How The Harvest Moon Almost Killed Me
Lincoln Adams | October 5, 2009 @ 8:45 pmSo Sunday I crossed the entire breadth of Long Island under the reasonable assumption that if I just drove out east far enough, I would find a completely unobstructed view of the horizon for the harvest moon, as well as get some nice snapshots of the scenery. Under that logic I decided to drive, and drive, and drive, and drive, until I ended up at a place called Montauk, which is about as far east as you can possibly go in the entire state of New York before driving into the Atlantic Ocean. 
The trip was nice, until it turned into one lane and I had drivers up my ying yang while the guy in front me of course has to drive 20 miles an hour, because what’s the hurry, really? So I’m feeling myself getting squeezed by tailgaters and slow pokes the whole last hour of driving before I finally and mercifully pulled into the town/village/hamlet(??) of Montauk.
Since I had a couple of hours to kill I decided to explore the area, beginning of course with:
Nothing says small town like a good old fashioned burger.
I walked in and the place looked like it was 100 years old. I placed an order for their specialty burger and watched as a few more people came in, still dressed in summer clothes, all of them barefoot.
Clearly there were hicks in New York too. I waited like 10 minutes for my burger, and when I finally got around to eating it, it tasted a bit… fishy to me. No, I mean it really had a fishy taste to it. Bleh. And I HATE seafood too. 
Ah well, I made up for that by having pizza instead.
Californian pizza in New York? FAIL
I took a walk through town, not much to it really, just a few stores sprinkled here and there, though I did find an amusing junk store with these signs on the door:
Heh.
I could live in this store forever.
Also passed by a florist too:
Preeeeetty....
So prettttttyyy...
After walking around town a bit, I decided to chance a quick trip down to the harbor before going out to Montauk Point to set up my camera for the moonshot. As I pulled out, I saw this in my sideview mirror:
Thank you world for all these constant reminders that I'm single. Douche balls.
I found a beach that offered a vantage view of the channel boats navigate through in order to enter Lake Montauk, but the beach was infested with flies. I only managed to get two or three shots off before I decided to flee and get back onto the parking lot.
Why yes, the branch DID have carvings of stupid skanky teen couples professing their love for each other. OMG, can I fricking DIE now??
I didn’t take two steps onto the parking lot before I sprained my ankle and spiraled almost face first into the cement before finally catching myself. Oh my goodness. PAIN. I limped the rest of the way to my car and I just knew this day was going to get worse before it got better.
I could still walk though, albeit a bit tenderly, so I started to drive my way back to the state park about an hour before sunset. The water was really amazing. Everywhere you went you were surrounded by water:
Man, don't make any wrong turns here.
The park included the famous Montauk lighthouse, and after paying $6 for parking(??!?), I was finally able to take a photo of it for the first time:
Gee, it looked a lot bigger to me in the postcards...
That’s when I realized I had a problem. The lighthouse was closed at sunset, and the rest of the area was covered in shrubs and trees. It was almost worse than being in the city. I simply had no idea where to find an ideal spot so I could watch the moon rise. So I went up to the beach and started walking around the lighthouse, carrying my camera with the tripod attached. This is what constitutes a beach in this area by the way:
I'm supposed to walk on THIS?
And yep, while I was walking across, I sprained my ankle again. Not as bad as the first time, but just enough to aggravate me and remind me once again that I suck.
The fishermen apparently LOVE to fish in these areas though:
You'll never catch anything! NEVAH!! Ahhhhhahahahahah!
What the flips is this thing??
For some reason I actually thought there would be a manmade sidewalk because I could see a fence in the distance, so I continued trucking along, gingerly walking/limping over rocks until I finally found myself on a rocky ledge behind the lighthouse. Did I say sidewalk before? Well not quite:
You have GOT to be kidding me.
I was already halfway on this ledge before I realized there would in fact be no smooth-as-silk sidewalk waiting for me, and it actually would have been more dangerous for me to turn back since there was a bunch of snot nosed little turdlings that were hopping the rocks around me and blocking the way. I couldn’t believe how unsafe it was. One slip and your boom booms go bye bye as you plunge 30 odd feet to your certain death. On top of this there were fishermen all over these ledges, tossing back their fishing poles at random moments so that God forbid you had the misfortune of being behind them as the bait and line flew over you. Can you say fish food? Oy.
The sun was already beginning to set now, so I made my way through as fast as I could on this crazy obstacle course, with a twice sprained ankle and a camera + tripod leaning on my shoulder. Hop, hop, hop, hop, OW! *&^%, hop, hop, hop…
I finally made it off the ledge, which of course led to an area where I was now sandwiched between two small cliffs, obstructing my view even more. Sigh. There was an unpaved road that led upwards, so I rested a minute or two to catch my breath, than made my way up the road. I still could not see any moon, just shrubs and trees and cable wires and whatnot. I might as well have been in an Amazonian jungle. I walked and walked, the light of the sun slowly fading away, until I came across a gigantic pool of MUD that covered the entire road. There was absolutely no way around it.
Why, God, WHY?
I just stood for a few minutes and looked at it, before finally letting out my breath and deciding that it didn’t look too deep, so maybe if I just hugged the side enough my shoes wouldn’t go that deep into the mud.
So I got as close to the side as possible, then took my first step.
*SPLOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH*
Oh Mommy. The pool of mud was like a foot deep. I was completely submerged up to my ankles. I groaned as I plopped through, one SPLOOOOSH at a time until I finally made my way past the pool.
Squish, squish, squish, squish. And then of course I sprained my ankle AGAIN, almost dropping my camera as I stumbled a few feet before catching myself. Man.
By this time, dusk had finally descended, and yes, of course, I still could not see the moon.
I finally gave up and squished back to my car. Before leaving I decided to see if I could get a glimpse of the moon and finally at long last I saw it, even though it was now past its harvest peak. Since I didn’t want to leave empty handed, I swung around and drove back into the park. I must have done several circles trying to find an ideal spot but I just could not find any, except for one spot that was already taken up by some dweebie photographer, and of course he has a girl with him sitting adoringly at his feet while the man gets himself the perfect moon shot. God in heaven, should have driven off the road so I could nail his bony little …
But anyhow, I decided to just go back into the parking lot and get whatever shots I could from there. This was one of the only moon shots I could manage:
Yes it's fuzzy. Yes it looks like the sun. But it's the moon, I assure you.
As for the rest of the photos, I used a bracketing technique on my camera to get shots with different exposures, then used a software program to merge them all together to create what’s called an HDR image. It’s not perfect, but overall, I guess I could have done far worse considering the day I was having.
Probably the best photo I took then.
The final result. Yes that's the moon, not the sun. Shut up already.
With night fully upon me now, it was time to take the long trip back home. I stopped by a Carvel since a day of having pizza and burgers simply cannot be complete unless it’s topped off with ice cream.
The Carvel was empty, so I walked inside an ordered a chocolate cone. Suddenly it was instantly filled up by 30 people. I’m not kidding, in the space of a minute, it was PACKED, including some weird looking elephant-man type dude who felt it necessary to stand two inches behind me while I was waiting for my order. Finally I looked back at him:
“Dude, seriously, a little space?”
He stepped back once, about 4 less steps than I would have liked. The crap was taking my ice cream so long?
Ah, here we go, sheesh. I grabbed my cone, licked and limped back to my car again, and steeled myself for the long, lonely drive back.
Maybe next year will be better.
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Tags: beach, burgers, camera, clouds, couple, day trip, driving, flowers, harvest moon, ice cream, ledge, lighthouse, montauk, new york, ocean, photo, Photos, pizza, rocky, town, water
Categories: Lincoln's Personal Log
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23 Responses to “How The Harvest Moon Almost Killed Me”
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LOVED your photos!!! Sorry it didnt go as planned…but hey it was an experience you will never forget!
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The pics are really nice, and you have a good story to go with it.
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I really enjoyed your story even though it sounded a little painful for you. You had a good idea even though it didn’t pan out. (I’ve certainly had my share of similarly ill-fated ‘good ideas.’) Great photos. Thanks for sharing!
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Thanks for the compliments all. It’s nice to know the pain of the experience didn’t go to waste.
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Those are some great photos…what kind of camera do you use?
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I used two, a small and handy Canon 800IS and an older Olympus C-8080Z for the landscape/tripod shots. I like the Canon better because I can just fit it into my pocket, and it seems to take far better pictures too. I may end up dumping the Olympus since it never seems to perform up to my expectations.
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You got some good shots over the water! But what were you thinking???? There would be sidewalks….seriously….a beach … lighthouse … they truly don’t want folks out there … the conditions get rough at times. Remember what happened in Maine to the dopes on the rocks during the hurricane,folks died! They make it difficult on purpose so folks don’t go out there, the ocean is beautiful but we have to remember it can turn dangerous in an instant if the winds shift. There are some more nice moons that will be happening in the upcoming months! A nice winter moon over a snow covered mountain is an awesome shot.
Sorry to hear about the ankle…keep Arnica on hand it is a great help! This is the best advice I can give you …take it from someone who is a klutz & has sprained her ankles many a time rest it,ice it no more than 15 to 20 minutes at time, use compression ie: an ace wrap on when not elevated and keep it raised when you can.
Feel better.
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I didn’t realize how dangerous it was until I was actually on it.
And as crazy as it was, the ledges were packed with fishermen. Some even had their wives sitting in beach chairs reading a book while they fished. It was pretty comical, considering the fact that one mild storm would have probably wiped them all out.
As for the ankle, it’s been feeling much better. I’ve stayed off it and used a combo of tiger balm and motrin IB. I should be 100 percent again just in time for my vacation next week to Killington, which I hope will fare much better than this trip did. Really, what could possibly go wrong in a place like Killington?
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hhhmmmm, let me think about this one for a second…
Yup, Killington … ok … slopes … foliage season and frost season combined … slippery leaves perhaps and of course the amorous moose … it is their time of year as well. This could provide us with tons of chuckles from your adventures in the wild woods of Killington.
Looking forward to your blogging from the wild woods of Vermont!
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I’m sorry, but I still don’t see any photos of you. No wonder you’re lonely.
But anyway, I loved the moon shot with the reflection in the water. Amazing country–it would be so cool to road trip the country, taking one’s time to enjoy the beauty of each state.
Looking forward to more, but I couldn’t understand why you picked Killington. Are you on your way now?
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@Judy: I’m sorry did you say moose? There’s moose up there?
@RovingPoet: No, I’ll be going next week. I picked it because of its location, though I was actually planning to travel to Mt. Greylock in Massachusetts, head up to Vermont for a short way and then cross over to Lake George in NY as part of a 4 state tour. Since Killington is adjacent to Lake George, it makes for a great stopping point since that was about as far north as I was planning to travel anyway. Still not sure if I’ll even stay the night though, so I’ll be playing it by ear.
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Sounds like fun. Just enjoy the get-away. It’s in our blood–the road trip. Anxious to see Killington and Lake George. Your photographs are transporting me from the cubicle…so snap on!
(Met a guy once in Vermont when I was 27 and on my bike trip in Middlebury. Wonder if I should’ve married him?… It wouldn’t have been settling, but it would have been detouring, maybe temporarily. The possibility of a permanent detour sent me packing homeward. No regrets, just wondering. Pay close attention as you love your surroundings.)
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Sounds like an adventure! And preserved in photographic memory, gotta love it! Those are fine photos… I especially like the one over the rocky beach at dusk and the lighthouse. And one thing that is commendable… you can go places on your own [and not get lost]; man, the girl that finds you will be a lucky one as long as she doesn’t love fishy hamburgers.
… And there is a buffalo farm just north of North Hampton, Mass; after you bond with the moose(s) go visit the buffalo, even if only for a moment, it’s kinda nice.
I, for one, will anxiously be awaiting your review.
Thanks for sharing.
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I’ll definitely keep an eye on my surroundings, don’t want to chance having any unpleasant encounters with the mighty moosie.
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Where are you now? Ba-cation?
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Thanks for enduring the punishment for these photos. It’s an area I’ll probably never see!
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Great pictures and post. I love lighthouses and harvest moons too! You made me laugh with all the non-single reminders out there which reminded me of myself and how I have little comments in my mind like that. lol Next year you’ll be here and we’ll camp and as you take pictures of the moon I’ll be the one to sit adoringly at your feet. That is, if I’m still single.
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@RovingPoet: Bacation?
@Mike: That;s ok, you’re not missing much. It’s just a lighthouse and… that’s it. If I had to do a dover though, I’d head to Eastport, Maine, which is the most eastern city in the U.S. I’d get to see the sun rise before everyone else.
@MartiniGirl: Haha, it’s nice to know I’ll have options in Arizona.
Even if you’re not single, you could always dump the dude just for a few days. 
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On the serious side … check out this article about moose in VT. It can be a bit dicey driving this time of year, you do need to be aware here in New England this time of year. http://www.timesargus.com/apps.....003/NEWS02
Mt. Greylock is another wonderful spot just make sure that it is open, you need to call for road conditions this time of year as there could be snow. Massachusetts Veterans War Memorial Tower is a place to see, a tribute to the Veterans that have sacrificed so much. There is a ton of wildlife in the Greylock park … moose, bear, coyote, fox, it is an awesome place! If I remember right it is something like close to 500 acres. Make sure to drive into Williamstown that is a quaint town, with tons of history as well.
You going to drive the Mohawk Trail????
Anyhooooo beware of moose
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Hey, I’m on vacation next week so watch the uppity uptown stuff.
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I’ll been going through Williamstown so no problem there. I might venture east on the Mohawk Trail for a few miles, but not sure. I’ll just have to play it by ear. First time I’ve taken a trip of this magnitude too without really planning an itinerary. Nice and spontaneous too, I hear girls dig that sort of thing.
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You’re reinforcing my need for a road trip and yes the spontaneity is great. Maybe Lake Michigan after all…enjoy!
Care to comment?
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