhattan Greenway Loop
Bike to 2 different beaches in 1 weekend
Explore St. Patrick's Cathedral and the Cathedral of St. John the Divine
Visit Grant's Tomb
Run the steps in Morningside Park
Try the Trapeze
Explore Greenwood Cemetery
Summit Mt. Taurus
Hike Breakneck Ridge and not break my neck
Explore all the Central Park sites

Greenway covered in sand

The ride to the Rockaways was a total of 30.5 miles (check out the route here). Although I didn't make it all the way to Far Rockaway like I originally planned, I did go all the way to Breezy Point before being turned around by some security guards :( . It was quite the adventure especially since I forgot to tape my pre-printed directions to my bike...

I ran into quite a bit of lingering damage from Hurricane Sandy. It's so easy to forget what a horrible storm it truly was, especially for those of us who were barely affected. There were abandoned homes, large debris, damaged roadways, and there was sand EVERYWHERE. Once I got onto the island there was no grass at all, all the yards were made of sand. The road was also covered, and a section of the greenway had turned into dunes. My right shoulder is bruised from carrying my not-so-light mountain bike 1/4 mile over the sand (calf workout...check!). Today and Yesterdays adventures were a great distraction, a much needed reality check, a fantastic workout, Oh and they were FREE!! Now I'll keep myself distracted the rest of the day by cleaning up all the sand that my bike and I trekked into the apartment, oops!

As close as I could get to the water while still
having a clear view of my bike at Coney Island

Manhattan in the distance on the Marine Parkway Bridge