I don't mean to cast a cloud over everyone's summer fun, but the cooler temps at night and the constant buzz of the September crickets in my yard are signaling the inevitable change of seasons.

The mistake I have made a few times in past years was to manufacture an unwarranted deadline to get all my good riding in before Labor Day, as if laws prohibited anyone from riding a bicycle once the school year began. Then, one day, I realized that autumn can be the best time of year to get out on two wheels. That year, I put together a series of fall rides that I have repeated each and every year since.

The problem is, now I'm getting a little tired of the same rides each fall. My wife and I routinely do the Bronx River Bikeway, The North & South County Trailways, The Croton Aquaduct, The Nyack Rail Trail, and perhaps a few spins right out here on the Bethpage Bikeway and in Greenport/Orient Point. These are all great rides, and we're glad to have them, but they're getting kind of old. I can always sneak off on my own to get in a good road ride once in a while, but the rides we can do together (she's kinda slow) are limited.

Given that we live on Long Island and are willing to drive about an hour or so for a good bike ride, can anybody recommend a route or a bikeway that I haven't mentioned? With business at a virtual halt right now, we can't afford out-of-state over-nighters this year, so our usual rides in Boston, Philly, and/or Rhode Island are out of the question.

What ya got?