I rose early . . . like leaving NYC, I had a ferry to make. But this time, it was at the end of the day, not the start! It was about 45 miles to get there, which should be easy enough. There were regular departures, but I was aiming for either the 1:00 PM or 2:00 PM slot, but the earlier the better. So I was awake at 6:00 AM and on the road at 7:00 AM, headed for breakfast.
Another early morning rise. Ocean City, NJ is a dry town, so there was no reason to stay up late. Plus, I have a ferry to catch!
Breakfast was fine, only about 1-1/2 miles away at Uncle Bill's Pancake House, where everything is about pancakes! But I was able to squeeze in my standard "eggs over easy with bacon and home fries" breakfast, so all was good. Then, it was back on the road, with a little trail diversion!
The Haven Avenue Bikeway . . . all four blocks of it.
And I really mean little, as in about four blocks long! But the flowers were pretty. And the roads were quiet! I guess it was still early, but as I pedaled south, I could see the various communities slowly waking up. It was nice to be back in the beach communities, especially these, as when I last biked through here during my East Coast trip, we were forced inland because the bridges between the barrier islands were closed for repair. Well, that work is now done, so I was able to bike those "missed" sections from 2015.
Looking towards wetlands and the "inland" side of my route towards Devils Island.
That was a pretty stretch of riding and not bad, even with the narrow bridges, all of which are toll bridges. But bikes cross for free! And they only collect the toll in one direction, which tended to be in my direction of travel and helped slow traffic down as I crossed each bridge. Not that I was ever under any serious concern, but the Strathmere Bridge is quite long. In Sea Isle City, I was able to get off the main north-south road and actually ride on some "boardwalk" for a distance. By now, lots of people were up and moving about, including runners and other cyclists. And in most of these places, if you're there early enough, which I was, you can ride your bike on the boardwalk, which I did!
The "boardwalk" in Sea Isle City. The sun was starting to come out and brighten things up!
The bridge over Townsends Inlet. As you can see, there is no shoulder and a toll booth at the top of the span. This is the bridge that was under repair in 2015 that forced us inland. It looks like they replaced the railing and probably did work on the bascule span as well.
From there, I was on "old" turf, which I expected to recognize a bit . . . but didn't, even when I got into Avalon and Stone Harbor, the island's two main towns. Then more bridges.
The Stone Harbor Bridge. This one was long enough that it had a name on the map!
But I eventually got to what is my favorite New Jersey beach, Wildwood. Favorite from a visual point of view . . . and maybe one day I'll spend some time here and find out for real.
On my way out of town and headed back to the main north-south road, I stumbled onto this odd lane striping! Wow! How dangerous! The travel lane to the left of that bike lane is a combined left-turn, through, and right-turn lane! At best, that bike lane should go straight through to a turn box, not be striped as a turn lane. Or maybe it should just terminate. I wonder how many near-accidents have occurred here with overtaking vehicles wanting to pass straight through on a green light and a cyclist lazily making a left turn?
My left turn to head south for Cape May. I did not use the bike lane! Nor did the rider to my left (although I can't remember if she turned or went straight).
Well, I made it through that intersection and down the road toward the mainland. I had one more bridge to cross, and I would be off the barrier islands for good . . .
My last toll bridge, this one over the Middle Thorofare Channel, and part of the Intracoastal Waterway. The dark clouds were returning, but no rain!
After about another two miles down the road, I was at my decision point, although it was an easy decision. Depending on my time, I was considering bypassing Cape May, shaving six miles and maybe 30 minutes off my trip to the ferry. But I arrived at NJ-109 at about 10:30 AM, 3-1/2 hours after I left my hotel. And that included getting breakfast, so I had ample time to cruise through Cape May . . . and even better, I was going to make the noon ferry departure!
So a left turn it was, heading south for Cape May over the Cape May Canal. It's a "high-level" crossing . . . meaning it's a fixed span as opposed to a movable span. This bridge has to be high enough so it doesn't have to open! Which is fine, as it isn't that high. But there was one irritating factor: as I climbed the approach, right before I hit the bridge deck, there was a sign stating, "No Bike Riding — Walk Bike on Walkway Only."
Well, I ignored that! First off, I don't walk my bike; second, that is hardly proper notice; and third, there was no curb cut to exit the roadway. To comply, I would have to physically stop in traffic, dismount, and lift my bike up over the curb.
I might add, we biked this same bridge coming the other way on our east coast tour and rode across without incident. And upon checking, I found there is no similar sign or restriction in the opposite direction . . . and also no sidewalk. So I suspect this is not about safety but about getting cars over the bridge and into Cape May without those damn cyclists getting in the way. Rant over.
I actually went "off-course" to see a little more of the town. But I didn't linger long. I still had six miles to cover, and I wanted to be there early. My planned ice cream stop could now wait until Rehoboth Beach, especially since I had shaved an hour or two off today's travel time!
So I headed for Seashore Road, NJ-162, and back over the canal. From there, I followed secondary roads and joined US-9 about one mile from the ferry terminal, which has a nice dedicated bikeway for cyclists!
On Seashore Drive over the Cape May Canal, second passing, looking east toward the railroad swing-span. That is one narrow opening!
From there, it was an easy jaunt through Cape Henlopen State Park, which leads you to Gordons Pond Wildlife Area on some very familiar . . . and very nice trails.
On the Gordons Pond Trail. These are nice elevated structures . . . I hope they last.
And after a 25-minute ice cream break, I meandered to my good friend's home in Eagles Landing, where I plan to "rest" for four days before continuing the journey to my real home.
