After the trauma of getting onto Long Island and working our way through traffic on the BQE and LIE, we were welcomed with less traffic the further out the island we went.  After all, the length of the whole island is 118 miles.  That’s like driving from Dallas to Waco on I-35 for our friends in Texas.  But probably bumpier!   We were headed out to Wildwood State Park in Wading River, NY which is on the north shore about 2/3 of the distance out and close to the area where Long Island splits into North Fork and South Fork. 

So first the park.  It is a very nice place to camp as we have seen in other state parks on our trip.  The RVs are separated from the campers, and it is very quiet.  The area is wooded and near a beach on Long Island Sound.   And there are nice hiking trails around the park which we took advantage of several times. 

The town of Wading River is small and has a close relationship with the larger town of Riverhead located at the split in the fork.  Also, the area has many produce and flower farms and associated farm stands and kiosks that sell their products.  In addition, there are many vineyards and tasting rooms and huge sod farms with their huge sprinkler systems.  And there are some beautiful forests along the way.  Not quite the Long Island that I had envisioned. 

We stayed here longer than any other place so far.  As mentioned in the last report, we had problems with our leveler system again and had scheduled a mobile RV tech to come and investigate the issue.  So, the first day we stayed near the park and did catch up work while we waited for him to show up.  He came later than originally set but turned out to be very good.  He tested a few things, talked to the leveler manufacturer and to the RV manufacturer, and concluded that the pesky jack needed to be replaced!  He was requested to submit a cause and effect report and an estimate for the repair.  But he did not actually get it submitted until Monday morning. So, we will see what comes next.

The next day we were scheduled to drive back toward NYC to Huntington to visit a good high school friend of Gail’s and friends at a sailboat dealership that I know from working together at the boat shows. 

The first stop was at Coney’s Marine to see Kevin Coney, who had invited us to stay overnight in their yard with the RV. But the logistics made it clear that visiting with just the Jeep would be easier.  Their operation has been there for almost 50 years and is operated by the entire Coney family!  Much different from the dealership possibilities in Florida!  And they had just received their newest model, Jeanneau 350.  It was a fun and short visit, but it was so good to see everyone.

In the meantime, Gail’s friend, Vicky Jones, had driven in from Queens and was meeting us just a few blocks away for lunch.  Gail and Vicky had not seen each other in over 40 years and there was lot of catching up to do!

After lunch, the 3 of us planned to visit the Vanderbilt mansion and museum close by.  It was the home of William K. Vanderbilt II, one of the great grandsons of Commodore Cornelius Vanderbilt   and includes the home, a planetarium, a sea life museum, and a travel collection of items gathered by the family during their worldwide trips.  I could go on about the details, but the photos tell a lot about the exhibits and the grounds.

As for other sightseeing, we decided to drive into Riverhead and then up the north fork (or NOFO as they call it!).  The town has a nice river walk with sculpted pilings and other nautical/marine sculptures.  We also learned that while Benjamin Franklin was the Deputy Postmaster General in 1755, he marked out mile markers for the 30 miles from Riverhead to Orient along the Kings highway.

Gail found a great quilt shop and admired the kits that were available.  The owner told us that a tall ship was in the port of Greenport, and we decided to drive out to see it. 

The Spirit of Baltimore was there, and it was fun to see it up close.  And if we went that far, we decided to drive out to Orient Point at the end of NOFO to check out the Cross Sound Ferry operation that we were to take later to go from Long Island to Connecticut.  At the ferry crossing was the 30^th mile marker from Ben Franklin.

On the way back we stopped at the Horton Point Lighthouse commissioned in 1790 be George Washinton.  Nice drive and very informative.  Again lots of farms, vineyards, and vistas along the way.

The next day on the island was preplanned to drive to the end of the south fork out through the Hamptons and on to Montauk Lighthouse Park.  We went straight out to the end and spent time at the lighthouse including climbing to the top!  It is still an operating beacon and as such has special rules about visiting inside.  But the history and, of course, the view we fantastic and well worth the time. 

On the way back we decided to rub shoulders with the rich and famous.  At least that was the plan.  Having heard so much about the Hamptons in the news, in movies, in novels, and true stories, it was fun but not as expected.  We didn’t see any of the big estates or see any famous people.  But the “people” watching was still fun.  Locals and visitors alike were out strolling along the sidewalks in front of the big-name stores and shops.  We got a Starbucks coffee and sat on a bench and watched!  We were deciding who was there to shop and who was there to be seen.  And we had fun making up stories about why they were there. 

Our final day we did some shopping at the outlet mall and Home Depot.  We also stopped at one of the farm stands that we had passed multiple time.  Schmitt’s Farm stand was selling pirate corn.  A buck an ear! 

Finally, we were back at the RV and planning to leave the island the next day by the ferry.  We had picked the road to take after checking for low bridges and bumps and potholes!  We had enough of that to learn our lesson already!  So, it was on to the next adventure!