We heard so much about Long Island’s North Fork on our century ride to Montauk last year that we had to try it out. The route promised local wineries, fresh produce stands and ferry rides, and we even heard rumors of an Icelandic sheep farm along the way. But unlike last year’s epic 100-mile haul and Hither Hills destination campsite, this time we decided to roll like gluttons and sleep stealth-style with the hammocks.

We caught the LIRR from Woodside, Queens to Port Jefferson Station, transferring in Huntington. Only a little bit of hauling the bikes up and down the stairs.

Disembarking in Port Jefferson, the last stop on the line, we had roughly 50 miles and blue skies ahead of us. A word to the wise: the main bike route stretching east is a bustling highway with a wide shoulder. Safe, but not quite the peaceful country ride we were expecting. Even though it was only 50 miles, I had to stop and stuff my face with a sandwich from one of those bagel-deli-coffee places we always seem to find on these rides.

We rolled into Peconic with some daylight to kill and were rewarded with a stretch of sandy beach. Busted out the camping chairs and watched the sun setting over the Long Island Sound and Connecticut in the distance.

Google Street View is usually pretty useful when it comes to scoping out stealth campsites. We’d pinned a couple of potential spots the night before (unmarked roads, tree coverage, water views) so we set out to poke around. Found the perfect spot off a back road and waited til dark before pitching the hammocks. It wasn’t even 8:30 when we both passed out, though the wind was fierce and Ryan battled with a wildly disobedient rain fly for most of the night.

We snoozed until the sun began burning through the trees at 6am. Broke camp and set out for Greenport, the ferry to Shelter Island, and a coffee spot with a reputable breakfast burrito. The road was finally quieted of traffic and we rolled past acre after acre of dewy vineyard in peace.

Too early for tourists, the ferry to Shelter Island was blissfully empty and we were accompanied by only a few early risers and riders. We wolfed large iced coffees, steak rancheros and an egg-chorizo burrito on a plastic table outside the bustling Stars Cafe, watching local islanders come and go with their weekend newspapers and lap dogs. Then pushed off to roam the hilly back streets of the island, which were speckled with quaint waterfront houses and perfectly mowed lawns. We stumbled on our favorite part of the weekend at the south end of the island: the perfect crescent of Ram's Beach. We found ourselves alone except for a young couple armed with a plastic two-man kayak and a pair of fishing poles.

Thoroughly sunburned and hungry again (!?), we ferried ourselves back to Greenport and rode off in search of Icelandic sheep. Sadly, the gorgeous 8 Hands Farm in Cutchogue wasn't set up for petting tours, so we stayed in the huge shady barn and ogled the wooly beasts from afar. We did score the freshest of fresh chorizo and cheese, of course.

Instead of making the roundtrip on two wheels, we made the wise decision to maximize our time on the North Fork and take the train back. So with a few hours of sun left, we succumbed to the gloriously warm and crowded tasting garden at Croteaux winery in Southhold, enjoying multi-hued rose samplers and baskets of artichoke tapenade under a wide red umbrella.

There's so much to explore on the North Fork - we'll definitely be wheeling a group back sometime soon!