Pat and Sari's Honeymoon Bike Ride

Sunday, March 02, 2008
Stone Harbor, NJ to Milton, DE
35 miles (124 total miles)

We started the day by taking the bike to the Atlantic Ocean to dip the back wheel in the water. We were treated to a beautiful sunrise in the process. We will dip the front wheel in the Pacific Ocean when we arrive there. It seemed chillier this morning and later saw a temperature of 33 degrees. It was still very windy, but it was a beautiful sunny day.

After the bike-dipping, we headed south towards Cape May to take the ferry over to Delaware. We passed beautiful marshes and nature preserves, saw many shore birds - gulls, herons, red-winged blackbirds, and others, and some interesting characteristic shore houses. We stopped for breakfast in Cape May and chatted with the friendly locals who couldn't believe we were biking on such a cold day. Then we toured around picturesque Cape May with its quaint Victorian houses. Feeling pretty chilled, we stopped in our favorite Cape May cafe, Bella Vida, for some hot chocolate. We then headed out to the Cape May-Lewes ferry.

We had a couple of hours wait at the ferry terminal which was a welcome rest, since we still felt tired and achy from yesterday's long haul. The hour-long ferry ride gave us more chance to rest. A whale was sighted going past the ferry when I happened to be on deck taking pictures. I didn't manage to see it although I heard it surface and go under again.

Our friends, Ursula and Robyn, met us on the Lewes, DE side of the ferry, and their daughter Ingrid took our picture in front of a model of one of the ferries. They guided us to their house in Milton, DE, only 12 miles away, and served us a delicious dinner, including a home-made apple pie for dessert. We were glad today was a short day - only 35 bike miles - and look forward to turning in a little earlier tonight.

Sunrise on the Atlantic Ocean at Stone Harbor

Pat dips the back bike wheel in the Atlantic to inaugurate our cross-country ride

The Stone Harbor water tower

The view from the back seat

Stone Harbor's beautiful marshes

Boats in a marina in Cape May

Our breakfast location, Cape May, NJ

One of the beautiful Victorian homes in Cape May

A historic Victorian mansion, the Empress

People walking and jogging on the boardwalk in Cape May

Another historic mansion, the Chalfonte Hotel

We stopped at Bella Vida Cafe for hot chocolate

Going over a canal - view of a pivoting bridge

Sign for the Cape May-Lewes Ferry

Sari works on the laptop while we wait for the ferry

The ferry pulls into the terminal

Our bike fits perfectly between 2 bike slots!

Our friends, Ursula and Robyn, pose with us in front of a model of the ferry