Flashback from 41 years ago

1983 bike trip, l to r: James Rafferty, Michael O'Brien, Fr Julian and Tommie Smith

When I first went to the USA in 1981, I did not drive and so all my travels were on a bicycle, visiting people in the parish, doing communion calls, trips to the store and other errands while discovering my neighborhood in New Hyde Park, New York. I eventually got my drivers license in 1983, but for almost 2 years I covered many miles on two wheels. Being on Long Island, I gathered a few altar boys and did 2 long trips to Montauk Point, at the very end of Long Island. My first group in the summer of 1982 were Tommie Smith, John Ryan, and twins Martin and Michael O’Brien. A year later in 1983 I had Tommie Smith, James Rafferty and Michael O’Brien. 

Crossing on ferry from south shore to north shore of Long Island.

The first year we had planned to bike to Montauk Point in 2 days and then take the train back home, but they would not let us on the train to my disappointment, and to the delight of the boys, who rented a boat and waded through Montauk Bay with the money they saved from the train ride. Thanks to our Pastor Fr John Heinlien, he borrowed a van and came to pick us up. The second year we made a round trip – going on the south shore and returning on the north shore over 4 days, a longer gruelling bike ride, but enjoyable nonetheless. We had many memories of those trips, and thankfully other than a few punctures or flat-tyres, we were safe all along the miles, 110 miles the first year and over 200 miles the second year.

The 1982 bike trip, l to r: Fr Julian, Tommie Smith, John Ryan, Michael and Martin O'Brien