We were up early to make sure we caught the ferry from Cape May NJ to Lewes DE. Our trip down the Garden State Parkway was marvelous. Not as much traffic as we anticipated (even around Atlantic City) so we made good time to Cape May. As we rode along, the honeysuckle smell that was prevalent yesterday gave way to more smells of the beach. The soil turned sandier and the views of the large houses along the water's edge increased. We pulled up to the ferry entrance, showed our tickets purchased online the night before and produced our picture IDs. We were told that there was room on the earlier ferry and we were just in time. We quickly proceeded to the front of the line and boarded the 'Cape Henelopen' behind 4 other large Harleys. We backed out bikes up against the side of the ferry and the crew threw chucks under our front wheels. A large tour bus pulled up and three columns of cars quickly filed in. No one else tied down their bikes, but BMRPop and C-Zookie took the extra precautions. Not finding a way to tie the Burgman down, I trusted that the waters would be calm.
It was a smooth ferry crossing to Lewes. We enjoyed visiting with a couple who, as they each held a miniature poodle, encouraged us to visit Alaska, especially Denali and Valdez. We shared travel stories and they asked about our gear and how we traveled. We saw many dolphins out in front of the ferry and behind the ferry, the seagulls followed looking for fish in the churned waters. We were sitting on the bikes ready to disembark as the ferry docked. We were among the first vehicles off the ferry, but quickly pulled over to the side to disrobe into cooler clothes and gloves. Next, we were on the hunt for CRAB. It seemed forever through the flat farmlands of southern Delaware and Eastern shore, Maryland before we rolled into Denton for a bite to eat. After parking in front of the rather busy courthouse, we enjoyed lunch at the Irish Public House...mmmm....crab cake sandwiches and lots of iced tea. After a leisurely lunch we headed for Annapolis. On our way out of town, we saw a huge turtle crawling along the side of the road, guided by well-meaning citizens. We made excellent time towards Annapolis, and enjoyed the views from the Bay Bridge.
C-Zooki led us through Washington DC, down New York Avenue where we spotted the US Capitol for a hot second before heading through the tunnel towards Virginia. C-Zookie found the HOV lane and we zoomed past the regular commuters who were backed up across 4 lanes barely moving. We didn't have to exit the HOV lane until we were almost to Fredericksburg.
