The Land of no Sweet Tea: Day 1

Had a really good first day on Long Island, I am staying in the East Islip area. After a 10-ish hour drive we rolled in around 2am. By the time we got everything inside and got settled I didn’t get to bed until after 3am. Needless to say, I slept in well in to the afternoon.

I didn’t get out an about to explore until after 2pm. My tour guides for the trip (my friends who grew up here) had set three first day goals. Go to the arboretum, see the sunset at Robert Moses, and go to Bubba’s for a burrito.

The Bayard Cutting Arboretum was our first stop. This is a local arboretum donated to the Long Island State Park region by the the Bayard Cutting family. The arboretum was made in memory of William Bayard Cutting, “to provide an oasis of beauty and quiet for the pleasure, rest and refreshment of those who delight in outdoor beauty; and to bring about a greater appreciation and understanding of the value and importance of informal planting.”

Though I was visiting in the winter when not much was blooming besides the extensive garden of holly berries, I can honestly say it was a little oasis. I would love to go back there in the spring or summer when more is in bloom. The old residents manor is surrounded by 691 beautiful acres on the Connetquot river. There were some wonderful walking paths all through the area. They let you explore all around the various gardens and a wonderful walk along the river. With the temperatures being so frigid the only wildlife I saw were some mallards and two beautiful swans. The swans were a great photo opportunity I quickly took advantage of.

Knowing the sun would set a little before 4:30, we quickly left the arboretum to head to Robert Moses State Park located on Fire Island in Babylon, New York. This turned out to be a beautiful beachfront park. I was sad we only had enough daylight to explore there about 20 minutes. We were there for the sunset and it was definitely not a disappointment. When we got to field three, we only had five minutes to spare to get on to the beach and our cameras ready for the setting sun. The colors were breathtaking. No matter how many times I see a sunset, there is always this feeling in my chest.

I was also rather distracted by the color of the sand there. Growing up on the Gulf Coast of Florida, I have seen anything from dark grayish/black to white powdery sand. All beautiful in their own rights. The sands here however were neither black or white, instead the sand was unique shades of purple. I have never seen anything like it. Looking it up later it seems the beach has more magnetite and garnet which give the sand the purple hue I was seeing. I am looking forward to getting back out to Robert Moses State Park when I can have more time to explore. I saw a lighthouse off in the distance and was told you can take a tour, so that will hopefully happen on this trip. I would also like to look at all the different beaches along this park to see what color sands they have. Are they all purple or are there different colors too?

Two photos showing the beautiful purple sand in Robert Moses State Park, Field 2

(Cell Phone Quality Picture)

The last stop for the day was a burrito place called Bubba’s Burrito Bar. This was a seriously good place to get a large burrito for a great price. My friends had talked it up and it was definitely a great burrito. I got the grilled shrimp fajitas burrito. My only regret was getting the sour cream on the side and not just having them put it in the burrito. It made for awkward eats while I tried to smear sour cream for each bite. The decor of the place was pretty cool. It had that coastal beach vibe going on. Later I learned that to support the environment, Bubba’s used reclaimed materials. “Our paneling, ceiling, beams, and bricks all originate from barns, fencing, and mills from the 1800s.” It looked good, but now I appreciate it even more for being environmentally conscious.

Shrimp Fajita Burrito from Bubba’s Burrito Bar

The rest of the night was spent playing Trivial Pursuit. We basically played hard mode seeing as this version is decades old and all questions were from the 40s through 60s-ish. For a group who are all in their mid to late 20s, these questions were insanely difficult but that’s what made it fun. We rejoiced in the very few questions we were able to answer. I was pretty happy to have come in second place with four out of six pieces completed.

~The next few blogs will be a continuation of my adventures in Long Island. Keep reading to follow along and join in.

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