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| Date | Starting Place | Ending Place | Author | Last Update |
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| 06-04-10 |
Ocean City, Maryland, United States |
Wildwood Crest, New Jersey, United States |
ray | 07-28-10 21:07:47 |
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I was up early and walked out to find a place for breakfast. The entire area was deserted and very quiet. I didn't find one place open for business. The one cafe I saw didn't open for another hour. After walking all around, I returned to my room and slowly began to get ready. I wasn't in any particular hurry as the only real issue today was to get the ferry to New Jersey and it ran on a regular schedule. I left about 8am and rode up the boardwalk. It wasn't very crowded but there was a steady stream of exercises out moving about. I stopped for breakfast at the Brass Balls Saloon, which sat right on the boardwalk and served on an outdoor deck. As you can imagine, every kind of pun on the phrase Brass Balls was used both on the menu and around the place. This photo gives you a pretty good idea of the boardwalk at that time of day.  Here I am waiting to dig in.  After eating, I rode over to a Subway for my usual sandwich. When the boardwalk ran out, I tried to ride on the street that was next to the beach but after a short stretch, it ran out and I had to ride on Highway 1. This is a wide, busy highway with a line of parked cars on the side. I'd do this dance for several miles: ride on Highway 1, spy a side street, when it ended, back on Highway 1. Here is what the side streets looked like.  Highway 1 was all shops and tourist attractions. What surprised me most was the sheer number of miniature golf courses. They seemed to be on every corner. I finally had to stop and take a photo of one. This is pretty typical of the design. Note, specifically, the blue water in the falls!  It also gives you a good idea of what Highway 1 is like (I waited for quite a while to get a picture without cars going by). When Ocean City finally ran out, I was back to riding on a road between trees and bushes. Only this time, it was much busier. In fact, the whole thing reminded me of the Outer Banks times 10.  Even the views toward the beach were Outer Bankesque.  At one parking area on the other side of the road, I got a view into Little Assawoman Bay. I took several photos but the area is so flat that only this one was interesting.  Everywhere the land wasn't preserved, there were big homes. Some were on stilts, suggesting that flooding is a common thing in these parts.  There was a bridge over a narrow inlet that was under construction. I took this photo because it was the only time I got any elevation to see the "view" and this was the only sign that said I was in Delaware.  Shortly after the bridge, Mike rode up and we started talking. He was from Lewes, where the ferry terminal was, and we rode together all the way there. He maintained a good pace and I had to really work to keep up with him and talk at the same time. Luckily, there was a tailwind to help out! As is often the case when talking while riding, it wasn't long before we were riding into Lewes. It had the usual sprawl of new development which eventually gave way to the older part of town, where lots of attractive homes were.  Mike guided me to road that lead to the ferry terminal and then went off in another direction. I got this photo before he left.  My original goal was the 2:45 boat. But, I'd ridden so hard with Mike that I got to the ferry terminal about noon. I was in no hurry to get to the other side so took a seat in the outdoor waiting area and ate both of the Subways I'd bought. The ferry terminal had an outdoor bar and restaurant, as well as, one indoor. It was such a nice day that I sat under an umbrella, chatted with a few people who were eating and waiting, and enjoyed the time resting. There were a few unusual things around the ferry building. One was this vehicle that probably is used as a parade float.  Another was this memorial to unknown sailors.  I watched the ferry come and go and when the 1:45 boat arrived, I got up and was allowed to board before any of the cars. I was directed in the center of the auto deck to some bike racks.  I then made my way up to the comfortably air conditioned lounge,  where I waited out the ride in style! As I got off the boat, I silently celebrated my last ferry ride! I was now in New Jersey, but the trees looked the same to me.  My destination for the night was Ray, a couchsurfing host in Wildwood Crest, a few miles east of the ferry terminal. But, it was still pretty early in the day and I wanted to see Cape May, which was due south of where I was. It took a bit of meandering to find downtown Cape May. On the way, I stopped at a bakery to get some water for my Camelback and, for the first time, was refused. The woman behind the counter said that she didn't think the water they got was drinkable. As I left, I wondered what they used for baking. Cape May looked like the kind of place were wealthy people had vacation homes. Some of them were understated like this one.  Others were grand.  The walking mall in the middle of town was full of tourists.  There were also lots of people lounging on the beach.  There were huge hotels, fancy B&Bs, lots of restaurants and tourist shops. While completely catering to tourists, it wasn't as gaudy as Ocean City. Wildwood Crest is only a few miles from Cape May but the way there is not so obvious. I ended up having to ride on busy roads over narrow bridges just to get to the only road that travels between Cape May and Wildwood Crest. The road has a bit of a shoulder, except on the metal bridges that cross the numerous waterways in the wetlands. The views were pretty and the road not particularly crowded. This view looks north.  This view looks south.  Ray lived just past the wetlands. He works at home doing support for Oracle. He was still on the clock and waiting for his next contact when I arrived. Ray has a rescued puppy who became very agitated when I walked in. It barked and then ran around the house, jumping over the couch like some kind of steeplechaser.  Ray and I talked while he tried to get the dog under control. When the dog finally settled down a bit, he would nip my leg enough to hurt. I pushed him away, at first, but that didn't do anything. Eventually, I started to kick him every time he bit me, though I tried to be subtle so Ray wouldn't see me do this. He was very sorry that the dog was acting up so much and did everything he could to make him stop. I suggested an electric collar that shocked the dog every time it barked but he didn't seem to take to my idea. We spoke for hours about ourselves, my trip, his job, Atlantic City and many other subjects. One unresolved issue was whether or not we could work out a way for me to spend the next night when he wouldn't be there. Eventually, he simply offered me the keys to his place which was very nice of him, though, Ray is a very nice guy and a great host. For dinner, he had prepared a vegetarian feast of salad, grilled veggies, and ravioli. I ate until I couldn't eat any more. After dinner, we took a short walk to a local bar where we watched the end of the last game of the NHL Finals when Chicago beat Philadelphia, the hometown favorites. It was a jumping place and we left about half an hour after the game ended, went home and called it a night. |
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