Moses Gates

August 3, 2011

The island of Ruffle Bar seemed like a shipwreck paradise.

It was also a census tract where Moses Gates needed to set foot to complete his goal of seeing all 2217 census tracts in New York City.

The dark pools of still water reminded me of the ‘Dead Marshes’ from Lord of the Rings. “Don’t look into the pools, Moses!”

We paddled to another island.

The Island of Little Egg.

The interior was covered in bones.

Walking on the beach, I came across the tracks of another inhabitant. What could it be?

A little dog,

had arrived by kayak with his owner.

I found a pair of mismatched flip flops. “Walking on the beach is just like shopping!” I told Moses.

He picked up a pair as well.

We decided to pull the boat and walk. The wind was blowing against us, and it seemed like a way to conserve our energy.

“If we can walk to the next Island, we will have walked from Brooklyn to Queens, but only in the water.” said Moses

I started to see how Moses gets an idea in his head,

and then he does it!

Back in the boat, we had one more goal for the day.

‘Rockaway Taco’, the latest destination dining sensation on Rockaway Beach Boulevard.

Simple, delicious, and the first thing I had eaten all day.

Back at the the boat, we had a decision to make:

The tide was turning against us,

and it was beginning to rain.

We had not accomplished our goal of reaching the Atlantic Beach bridge.

“I thought that I would help you cover much more ground today.” Said Moses.

Just then the wind picked up behind us,

and we took out a sail that we had found on Little Egg Island.

The Gay Sail!

All in all, we covered about 10 miles in one day. But we had also discovered new islands, new species, and the gay sailing.

We walked back to the train.

“When you blog about this, make sure that you explain how the wind and tide were against us.” said Moses.

“Oh I always do.” I said.

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