Mile 2280

 Today was some sort of disappointing, not to say discouraging in a certain way.  We had to learn the hard way after approaching about a dozen campsites, State Parks, and numerous motels, that holiday season has not yet started in Maine and consequently most of the facilities were still in hibernation i.e.closed.  This forced us to reconsider our plans and to make some alterations to it in order to move forward.  Other than that it was just another glorious day at the Atlantic coast.  We picked up Hwy-1 again after leaving Scarborough, ME this morning, moved through Portland, ME and North to Bath, ME.  From here we made a slight detour to Georgetown Island, and then went on to Damariscotta, ME to turn South on SR-130 to Pemaquit Point Lighthouse.  Here we picked up SR-32 to join Hwy-1 again in Waldoboro, ME, passing through Rockland, ME to Camden, ME, crossing the Penobscot River on the famous Penobscot Narrows Bridge.  It is the tallest public bridge observatory in the world and a marvel of maritime engineering for being a 2,120 foot-long cable-stayed bridge.  We continue to Ellsworth, ME, and after not having found an open place for the night within a decent price range, we follow Hwy-1A to Bangor, ME for a campsite there. 

Street murals and impressions from Portland, ME

Along the way, whatever draws your attention

Bath, ME, the old Carlton Bridge 

Five Island Lobster Co. and view

"Taste of Main" with its giant Lobster on the roof in Woolwich, ME

Pemaquid Point Lighthouse and view

Penobscot Narrows Bridge, ME

The temperatures have started to drop as we have come further North, and even the sky is crystal clear and blue, and the sun is out, there is not yet very much warmth in the air.  Also spring season has not yet arrived as most of the trees are still not in blossom, and the forrest still have their wintery gray.

"A good traveler has no fixed plans, and is not intent on arriving."  -  Lao Tzu, Chinese philosopher and writer

Mile 2055

 After some fun filled days in Essex, MA at our friends place we leave this morning after we sorted out some stuff stuff, rearranged our remaining stuff, and gained surprisingly 1.5" more ground clearance.  We loaded the bikes on the rack and added some straps for more stability and avoiding the swaying to take off some stress on the hitch.  This hopefully will prolong the lifetime of the equipment.  

Second attempt

"The Mariner", Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial, MA

Two of the four planters made by our friend Chris Williams of Essex, MA

at the Gloucester Fisherman's Memorial, MA

Then we pick up our routing and follow the Atlantic coastline heading to Gloucester, MA making the loop around Cape Ann, passing through Essex again and heading North on the Essex Coastal Scenic Byway. 

Impressions from Cape Ann, MA

 We cross the Merrimack River in Newburyport, MA and enter for a short while New Hamsphire.  We continue following SR-1A to join shortly Hwy-1 to cross the Piscataqua River in Portsmouth, NH to enter the State of Maine.  We pass Kittery, stop at Pepperrell Cove at Bistro 1828 (their mussels are to die for) for a late lunch, and continue to Cape Neddick, Ogunquit, then go East on SR-9 to Kennebunkport and Kennebunk, ME, following once again a beautiful coastline and finally calling it the day at Scarborough, ME.  

Nubble Light House, Cape Neddick, ME to protect mariners from the "Savage Rock"

Today we saw one of the most beautiful coastlines and coves, huge, beautiful houses, and beaches which stand any comparison to ours at home (except for the water temperature).

"There's nothing more beautiful than the way the ocean refuses to stop kissing the shoreline, no matter how many times it's sent away."  -  Sarah Kay, American Poet

Mile 1911

 After spending the morning at the AMCA meet in Oley, PA and getting most of the parts Chris had come for for his 1948 Harley Davidson, we decide late afternoon to head back to Essex, MA.  We decide to take a more Southern route and elect Interstate travel because of Friday evening.  We pick up I-76 / I-276  in Morgantown, PA to bring us to I-95, the notoriously ever so crowded Interstate leading us through New Jersey and New York, over to the stop and go double tier George Washington Bridge and up the East Coast through Connecticut and Rhode Island into Massachusetts.  We all three arrive late at night exhausted from the slow traffic and fall to bed instantly.

Indians and Harleys,

.... and some more

Impressions from the AMCA Meet in Oley, PA 

Having arrived and Finella's and Chris' place where we will spend some days we use the time to re-organize our stuff as we were a bit overloaded and scraped our bike rack several times.  Due to stupid packing and loading we had lost 50% of our ground clearance which in the long run when roads worsen is not a good thing to have.  So its time to separate the needed from the luxury items.

Back to square one

I also fiddle as usual a little around with Chris, having design chats for his new living space, talk motorcycles, and move some steel around.  Just the stuff guys do when they have too much time on hand, and cold beer in the fridge.  Just having a good time.  A big THANKS to Finella, Chris, Thomas, and Jackson for their hospitality and friendship.

"There are friends, there is family, and then there are friends that become family."  -  Janice Dean and/or Jay Shetty, cited 2018 by first on Facebook and by the latter on X (formerly Twitter).

Mile 1508

 After taking care of some business up here in Hartford, CT and spending a lovely afternoon / evening with a friend, we turn the next day our wheels West (I know we just came from there) to meet up with another friend in Mohnton, PA for a AMCA motorcycle meet in Oley, PA.  We avoid as much as we can to drive Interstate as we do since the beginning of our journey and follow Hwy-202 to Danbury, CT, crossing the Hudson River and continuing to Suffern, NY, where we pick up I-287 to bring us to I-78 toward Allentown, PA.  From here it is all PA back country roads to our camp site in Mohntown, PA.  After a quick stop in the supermarket dinner and breakfast is secured, and Chris is already there and awaits us with a hearty welcome and some cold beer.

Sushi and a Kani Salad at the favorite Restaurant

Diner along the way

Crossing the Delaware River

Just driving today, but not bad at all, and worth spending time with a friend.

"The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart."  -  Elisabeth Foley, American historical fiction and historical mystery writer

Mile 1140

 Today we start with a visit to the 4th oldest private Ivy League research university in the country, Princeton, NJ, founded in 1746.  We take the bicycles from the parking lot and ride up to the campus which in fact is a 2.4 km2 area (or a little town).  Walking through the buildings and classrooms threw me back 47 years reminding me of my own time in the holly halls of wisdom at my university.  But here it has another gravity to it, because of its age, the quality of teaching, and the kind of people who were educated here.  Presidents, supreme court justices, senators, and scientists like James Madison (4th US President), Woodrow Wilson (28th US President), John F. Kennedy (35th US President), James Stewart (American actor and military aviator), Michelle Obama, Jeff Bezos, Brooke Shields, Donald Rumsfeld, Queen Noor Al Hussein, and many others.  And as a special feed today was the admission day for the 2025 class.  Lots of speeches, many proud students, and even more proud parents.

getting ready to ride to the campus

University Chapel and Library  -  East Pyne

                               East Pyne

                                 Nassau Hall

John Witherspoon, president of the college 1768 - 1794

and signer of the Declaration of Independence

After that, we moved out of Princeton, NJ on Hwy-206 to find Hwy-202 to bring us through the state of New York into Connecticut.  The roads in New York are as bad as ever, and with all the construction works we lost a couple of times our bearings, and hitting end of day traffic made the moving a stop and go exercise.  When we finally crossed I-84 we went onto the Interstate, but this wasn't a better idea and Also here it was stop and go traffic, and the last 80 miles took us almost three hours.  But with a good sushi dinner at our favorite place at our former home place, some cold wine, all is quickly forgotten and the day ends on a positive note.

"Nothing is more certain than that a general profligacy and corruption of manners make a people ripe for destruction.  A good form of government may hold the rotten materials together for some time, but beyond a certain pitch, even the best constitution will be ineffectual, and slavery must ensue." - John Witherspoon, 18th century intellectual

Mile 872

 This morning we leave our campsite at the Pocomoke Sound and cross the State Line into Delaware.  Here we follow Hwy-13 / 113 to get to the SR-90 to bring us over the Isle of Wight Island and Bay to Fenwick Island, DE.  Here we follow the Assawoman Bay to the left, and the Atlantic to the right, the along the Indian River Bay to the ferry terminal in Lewes, DE to bring us over to Cape May, NJ.  The check in at the ferry terminal is most different from all the others we had till now, lots of security checks with dog sniffing and visual inspections.  But safety first, those inspections don't bother us, as long as we don't have to unpack everything which could take awhile.  The ride over the Delaware Bay is pretty uneventful, and so we drive from Cape May, NJ to Wildwood, NJ.  Our idea is to follow the Atlantic coast line to Ocean City, NJ and then to Atlantic City, NJ and enjoy the boardwalks and coastal beauties New Jersey is so much known for.  But we are in for a big disappointment.  The amusement parks are closed and look like they haven't been open since last year, hotels, beach bars, and restaurants are still closed or under renovation, and the boardwalks are very much deserted.  It is a picture as grey as the sky today, all what we need now is some rain and the mood couldn't be worse.  So we abandon this plan and follow Hwy-9 North towards New York, NY as much as we feel on driving this way.

All in all a little bit of a disappointing day, and at the end of it, it started to rain.  A perfect ending to a not so perfect day.

Ferry Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ

Boardwalk and Amusement Parks in Wildwood, NJ on the Monday after Easter

Street murals

"Put your make-up on, fix your hair up pretty.  And meet me tonight in Atlantic City." - Bruce Springsteen - nicknamed "The Boss", American singer, songwriter and guitarist form Long Island, NJ