50 Miles to Montauk And...

I didn't even see the Lighthouse

With the impending move and the (not-as-fun) Moving To-Do list building up, I decided to take a minute to reminisce about one of my favorite (and most difficult) trips from this fall.

Last summer/fall, much like now, I had a very extensive to do list. There were two items that I was incredibly excited for but also dreading... just a little bit. The first was a bike ride around Manhattan. It was a very long bike ride, and during the heat wave of all times.. but I was so glad I did it. The next item was biking from West Hampton to Montauk. It was going to be at least a 50 mile bike ride and I had read very mixed reviews about the bike "path" leading out there. Regardless, I really wanted to do it. It took quite a while to build up the courage but (as per usual) I impulsively woke up on Sunday, October 13th and decided to go! (See my route here)

The weather was absolutely perfect, and along the way I was greeted by an abundance of fall colors.

The ride was absolutely pristine... until I hit mile 35 and my legs gave out. I hadn't been riding as much in the weeks prior to this trip. I also must not have eaten correctly because I hit mile 35 and literally couldn't lift my legs to pedal. I pulled over to the side of the road and just sat there. I chugged water, ate a few cliff bars and waited... hoping that my muscles would recuperate. I had planned to bike all the way to the lighthouse and then back to the train station, which would have added 10 miles to the trip. Obviously... I didn't make it. The ride to the train station was absolutely agonizing despite the beautiful scenery. I also missed the train by about 10 minutes and had to sit and wait for 1 1/2 hours for the next train. Looking back, it's pretty humorous despite my discomfort in that moment.

If you've been keeping up with my NYC To-Do List. You'll see that "See the Montauk Lighthouse" is one of the items. I would absolutely love to do this ride again, but also decided it would be really nice to have a friend (maybe even a special guy) come with me out to Montauk. I have discovered that it is pretty difficult to convince my friends to go on a 50 mile bike ride, so I would be more than happy finding a friend who would take the train out there with me to explore.

I'm very, very ready for this snow to melt, and the salt to be rinsed away so I can get back out on my bike!

Until next time Montauk....

So close yet so far...