Intro Lesson:
Staten Island, the “forgotten borough,” is geographically much closer to NJ than the rest of NYC. But we didn’t forget! And it’s not too far for our intrepid crew–this trip completes our sweep!
Word of the Day: borough
Old English: burg = town, walled fortress
The boroughs function as fortresses around New York Harbor.
Staten Island:
That was a wet one! We made our way to Staten Island today in the pouring rain, but the Ruff Ryders were up for the challenge! Today we had Sebastian, Ethan, Steven, Ontus, and we also had Estuardo and Michael join us for their second ride to Staten Island this week! These two perfect attendees had so much fun the first time they wanted to ride again, and in doing so they both hit the 100 mile mark for the season!
Cappy led the way as we set out down the East River Esplanade, with leaders Justin, Dan, and Torin. The rain continued to come down hard for most of the ride downtown but began to clear up as we got to the Staten Island Ferry an hour ahead of schedule. Upon arriving at the ferry, we were sniffed by the bomb-dog and then headed to the loading dock where Dan gave the lesson and explained the history of Snug Harbor.
After boarding the ferry, we enjoyed some nectarines and plums and the Ruff Ryders took out their cameras to shoot some pictures of downtown Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty. We faced some minor mechanical difficulties right after leaving the ferry as Michael’s chain got jammed but Justin was able to fix it with a little bit of elbow grease. Once at Snug Harbor, the riders were eager to get into the hedge maze and find that secret garden! After a brief lunch break, we quickly headed back to the ferry in hopes of beating the rain. Unfortunately that wasn’t going to happen today…the rain came down hard about half way to the ferry.
New York Harbor looked mystical in the rain and fog, with the three urban centers emerging on the watery horizon as if we were watching a movie. And we caught a great view of three of the four bridges on the east side that we rode under. We had a smooth but rainy ride back up the Hudson River Greenway, this time avoiding the crowds and construction around Castle Clinton in Battery Park. On the way back, we stopped for a rest near our old friend the fire boat and once again passed by the Intrepid. After making our way across Central Park, we had a bittersweet moment as we stopped at the light at 96th and Lex—it was to be the last block of the season! After a long day we were back at the Beacon School all too soon.
Great Job by all of the Ruff Ryders persevering through the rain and earning their Rain Riders Badge! An intrepid conclusion to a fantastic season!
This trip was on August 22, 2013
Programming time: 6 hours 45 minutes hours
Travel time: 6 hours 15 minutes
Ride Distance: 21.9 miles
Walk Distance: 1.2 miles
Total Distance: 23.1 miles
Calories Burned (based on time walking and biking): About 2100 Calories
Leaders: Torin Barnes, Cappy Collins, Justin Downs, Dan Piening
View RR Staten Island in a larger map
This ride was the best ride EVER! My favorite picture was the one with the statue of liberty. I dident really had a hard time :D. But im really sad that this was the last ride D:. This i will never forget:
Ruff Ryders!!!
The reason I chose this picture is because I feel really sad that this week is going to be the last week I am going to see Cappy, Mr. D, Justin and Torin and after all we have done together we have to say good bye. The most challenging part of the day was riding in the rain because some of the water got into my eye so it made it dificult to see.
I like this picture of statue of liberty because it’s part on New York. one hard thing was rain because it was so wet the bike alomts made me fell.
Why I took that picticer is Because that is one of my favit stachow. Because I like the strucure. the clallging part was being on the road and i will like be on the sindwalk.
The reason why I pick this photo is because these people were in every single ride I was on! Although I Also took this picture is because I am going to see these guys next year
The most challenging part was riding in the rain
The reason I took this picture is because we were riding the bikes to this Boat ccalled The Ferry it goes medium speed and you get to see the Statue of Liberty and other cool things outside. the most challenging part was when we have to ride our bikes in the rain.
RUFF RYDERS RULE!!!