I went to bed early and rose early. I really wanted to make the 8:15 ferry to Sandy Hook. I even set two alarms, neither of which was used because I was up and out of bed before 6:00, having gone to bed at 9:30 or so. My goal was to leave the hostel by 7:00, and I beat that by five minutes lol. But that meant no breakfast . . . the kitchen didn't open until 8:00. But that was OK; I would find breakfast on the Jersey Shore . . . somewhere . . . eventually.
Checkout was easy, and being early on a Saturday morning, so was the riding. I headed west for the Hudson River Greenway, knowing it would take me to one of two ferries providing service to Sandy Hook . . . of which I was sure only one operated on Saturday. And that one was five miles away. But then, I had an hour to get there. Easy.
Leaving New York City . . . actually, just leaving Chelsea for now and looking for the Hudson River Greenway.
As has been my luck, on this trip at least, I had missed the rain. I knew because the roads were wet, but not me! It looked threatening, however. And being on the coast and near large bodies of water, you can never be sure. But that is what touring is all about . . . going with the flow. And the flow was to New Jersey!
So once on the Greenway, it was all south . . . with a slight detour past the ferry terminal at World Financial Center, the WFC, which I KNEW was not running today, in spite of Google's insistence otherwise. The only feedback I got from that diversion was a long-distance chastisement from a security guard to "Walk your bike." By then, I was almost through the deserted hardscaped plaza. But I obliged as I looked for the sign indicating for me to "remount" my bike . . . which, of course, did not exist. Only "Don'ts," no "Do's."
But I've gotten to the age where I don't care anymore. They've done their job by screaming at me, and I've passed through without incident. So be it. On to Sandy Hook! But it got a little tricky south of the WFC. The path is not always clear and can be a bit circuitous at times. But I had a good sense of where I was going and arrived in good time!
After a bit of wandering, including checking out the WFC ferry (which, in spite of Google telling me otherwise, I was pretty positive was not running to Sandy Hook today), I arrived at Pier 11/Wall Street. Now I just had to wait.
It was an easy wait and an easy ride. I was the first in line too, but it didn't take long for the beachgoers to line up behind me. On the far side, at Sandy Hook, there is a shuttle that takes you to the beachside of things. There are also ferries to Rockaway Beach (on Long Island) as well, so lots of options. But for me, I was headed south . . .
The remains of Fort Hancock with the Sandy Hook bikeway ahead of me.
It was fun to be back on Sandy Hook. It was familiar and, honestly, felt close to home. Of course, NYC felt the same way. I felt confident because I was on "familiar" territory, having biked this stretch in 2015 with Happy and Jerry. Plus, I was only four easy days from Rehoboth, my old stomping grounds. I was looking forward to being there again!
I last visited here in 2015. Nothing seems to have changed much. Nothing new here because the NPS has almost no budget given their responsibilities.
Once on the "mainland," which is not mainland at all, I continued south along the barrier islands, which comprise the Jersey Shore. This section is rather upscale . . . with lots of private beach access, something I never understood, coming from a part of the country where beach access was pretty much unrestricted! But New Jersey is New Jersey — follow the rules. But I wasn't interested in the beach anyway. I was looking for breakfast and clear riding, and I got both!
On the way south, I met this couple on an interesting recumbent tandem. I really liked the sun awning . . . or is it a rain awning? Or both?
My next stop was for breakfast at Alice's Kitchen in Sea Bright. I had had an early start and was making good time on the flats, so a leisurely breakfast was in order. I had gotten this far on only a banana!
Of course, "this far" was only about 12 miles of biking; the other 18 had been on the ferry! After breakfast, I continued south. It was still early, and I only had 30 miles to go . . . and all flat riding. Enjoyable flat riding. And in spite of the overcast skies, the temperature was very agreeable.
WindMill Hot Dogs . . . seen in Long Branch and also photographed on my 2015 tour.
This, on the other hand, was missed in 2015 (at least by me). The Church of the Presidents is a former Episcopal chapel on the Jersey Shore where seven United States presidents have worshiped. Woohoo. Nice building.
Well, that was the end of the "old" Asbury Park. Onto the "newer" beaches. Only 20 miles or so to go.
After the Casino, to squeeze past Wesley Lake, you need to use the boardwalk, which has signs stating "No Bicycles," even though people seemed to ignore it. So I walked my bike (although it was unclear if even that was allowed). And along the way I passed a bike rack. Go figure. Nice boardwalk, though.
After Ocean Grove, it gets a bit repetitive. And after Brielle, it got kind of boring. Once you cross the Manasquan River, you are mostly on a mainline road headed south . . . split into two one-way pairs. Not nearly as interesting as the more northern Jersey section . . . except, of course, the bascule span you must cross to get there! I just missed getting a picture of it open . . . darn.
The bascule span over the Manasquan River, just south of Brielle, NJ. Lots of room to bike here!
Sorry, but I can't say anything great about Seaside Heights . . . and my hotel was absolutely the worst. Slim pickings when you book in late August, and not cheap either! Fortunately, Hotels.com gave me a discount, but even with the discount, it was overpriced. OK, there's always tomorrow.
Today's ride: 46 miles (74 km) Total: 1,495 miles (2,406 km)
