Long Island

We got an early start on Monday morning so while waiting for the William Floyd Estate to open we drove out to the Fire Island Wilderness Visitor Center. Also in the same area is the TWA Flight 800 Memorial. 

TWA Memorial

Just down the road is the William Floyd Estate. I had no idea who William Floyd was but I learned he was a signer of the Declaration of Independence. We did the self guided grounds tour around the various outbuildings and out to the family cemetery. 

 

 

The house is unique in that it is a preservation; basically the family walked out and handed the keys over to the National Park Service.

 

I was disappointed because we didn’t have time for a tour but the ranger decided to sneak us in and give us a quick 20 minute tour (rather than the normal hour tour). It was a beautiful house to see and I’m so thankful for the very helpful park ranger! 

However that meant we were delayed getting to our ferry so I sped over to Sayville with minutes to spare and had Ma buy ferry tickets while I parked the car.

The ferry is a 20 minute ride to Sailor’s Haven which is home to a boardwalk trail through an area known as the Sunken Forest as well as a visitor center, general store, and a public marina. Although it was Memorial Day and sunny, it was still pretty breezy so there wasn’t a lot of people at all. After lunch we lay on the beach. I could not get warm so I huddled in my beach towel. Meanwhile there are people in bathing suits laying out! 

Sunbathing

We hiked the Sunken Forest trail which was really nice. Fire Island only recently reopened due to the effects of Hurricane Sandy and evidence of her remnants is piled up on the beach.   

Wash-ups from Sandy

There are several different islands you can access on the seashore and Sailor’s Haven was a nice stop to relax for a few hours. 

Sunken Forest

After arriving back on the mainland we drove to Robert Moses State Park which is home to the Fire Island Lighthouse. 

Lighthouse

We then headed north across Long Island to Sagamore Hill. It was the home of the 26th President of the United States Theodore Roosevelt from 1885 until his death in 1919. Although we were there after it closed we still walked the grounds and it was gorgeous although the house itself was covered in scaffolding. It was a nice way to round out the trip because we started at Theodore Roosevelt’s birthplace and ended where he died. 

 

Now I can say I’ve been to all the National Park sites in New York and I’m glad I was able to share those sites with Ma Burns. I am now more than halfway to my goal of seeing all the units of the National Park Service!