Ponquogue Sea Turtle Release – August 6, 2013

At the last minute, one of our members let us know that some sea turtles were being released back into the ocean out east. Yay! A few of us dropped everything and went out, met up with some others and got some nice pictures of them.

We got a little lucky, as we got there a few minutes late and saw the truck unloading the turtles which the people on the beach didn’t get to see. That was a nice treat!

While there we met one of the volunteers for The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Prevention, Leslie, who kindly informed us that two seals would be released on Thursday (just two days away). So naturally, we went there as well.

Please visit The Riverhead Foundation for Marine Research and Prevention if you’d like to donate money or time. They do good things!

http://www.riverheadfoundation.org/

If anyone has interest in joining us in the future, keep an eye on this blog and our facebook group. The Facebook group is your best bet, since we changes often come quickly, and there are often impromptu excursions as well (like this one!).

As always, participation in an excursion requires only a camera and a good attitude. There are no minimum or maximum skill levels, no fees, no special equipment… just smile!

Riverhead Zombie Run – May 5, 2013

So Sunday we head out to the Riverhead Zombie race! Sadly, some of the people who had wanted to come weren’t able to for various reasons, but those of us who made the trip had a fantastic time! Some of our members also spent the day either being a zombie trying to eat runners, or running for their lives in the 5k.

Shortly after arriving, we got special permission to walk along the course (which was back in the woods where most spectators couldn’t see) and photograph the zombies and runners, which we did. It was long, with steep hills, obstacles and a sandy beach-area. Much respect for anyone who completed that run, as we got quite a workout just walking it backwards!

Along the trail we found zombies and runners, but since the zombies were sparse we were happy to have the daughter of one of our members (who was dressed as a zombie) chase the runners around. They laughed, we laughed, and everyone had a hell of a good time.

We finally made it back to the main grounds to discover that the crowd had grown a lot while we were in the woods, and zombies were everywhere. In the lodge, there were make-up artists decorating the zombies to be scarier than they already were. Again, everybody was in a good mood.

There is another race just like this in September and we will definitely be going – some of us as zombies or runners next time!

 

Sunday May 19, 2013 – Camp Hero, Montauk

*** THIS EVENT HAS BEEN CANCELLED ***

 

Weather permitting, there will be an excursion out to Camp Hero in Montauk on Sunday May 19th. Details are tentative right now, but there will undoubtedly be carpools.

The park is a beautiful place, which also has an abandoned Air Force base. You can find out more about Camp Hero at the New York State Office of Parks.

As always, there is no group fee, no minimum or maximum level of experience or gear required, no obligations other than to have fun, be a good person and have a camera. Keep an eye on our Facebook page (here) for the latest information! 🙂

Kings Park Psych Center – Saturday March 30, 2013

A few of us made our way to King’s Park Psychiatric Center again (and will again and again and again!), and got quite an eyeful this time around.

We began in the theater, which was awful last time and even worse this time. All the ice had melted, leaving the floor (and most things) with a nice, wet layer of pigeon poo. We still managed to make a go of it and got nice shots, and got to explore a few places we didn’t see last time we were in there, including the area above the stage.

After that we stopped by building 94, which was the very cool looking laundry building. Lot’s of open spaces and cool pillars, and some nice shots from the roof.

We then made our way to the power plant, where the smokestack was demolished a few days ago, but the security guy (who is very nice) said we couldn’t get any closer than we were.

By this time we’d been there four hours already and were ready to go home. However, on the way back we ran into an explorer that we’d previously met and he agreed to show us into building 93, for which I am eternally thankful. This building still has beds, chairs, tables, all sorts of fun arts and crafts things and best of all – murals on the walls of the basement which were painted by old timey cartoonist Percy Crosby, who was locked up in the asylum for the last 16 years of his life (a fun story, google it).

All in all we spent around five hours there and saw a lot of cool things. We didn’t get to see much of building 93 due to hunger and just generally being beat, but we definitely will go back. Our ‘tour guide’ promised much cooler things in some of the higher levels!

Sunday May 5, 2013 – Riverhead Zombie Run

On Sunday May 5th there will be an excursion to Riverhead to see the Zombie Race (Details here: http://zombierace.co/event.php?id=63).
3186 Sound Avenue
Riverhead, New York 11901

There will be numerous 5k runs with about 500 people in each one, and a 15k run.

As of now, we will be meeting up at 9am and carpooling out there (people who live nearby don’t have to carpool, obviously).

I believe parking is $10 per car, but the event is free for spectators.

Details about the excursion are still very tentative, so make sure you keep an eye on our facebook group for updates!! This should be a fun one!

As always – there is no fee for participating in an excursion. There is no minimum or maximum level of experience, no gear requirements. Just a good attitude and a camera. 🙂

Monday, March 11 – West Meadow Beach Sunset Excursion

Weather permitting, there will be a sunset excursion to West Meadow Beach in Stony Brook on Monday the 11th. We will meet at 5:00pm in the parking lot and decide where to go from there. We will wander and have fun for a bit before the sunsets at 7:10pm.

As always, there are no fees, rookie to pro are welcome – the only requirement is a camera and a good attitude.  Please join our facebook group to get updates!

( click for map )

Elizabeth Morton Bird Sanctuary – February 2, 2013

Some of the braver souls ventured out to the Elizabeth Morton Bird Sanctuary in Sag Harbor. It was very cold, but well worth it. The birds came and ate right out of their hands, and since it was in the middle of Winter, there were very few people around vying for their attention.

This is a place that many have wanted to go to for a while, but because of the weather most of us stayed home but we will definitely go back once the weather gets a little warmer!!

If anyone has interest in joining us in the future, keep an eye on this blog and our facebook group. The Facebook group is your best bet, since we discuss things there so changes often come quickly.

As always, participation in an excursion requires only a camera and a good attitude. There are no minimum or maximum skill levels, no fees, no special equipment… just smile!

Kings Park Psych Center – January 13, 2013

Back to the Kings Park Psychiatric Center for more abandoned fun! There was a huge turn out for this one, which was great to see. We all got split up at certain points, so it wasn’t as cohesive as usual but we all got good shots and had fun – and that’s what matters!

We did a lot of walking, and saw a lot of sites – some members even found the morgue! The bodies had been removed though…

We got to see the sad site where the power plant used to be, but is now torn down and covered in construction vehicles. It was a beautiful area.

After the bulk of the group left for the day, a few of us stuck around to explore some buildings we’d never seen before – and lucky we were because they were so cool! I don’t know when they built but they had a very old-seeming architecture, and seemed about ready to collapse. We braved it anyway.

This was probably the biggest excursion so far, both in terms of people and things seen.

If anyone has interest in joining us in the future, keep an eye on this blog and our facebook group. The Facebook group is your best bet, since we discuss things there so changes often come quickly.

As always, participation in an excursion requires only a camera and a good attitude. There are no minimum or maximum skill levels, no fees, no special equipment… just smile!

Kings Park Psych Center – January 6, 2013

A nice turnout and a fun time at the Jan 6th excursion to Kings Park Psych Center. We got to explore a bit that day, seeing things we hadn’t seen before and welcoming some new members.

In addition to the usual creepiness, we found some areas that were super-creepy. One was a cubicle that somebody recently cleaned and decorated, and then splashed ‘paint’ over the walls. Very weird. Another room had folded up pages from a book hanging from the ceiling. We found old patient manifests and a dead raccoon.

If anyone has interest in joining us in the future, keep an eye on this blog and our facebook group. The Facebook group is your best bet, since we discuss things there so changes often come quickly, and there are often impromptu excursions as well.

As always, participation in an excursion requires only a camera and a good attitude. There are no minimum or maximum skill levels, no fees, no special equipment… just smile!

 

 

Bayard Cutting Arboretum – December 30, 2012

On a very cold, windy December 20th a few of us dared the weather to stop us from going to the Bayard Cutting Arboretum.  It tried, but we persevered, welcomed a new member and had a good time.

If anyone has interest in joining us in the future, keep an eye on this blog and our facebook group. The Facebook group is your best bet, since we discuss things there so changes often come quickly and there are often impromptu excursions.

As always, participation in an excursion requires only a camera and a good attitude. There are no minimum or maximum skill levels, no fees, no special equipment… just smile!