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September 29, 1994 - A September Sojourn in MontaukSA • The Suffolk Times • September 29, 1994 A September Sojourn in Montauk By Paul Stoutenburah We had been talking about going to Montauk all summer but bucking the traffic on the south side seemed to let the idea get lost until now. Then the prediction of a clear northwest wind coming up settled it. We'd put the camper on the pickup and be off. There was only one hitch and that was with a wind in that quarter it might also be a great day for hawk watching. Our south shore, particularly around Smith Point, has proven to be a funneling point for the fall hawk migration. Telephone calls predicting light winds, which would mean no hawks, decided it — Montauk would be our destination. Dawn broke in one of those glorious red sunrises that we watched paint a path across the bay. Gradually the color changed to red - orange, then orange to yellow and finally to creamy white. The sun was up to make our day. The camper looked a bit forlorn out back, seeing we hadn't paid too much atten- `...the world sparkled in brilliance and Montauk Point light stood out majestically against the blue sky...' tion to it since our winter trip out west. Slowly it came to life, bedding was laid out, ice and food were put in, gas lamps were checked, water, tools just in case — each item was checked off. Once the pickup was backed under the camper and secured, we were off. What a difference in traffic. Now only men and women going to work, stopping for coffee and a few delivery trucks made up the traffic. Gone was the mugginess of sweltering days of sum- mer. This was fall weather; everyone seemed to have a quickened step. We'd drive around through Riverhead and make a few stops on our way, one in Riverhead, then Southampton, next East Hampton, and our last stop was at that fabulous market outside Amagansett. Seeing it was Monday, all fruits and vegetables were half price; so we had a ball buying this specialty and that. Leaving Amagansett behind us, we headed across the long, straight stretch of road that runs through the pine and dune area connecting Montauk to the mainland. It's here in the wet spots in Focus on Mature the fall you can find cranberries and one of the rarest of rare ferns is to be found. I usually don't tell locations of rare plants because someone will always go and dig them up, but this fern is so minute and looks so much like a blade of grass I'm sure no one will ever find it in that vast, open area. Summer's Over at the Park About 10 we pulled into the state park and could tell immediately the big push of summer was over. Yet, as we drove through, we were surprised to see how many places were occupied. Many by fishermen, for now the season of stripers and blues is on and fishing poles stood everywhere. We took site F26 at the very end of the park. It's an area that looks out over the back dunes where dune grass, beach plums and scattered pines roll out to the west. Driving in we had seen five kestrels (hawks) and a merlin and we thought we'd see more as the day wore on. But no, the wind dropped off and only fluttering monarch butterflies passed by. There was hardly a moment went by without a monarch in sight. It's a good year for them and we wished them well on their long and per- ilous flight south. A 50 -foot walk through the dunes and we were on the ocean beach. Along the way the marble -sized red -orange rose hips dotted the salt -spray rose that does so well in this dry, sandy area. And, of course, the dune grass was doing its job of capturing the windblown sand, thereby creating the dune system that runs along the south shore. If you looked hard you could still find a rose blossom. Nature never gives up trying to reproduce itself. Offshore a lonely commercial fishing boat was slowly dragging its nets. Soon they would be hauled in and the con- tents spilled out on deck, then sorting and icing down. The rest, considered trash, would be dumped overboard. It's then you see the gulls flocking about to pick up the free spoils. After lunch in the sparkling sun that warmed us up like a summer's day, we drove to the Point. Here we parked in the huge parking lot and walked the beaches. First I'd check to see if any- thing unusual was about in the bird world. A cormorant sat drying its wings on a rock; herring and black- backed Photo by Paul Stoutenourgn MONTAUK LIGHT— Montauk is always a lovely place to visit, especially on a sparkling fall day when the fishing boats are coming in with their catch of the day. gulls poked about the seaweed that the low tide had exposed; and offshore, among the 10 to 12 party boats, terns and laughing gulls were taking advan- tage of the bait fish the bluefish were driving to the surface. Again the world sparkled in brilliance and Montauk Point light stood out majestically against the blue sky with its white light blinking every five seconds. We walked MATTITUCK SANITATION EAST END ECOLOGY LTD. 800 WICKHAM AVE. MATTITUCK, NY John DiVello & Sons RESIDENTIAL COMMERCIAL GARBOLOGISTS Container Service 1 yd.through 8 yd. Roll-Off Service 15 yd. through 30 yd. 298 -8888 Serving Riverhead & Southold Township around the newly built stone abutment at the base of the lighthouse. How those huge boulders were so neatly placed, I'll never know. It must have taken a genie to arrange them so perfectly. Of course, we had to hop and jump here and there but on the whole we had no problem walking around and coming back up through the hidden pathway to the west. We saw a harbor seal look at us curiously only a hundred feet off- shore; then he disappeared to continue his feeding below. On our way back we checked the fish- ing fleet in the harbor and strolled Gos- man's Dock like real tourists. We even stopped for an ice cream and sat at the dock complex where seagulls would come and light six feet away on posts, looking for a handout. What a wonder- ful way to spend an afternoon, carefree and warm, and the world to see. The key to these mini - adventures is to select a day when you know it's going to be good and then drop everything and go. SAVE TIME, GAS, MONEY Shop Locally!