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Published: January 29th 2007
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Estate near Peapack, New Jersey
There are some amazing country homes near Peapack. Lots of horse stables in this area. Around 9 am on January 1, 2007 I was ready to get back on the road and head to my first Hostel in Newport, Rhode Island. The homes in that area of New Jersey are incredible. I was told they still have fox hunts on horseback and play polo. I guess they have not broken away entirely from the motherland yet. It is very pretty up there.
I arrived at the Hostel around 4 and the person running the Hostel was not there, but had left a numbr to call. It turned out she was on her way back from NYC too. She said every year they have a New Years run in Central Park and she had done that. She told me how to get in and then I waited for her to arrive. The Hostel was very nice. It was a two-story building with the first floor being the Hostel area and the upstairs being two rental apartments. It was offseason so I was the only one staying there the first night. A few days later a couple women showed up to stay as well. I stayed in a room with 3 beds.
The first night in
Newport Boat Making School
Newport Rhode Island is the Mecca of Sailing and Seamanship. This photo is the inside of a shool where they make boats as part of the curriculum. town was New Years Day and I headed out to find something to eat. I headed to a yacht club which said for members only. After walking in they said yeah come on in and downp played the sign. Newport is an extremely touristy area, but being New Years Day very few things were open. I talked to the bartender and another guy in the bar. Both of them crew on big sailboats. They talked about a sailboat competition in Key West that is a blast. I told them I was headed that way and wanted to be down there for it. They also talked about America's Cup which they said is in Valencia, Spain this year. The bartender said he was planning to go over there for that. I was thinking to myself how did I stumble across this place that is so rooted in sailing. Then I realized it was simply because of the Hostel. They didn't have any food there except for the appetizers from New Years Eve, which they gave me. I had a couple beers, the appetizers and enjoyed talking to them about sailing. They asked me questions as well and enjoyed my story.
St. Mary's Church
As stated on the sign this is where JFK and Jackie were married. The next day I spent riding my bike all over Newport. I started out the day talking to the fisherman on the docks. At the docks you can buy Lobster for around $8.00 each. I would have liked to buy some and cook them, but decided not to. I rode around all the mansions and around the coast. I saw lots of geese everywhere I rode. There is a Coast Guard building near the inlet to Newport Harbor. Toured the Breakers Mansion which is the grand-daddy of all mansions in the area. That night I decided to go to find a bowl of Clam Chowder (New England style of Course) and a beer. You have to have Clam Chowder in this area of the Country. I talked to a guy that is the cook for the New York Yacht Club, which is in Newport. He said he is the one that created the type of chowder that is eaten in the Newport area. Essentially I think it was mainly the cream that is added to the soup. Regardless the Chowder was in deed very good! I headed back to the Hostel relatively early to get some rest.
The next
St. Mary's Pic 2
Another Pic of St. Mary's day (1/3/07) I drove to Martha's Vineyard where I biked. Pictures and a narrative of that trip is in the next journal entry. When getting back to Newport that night I went back to the bar called O'Briens for more chowder. What can I say I am a creature of habit. It was Karaoke night at O'Briens. I talked to a Coast Guard guy named Jay for a long time. He was waiting for his girlfriend Kim to show up. She showed up a little later and sang a couple songs. The quality of the singing was pretty good overall, although a few people would have been better served resrticitng their singing to the confines of their showers. I think the drink called Grateful Dead that Kim had bought for me was the encouragement I needed to allow me to make a fool out of my self and sing a Meatload duet with her. The owner of the Karaoke machine must of heard me sing before, because our song never came up and the bar was closing. I had a blast talking to Jay and Kim and Kim gave me contact information for a coach in Belgium should I want
Newport Houses
There are lots of old houses in Newport. This was constructed around 1721. That's old! to play some baseball over there this summer. She goes over there every summer and plays womens fast pitch softball with the same group of people. She said it's more about hanging out than the actual competition.
Newport is a great little town and I had a blast there. There are lots of shops and things to do. Newport is a Mecca for sailing.
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Amy
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Wow!
Looks like a blast! I am so excited for you, Dave. This is an area of the country I hope to visit some day. Thanks for the blog! There's a lot of people living vicariously through you this year!