NYC -2- ATL

Today we awoke at the Astronaut on the South Jersey Shore. I called both of our platinum level sponsors to wish them a happy Mother’s Day and updated them on our progress. Despite the terrible ticketing web site’s best efforts, we successfully made our reservations for the Cape May-Lewes Ferry. We checked out and rode a mile to a pretty good breakfast restaurant. It was fairly crowded for Mother’s Day, but they got us in and out quickly anyways. Our bellies full, we pulled out of town and headed for Cape May.

The marshlands on the way south were very scenic. We passed over a few drawbridges and causeways and when we got to Cape May, we decided we had time to add a few miles by looping through town instead of heading straight to the ferry docks. When we got downtown, a brisk wind blew a twenty dollar bill right into my dad’s waiting hands, which naturally we both took as a great omen of luck worth far more than the monetary value of the fiat bill.

As we cruised further through town, we realized we only had about twenty-five minutes until our ferry was scheduled to depart. The website had warned us to arrive twenty minutes early, so for the first time in our journey thus far, we hurried. When we arrived, as you may have guessed, we waited. After checking in and having our bags screened, we waited for all of the cars to load onto the ferry before walking the bikes onto the lower deck.

The hour and a half long cruise was fun. We walked around the top decks and watched for whales and dolphins. We each met strangers with recommendations for the area and answered questions about our bike journey. We even met another cyclist heading south towards the Outer Banks, albeit at a much quicker pace than us.

Upon disembarking at the ferry terminal outside of Lewes, DE (the oldest town in the oldest state) we quickly found a bike path that led us out to Cape Henlopen State Park. The park was actually some of the country’s first public lands, and also contained the WWII era Fort Miles. We saw one of the State’s eleven observation towers up close and the park is littered with bunkers and examples of the types of guns and artillery that were used there in the 1940s.

We had eaten a big breakfast and never had a full lunch, so we stopped in the park at a sunny picnic table and ate another package of the smoked salmon and crackers—yum. Studying the map, we booked a room a few more miles south in Rehoboth Beach and followed a new mixed-use trail along a beautiful brackish lake down the coast. A quick peek at the boardwalk and main drag in town and we headed for the hotel.

After checking in and getting all of the bags off the bikes and into the room, we pedaled a few miles back into town for dinner. We ended up choosing a British-style fish and chips place and it was pretty good. It was getting cold and the sun was setting as we left, so back to the hotel we went. I treated us both to some really good Blue Bunny ice cream sundaes in the lobby while waiting on the load of laundry I did downstairs.

I made a point to say “Happy Mother’s Day” to as many strangers as the opportunity presented today. I was careful not to make wild assumptions, but so many people were so obviously out to brunch with their moms, or walking in the towns and parks with their families. As we would pass a couple with children on the trail, I would turn and smile and say “Happy Mother’s Day” which seemed to instantly make everyone smile and return a quick “Thank you!”

All in all, we did significantly less milage on the bikes today, and that’s ok. The ferry ride was inevitable for our route and took up two hours of prime mid-day riding time. We saw some cool sites, met some cool people, and came across everything we needed and more. Dad says he feels like he’s starting to get into the groove. Tomorrow’s forecast is calling for substantial tailwinds, and I have to agree with him.