RAIN

I could sum up today's ride with one word: RAIN! It rained from the time we got on the bikes until we got off, with one respite of about an hour. Most of it was not hard rain, but sometimes it rained pretty hard. My gear did pretty well; my chest got damp, and my crotch got a little damp, but otherwise I stayed dry.

The Lewes/Cape May Ferry was good. They let us board the boat first, and we went to the far end, allowing us to get off almost first (Homeland Security was first off). Met a couple guys who are motorcyclists and enjoyed talking with them.

The ferry landed at Cape May, NJ and we rode to the town of Cape May, just to see what was there. It's an old beach community, unremarkable as a beach, but very remarkable as a historic district. Beautiful old, huge houses, many converted to bed and breakfasts. Even the hotels were Victorian and Colonial in nature. It would be a good place to go for a long weekend with a significant other.

Then the ride north and west began. Our goal was to get north of New York City, without getting tangled up in the traffic. At a nearby seaside town, we stopped for lunch at a BBQ place. Gary had a Carolina BBQ sandwich (which he said was okay and Eastern NC style with no slaw); I had a Philly cheese steak omelette. Leaving the place, when I started the bike, the "Headlight Out" indicator informed me that one of my headlights had blown. These big BMWs are hard on headlight bulbe!

We cut cross-country, taking minor roads through small towns. saw lots of neat old houses, in spite of the neverending rain. We went down a couple dead-end roads, not knowing they didn't cut through to a larger road.

We finally ended up in Danbury, CT. Overall, we covered about 275 miles, even though we rode all day. A tough day in the saddle.

Tomorrow: East through Connecticut and then north.