I did a Sunday ride on one of my favorite trails in New York, Bethpage to Stillwell. It's an hour east by way of the Long Island Rail Road Ronkonkoma train. It starts off at Bethpage park and flows north on some very nice fast rolling single-track through Cathedral Pines ending at Stillwell Woods. The terrain often transitions from dirt to loamy sand. It's a true cross-country ride with just enough climbing and technical features over the 20+ mile round trip.
I did two loops at Stillwell Woods and only came across a few riders out on the trail. There was a fair amount of mud along the exposed sections of single-track, but luckily most of it was tacky, leaving me fairly clean, but I can't say the same for my bike.
I had the front and rear shocks full-on with their Brain adjusters, meaning super stiff for climbing and pedaling, yet fully open on the descents. It's such a great bike for cross-country riders like myself. I've been riding my road bike so much it takes a while getting used to the full squish.