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The New Staes
PierceFriends and family, thank you so much for all your support and encouragement. It really is amazing to see how far word travels. Sorry for the delay on the latest entry, I have had a little more difficulty finding a computer to use long enough to complete a full entry.
I wrote my last entry way down on the Eastern Shore of VA and had a fantastic weekend with my good friends Shannon and Serena. The good times continued that Sunday when Shannon and I packed up my bike and bags into her little car and drove up to Ocean City, MD. Yes, that is right, I cheated that day's 60 mile ride in the comfort and camaraderie of a short road trip. We spent the afternoon walking the boardwalk from the north all the way down to the south end and back again. This was my first boardwalk experience and oh what an overload of the senses. All the sights, sounds, and smells of any wild carnival or amusement park and if that weren't enough, all this right on the beach. Roller coasters, carousels, cotton candy, funnel cakes, ice cream, hot dogs, arcade games, t-shirt and trinket shops, bicycles,
strollers, and kids running amuck everywhere. This must be quite a spectacle when summer is at its peak. Later, Shannon and I had cheeseburgers and ice cream for dinner and I checked into an old beach side hotel. It was unexpectedly very nice, marble statues in the lobby, a huge fancy dining room and bar, and my room had a great big four poster bed and old paintings on the wall.
In the morning I had a super delicious fresh banana and roasted pecan Belgian waffle, a perfect start for my day of riding. I rode up through Ocean City and into Rhode Island. I had a great day checking out more small beach town boardwalks in Bethany, Dewey, and Rehoboth Beaches then stopped in at the Dog Fish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach for Lunch and some tasty brew. The bar tender and one of the brewers told me about a bunch of great breweries up along the coast where I would be traveling and printed me out a list so I could check them off as I go. I probably spent way to much time sipping my beer because I was a little dizzy riding into the
wind to the Cape May Ferry. I arrived at the ticket booth as the ferry was exiting the harbor and on top of that my rear tire had a blow out. I guess waiting for the next ferry gave me plenty of time to change the flat and browse the gift shop. The ferry ride across the Delaware River was rather uneventful and soon I was in Cape May, New Jersey. It was a beautifully preserved Victorian town, many of the old houses and hotels were painted in bright decorative colors and detailed with intricately carved borders and edges. I checked into a cheap motel and dinned on a tasty half rack of ribs at the C-View Tavern next to the Cape May Harbor.
I strolled through the old town once more in the morning to look at more of the beautiful houses and the spring blooming trees and flowers which complimented perfectly. Then I was off to the Jersey Shore. The whole Jersey Shore can be summed up pretty good with two words "extravagant boardwalks" and there isn't much else to say about that. The Wildwood boardwalks where huge; multiple amusement parks, a water park, and the widest
beach I have ever seen. A game of football could easily be played with one endzone at the boardwalk and the other at the water with much room to spare. Saw the famous forty foot tall wooden elephant named Lucy south of Atlantic City then walked through the massive king of all boardwalks in Atlantic City between glitzy Trump Casinos and a huge shopping mall set on top of a pier extending out over the ocean. Trumps Taj Mahal was amazing as well as the Casbah night club... I wonder if that is where people are meant to "rock the Casbah" like in that 80's song? The glamour of the casinos seemed to end abruptly and I found myself in quite a nasty ghetto. After a nervous hour or two I managed to escape these poor streets and a bit of a busy freeway and went inland to safety. The next day I had to detour about 20 miles around a two mile long stretch of the Garden State Parkway but I guess it was a welcomed uncrowded and scenic ride through some of Jerseys forested and uninhabited interior. After another day of Jersey Shore and busy boardwalks, I made
Fishing boats
The view just outside the C-View Pubit to Sandy Hook State Park where I caught my first glimpse of NYC and the Empire State Building far off in the distance. I leisurely strolled around the park all afternoon waiting till sunset so I could stash myself in the scrub brush along the beach for the night. It was a great night under the stars listening to the ocean waves and watching the constant flow of jet planes flying low overhead into the airports of NYC. So excited that tomorrow I would be in Manhattan.
The next morning I woke up early before sunrise and dashed out of my camping spot. I had some time before I had to be at the ferry station so I took a quick look around at the Navesink Twin Lighthouse then on to the high speed ferry from the Highlands into Manhattan along with all the other workday commuters. At the Pier 11 dock I got caught up in the hustle and bustle and before I knew it the ferry pulled away with me still on board. No matter, next stop 34th St. I got off here and traveled along the outer edge bike path all the way south to
a beautiful victorian mansion
The whole town of Cape May looked like this! Battery Park. Here I relaxed and watched all the busy boat traffic in the harbor, I even got to see a little firefighter boat spraying its water canons in full display in front of the Statue of Liberty and along side a tall ship on its way into port. After my short break here I continued up along the perimeter bike trail and went in to see the World Trade Center site. Now it just looks like a big hole and a construction site. I rode through Washington Square Park on my way to 33rd and 3rd Pizzeria for a couple delicious real New York style pizza slices and had fun peddling through the frantic city traffic. On a bike I have so much more freedom being able to wiz along side rushing cars, buses, and yellow taxicabs. I can rush in and out of lanes, in between traffic clogged lanes, and pass through traffic jammed intersections with ease. On a bike in the city, it's like there are no rules. I can act like a cyclist and a pedestrian at the same time and all the cars stay out of my way. I am not alone, there are many
cyclist on the city streets to keep me company. I rode along the Central Park loop to my upper west side hostel and had time to relax while mingling with some of the other travelers. I talked to a cricket player from Australia and had a few beers with two German guys who came to the U.S. to buy a van and road trip around the whole country for four months. For the most part the other travelers in the hostel kept to themselves so I went out to the bars around Columbia University by myself and had fun anyway.
The next day in the city was spent traveling back through the city, a whopping 15 miles into Brooklyn. I got my favorite city breakfast to go (an everything bagel with cream cheese and an OJ) and went into the Park to lounge in one of the sprawling green lawns. I laid out in the Sheep Pasture early and watched as the expansive grassy field progressively filled up over this Saturday lunch time. Families, groups of friends and pretty girls in bikinis all relaxing and soaking up the sun. After my fill of sun I continued south through the
city along Broadway from Columbus Circle on the southwest corner of Central Park all the way down to the entrance of Brooklyn Bridge, I believe this is called the Broadway Bomber and was an amazing way to see the city. I passed the Late Show with David Letterman, through Times Square, and through the center of many of Manhattan's popular neighborhoods. Finally, I reached Brooklyn Bridge and the pedestrian and bike pathway was packed full of weekend gawkers so I hurried across as fast as I could to find the Brooklyn Hostel where I would stay for the night. It was a little confusing but I located the hostel above a trendy bar named the Cherry Tree, it was a small bar with a cozy open air beer garden in the back. I checked in at the bar and walked through the bar to get up to my room. It was like an apartment with a kitchen, living room, and bathroom but the bedrooms were stuffed with six beds each. I met three Frenchmen who had been living there for quite some time and were all chefs or bartenders around town and a cute German girl who was completing a
The Absecon Lighthouse
in the middle of the Atlantic City Ghetto doctorate psychology degree. Later, I went down to the bar for dinner and drinks and ended up partying (Cinco de Mayo style) with a group of young attorneys. We watched one of the cooks as he roasted a whole pig on an open pit barbecue then chopped it up piece by piece for everyone in the beer garden to enjoy, for free, as they partied. Talia and her friends treated me to a shot of tequila and we all toasted to the holiday before going our separate ways. Talia is a beautiful girl excited about life and excited about music and she and her friends were all great friends to hang out with. She has her own blog, writing about music and her adventurous times in the city.
My own exciting times in the city were now over and it was time for me to move on through Long Island towards Montauk Point. I ventured south through the streets of Brooklyn and the green fields of Prospect Park all the way out to Coney Island. I was a little sick of boardwalks so I rode along as fast as I could through some surprisingly poor beach side communities. Tall
high rise low income housing, project housing, and wide open derelict wastelands on beachfront property with a long boardwalk. It's sad to see something with so much potential so misused. I rode through some very urban looking beach towns and stopped to check out Jones Beach. This popular beach is able to accommodate thousands of beach goers but today it was empty and the classic art deco beach houses were all still closed up for the winter. I talked to a man about Fire Island who dissuaded me from even trying to go there. He mentioned forty miles of impassible elitist beach towns separated by long expanses of untouched beaches. Instead I traveled inland through town after town of seemingly endless NYC suburbia all the way out to the Moriches where I camped in a nature park. I laid out my tent as a curious herd of deer investigated me by snorting and stomping their hooves. I must have been pretty interesting because they were still there in the morning stomping and snorting as I packed up and rode away. I rode into the ritzy little village clusters of the Hamptons and was in awe as I rode along back
roads through the countryside passing grand estates and extravagantly luxurious mansions. Every one larger than the last interspersed between rolling farmland and quaint little farm houses.
With the Hamptons behind me, the land became very hilly and forested and much less inhabited. I set up camp at Hither Hills State Park and dropped baggage for a quick sprint through the hills out to Montauk Point to see the light house, the sandy cliffs and the rocky shore. I stopped in at a pub in Montauk for dinner and talked to some great people excited to hear about my trip. I was even treated to a few free drinks before riding a little bit tipsy back to the campsite in the dark. I slept great that night with the sound of the crashing waves right beside me. I awoke to a thick wet blanket of mist and fog and packed up quickly and quietly. I escaped the campground and snuck past the park ranger at the gate under that heavy shroud of fog and away from any fees for the nights stay. I rode back into the Hamptons then turned north to take a few short ferries out to Orient
Too/Two many lighthouses
the Highlands double lighthouse Point. I stopped on Shelter Island to use the internet at a library where the librarian basically told me to leave and get off her island. WTF!! I have never heard of a traveling member of the public being kicked out of a FREE public library and then be told to go elsewhere to pay for internet use. What is up with that! I became very angry about this snooty little island real fast, not only did I have to pay three dollars to get on the island, I had to pay three dollars to get off the island... Rediculous! ... Unbeleivable! I was glad to be on the quickest ferry off of Long Island on my way to New London, CT.
I will start a new journey through New England and this will be the last leg of my tour into Canada.
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Mom, Dad & Carrie
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Family support from Nebraska
Glad to read your update, lots of family asking for news of your whereabouts. Just want to let you know that all of your family is interested in hearing about your travels and cheering you on to Canada, everyone wishes you well. Good luck through New England.