2005-06-18 92 miles bike ride

Last Saturday
I needed some sea breeze to stop pollen-allergy sneezing.
rode down flatbush ave
watching out for those cab livery minivans
that pick up passengers every other block.
11 miles to the bridge to the Rockaways.
once there I felt it was way too easy.
once there by the Atlantic coast
biking felt smooth.
nice asphalt - no traffic - wooden boardwalk.
Saw people trying to surf - just standing up on a board with no real waves.
what's the point after all?
Rockaway changes from suburban neat homes with front yard gardens to project housing and fried chicken restaurants.kept going east - about 160 blocks - I wanted to see what it looks like where it ends.
i felt I was starving -
forgot to eat or bring nature valley granola bars in my bag.
stopped for an egg and bacon sandwich.
the bagel store bakes their own in the back
the dough is soft and tender
just 2 dollar for a great bagel that in Manhattan I can find just at Ess-a-bagel
on 1st ave and 20th.
a little bridge from the Rockaway island to Long Island
a sign says $250 fine if you get caught riding the bike on it.
there is a cop car just there.
"welcome to Suffolk county" -
Atlantic beach.
there are many old men riding fancy expensive modern road bikes
Bianchi frames - titanium frames - carbon fiber frames.
from 3 to 8 thousand dollars.
I talk to one of these people -
trying to figure out the best way to long beach.
his fancy bike with the index shifters in the brakes.
20 MPH is the fastest he rides...
I wish we could swap - I wonder how fast I could go with a bike that weighs half than mine...
another 10 miles - I get to long beach
ride on the boardwalk - it is nice - there is a bike lane in the middle-
i keep a 19 MPH pace
and then I wonder if I can get all the way to Jones beach.
No one really knows how to get there by bike -
straight on there is only the highway - and I dont even have a map
turn left northbound
Long Island towns - lots of Irish pubs -
people drive differently than in nyc -
there are a lot of houses by inland canals -
most have a small boat in the backyard.
12 miles to the town that is the gateway to Robert moses park.
then it turns nice a bike lane - in the middle of the woods
wild rabbits and the smell of wild vegetation and flowers.
it lasts only 5 miles
"welcome to Jones beach".
the Godfather pt 2 -
the James Caan assassination by the toll booth.
shot just there a bunch of years ago.
can't bring the bike in -
not even walk it in -
so I lock it
buy a 3 dollar bottle of Gatorade -
take a few pictures
and get ready to ride back
wish there was a better way to Long Beach - but
suburban traffic is what I gotta face.
starving I find a pizza shop in Ocean City.
I get that pizza slice with the pasta on top.
never seen such a pizza in Italy - ever.
the guy that serves me looks sketchy and has a black eye.
the owner looks like an extra from the sopranos - and has tattoos that look like the kind you get when you spend time in the slammer.
I ask him if I can take is picture and he says no -
almost like I asked him if I could see his bank statement.
the sky by Rockaway beach looks amazing
dark gray clouds like a painting by Gerhard Richter.
I stop in Rhijs park just before the bridge back to brooklyn
people are doing cook outs and fat seagulls as large as turkeys wait aggressively for the left overs
once on flatbush ave
it feels so close to home.
my butt hurts and I wonder if I should buy a new better seat.
stop to drink some pineapple - ginger juice at some jamaican restaurant - actually
i am craving for some curry -
but I gotta go
I ride on utica ave
and by church avenue
there is this mobile church
a caribbean woman
is singing religious songs about salvation and immigration.
when I cross the williamsburg bridge
my odometers says
92 miles / 148.5 kilometers
my legs are just fine -
no cramps.
maybe i just want a fancier seat.
for now.