Tour '26 - Stage 9️⃣: Tri-State Ride to Long Island ⛴️ ☀️

Made it to Long Island, New York, but not without some drama along the way.
Unfortunately, I have got some cold related symptoms that don’t exactly boost my energy and stamina. When I woke up, I really didn’t feel like riding at first. And this is on top of all the other body aches including a pinched nerve in my back that’s been bothering me now for almost a month now. 😵
But once I got going 🚴 it felt better than expected and I was all focused on making it to my next stop New London, CT, to catch the 2 pm ferry to Long Island. However, getting there was super challenging due to at least a dozen “nasty” hills in Rhode Island and then part of Connecticut after crossing the state line (no welcome sign, nothing 🙁…).
I arrived at the loading dock exactly at 2:00 pm but didn’t have a ticket yet. The guy at the dock couldn’t sell me one and ask me to go to the ticket counter next to the dock. Once I got the ticket for me and my bike, I rushed to the ferry and got onboard at 2:02 pm! The ferry left the loading dock at 2:04 pm. I was the happiest guy on the ferry at that point. 😃
Riding across Long Island was much easier without any hills. Much more relaxing… ☺️
I decided to check into a motel around 9 pm rather than pushing for another 20-30 miles. But, wait, there was more drama at the motel check-in… 😳🤔
Usually, I book my stay 1-2 hours before I arrive but not this time, also hoping I would get an even cheaper rate. The guy said $160 for the one night. That was really high considering I saw some rates online for $110-$130 (+fees and taxes) for the only motel in town. I offered him $130.
Rates are typically negotiable but he stood firm at $160 (again, no 3rd party involved).
I ended up booking through an app while standing outside with the motel now making less 💵 on me than if he had accepted my $130. And the cherry on the cake was, he claimed I booked a smoking room and need to pay separate $10 for non-smoking. He was constantly arguing with me… Very exhausting this guy! 🤯 I feel so bad for people who have to deal with these types of people on a regular basis.
Customer service rating: (-1) of a scale from 0 to 10. 👎😵‍💫😤 And facility wise, this motel was in really bad shape, rooms were not very nice at all!! 😖
Final note: The Canadian wildfires 🔥🔥 have caused some really bad air quality in the Midwest and along East Coast due to the smoke. It was most noticeable for me towards the evening with the sun being only a small orange dot in the sky.
Clear sky, 75/82°F, Feels like 78/85°F, Humidity 49%, Wind 8mph from WSW - by Klimat‍
🎷🐛 148.88 new kilometers - From Wandrer
-- myWindsock Report --
Weather Impact™: 11.4%
Headwind: 92% @ 1.7 - 4.9 m/s
Longest Headwind: 03h 57m 11s
Air Speed: 26.3 km/h
Temp: 25.4-27.6 °C
Precip: 0% @ 0 Inch/hr
-- END --