Level & Plumb: Tooling With Life's Imperfections: Love Note to the North Fork

There are probably over 100 towns on Long Island that I've not seen. And I call myself a native. Nesconset, Selden, Ronkonkoma. Nope. I overslept on the LIRR once and ended up in Speonk at 1am. I'd absolutely never heard of it before! I have not gone back. I guess no matter where we live, we get a bit provincial. I know all the exit #'s on the Long Island Expressway and the Northern State that get me where I need to be...but I get totally lost on Peninsula Blvd, Herricks Road, Sunrise Highway and the Southern State and Wantagh Parkways. I'm a North Shore girl and that extends to the North Fork. Nofo. You can have the Hamptons.

I headed out east to grab my kayak. I'm selling it to my realtor! My little orange boat splits it's time between Dad's place near the Peconic Bay, and here in L.I.C., at the Long Island City Community Boathouse. Til you've paddled in the East River up to the Bronx, out past Riker's Island, down to Governor's Island and back, you haven't fully experienced New York City! Crazy currents, passing ferries, towering skyline during daylight and at sunset, you feel as though you're sitting in the river, enveloped. And it's great for the arms.

Anyway, I'll save that for another blog post! I meant to write a little love note to the North Fork, as I will not be back there til Christmastime.

Rewind. I zipped out the LIE and Rt 25 East to pick up my kayak.

Rt 25, from the end of the LIE through Riverhead and beyond is very busy now, with every big box store imaginable, Tanger Outlet Mall, and chain hotels. It used to be a quaint ride. There are very few vestiges of the way things used to be. Riverhead RRRaceway's go-kart track and the Modern Snack Bar are still there, but not the field that for years had a "Pick Your Own Okra" sign.

So that I could say a proper "so long" to the Fork, I took the slow road back west to the LIE. Rt 48, or The North Road, parallels Rt 25, has fewer lights and is far less developed. I took some snaps along the 20 mile section from Southold to Riverhead to give you the flavor.