Route: Home to Port Jefferson via Northern Blvd and hidden greenways
Mileage: 65 miles each way
Surprise! It was Jen's birthday weekend, and Keegan woke her up with a big surprise--time to go for a bike ride! But not just any bike ride...it was Jen's very first tandem ride! She had given Keegan a hard time about having never gone on a romantic tandem bike ride, so he borrowed his friend, George's, for the occasion. He had it all planned out, but didn't tell her where they were going. She figured, how far can one go on a tandem, maybe a few loops around the block? Wrong! She learned they had their handlebars set to Long Island and would be staying the night at an undisclosed location! It was all fun and exciting, but it should be noted that Jen so happened to be utterly exhausted and unprepared for the surprise trek. This is noted because she didn't really help pedal too much on the ride out, not for being a slacker, but tandem biking is not like biking solo, and perfecting the art of it combined with exhaustion unfortunately led to Keegan carrying the team! 
They stopped a time or two along the route for Keegan to do some mystery calls that Jen wasn't allowed to listen in on. But finally he needed some help with navigation and that's when he told her they were bound for Port Jefferson, a port town on the north side of the island. As they pulled into the town, she was very excited they had made it. Maybe it was the exhaustion, maybe it was the new style of riding, but she was pooped, and believe me when I say he was too! Their destination couldn't come soon enough...however they found themselves on the other side of town and not yet at the address. Oh crap--it's at the top of a massive hill. They rode 65 miles to be faced with the biggest hill at the very end! Ugh! But it was worth it because the most beautiful and amazing bed and breakfast awaited them at the top! It was an excellent surprise. 
Keegan was almost physically ill he was so exhausted from working so hard to pedal them there. Jen vowed to get proper sleep to help the next day. They refueled and had a lovely dinner with friends who live out on Long Island and met them in town, Alex, Steph and Ruby. They then crashed early for their ride back home! After a delicious breakfast, they packed up and headed out. Jen felt much more rested and excited to help. It really was a fun challenge to figure out how to maximize power on this new bicycle. She learned her greatest contribution was on hills. Keegan could keep the bike steady as she stood up and powered them up it!George lives just a few miles from them, so they sadly dropped the bike back with him on their way home. Needless to say, they were hooked on tandem riding. And that's when they decided they would do their ride to Florida on a tandem! They just had to find one of their own...
