(2022 Newfoundland Ep 2)

From our Long Island campsite, we decided to travel into New York City to visit the ‘new’ World Trade Center (WTC) and 9-11 Memorial.  After a short drive to nearby Port Jefferson, we left Max and took the Long Island Railroad to Penn Station in NYC.  The ride was on a double decker rail car and we zoomed the suburbs and city.  After an hour, we went underground to the bowels of Penn Station, where subways, commuter trains to Long Island, New Jersey and Connecticut, and Amtrak all connect to get people from just about any point A to any point B.

We went up stairs, along large crowded passageways and then down stairs to find the ‘E’ subway to the WTC.  Once there, we exited the subway, rode a long escalator, and found ourselves at street level.  We had our first glimpse of the 1776-foot World Trade Center and stretched our necks to see the top!

After a short walk, we purchased tickets to the WTC observation deck and because there was no wait, decided to take the elevator right away.  The elevator took us up 1250 feet to the 102^nd floor in 47 seconds.  We rode an escalator to the 100^th floor where there was a phenomenal 360 degree view of the city, New Jersey, Statue of Liberty and much more.  One could easily spend an hour or more circling the entire floor to enjoy the sights. 

The return trip to the ground was interesting.  The elevator was lined with video screens and we soared like Superman in and around the buildings before ‘landing’ safely.

Returning outside, we walked to the 9-11 Memorial located in a large tree shaded plaza adjacent to the WTC.  The memorial is two large squares with water that continually falls to a base.  The water in the base flows to and disappears into a smaller square base.  The squares correspond to the original twin WTC towers.

The names of the 2983 persons who were killed in the 2001 and 1993 NYC terrorist attacks are inscribed in bronze along the edge of the memorial squares.  The mood of those visiting the memorial was respectful and solemn.

From the WTC and memorial area, we walked a few city blocks in search of lunch.  We settled on a hole-in-the-wall place for slices of New York style cheese pizza and soft drinks.  We ate outside and watched the city pass by.  It began to lightly rain and we yearned to get back to our quiet and still campsite.  We hurried to catch the subway back to Penn Station and train back to Port Jefferson.

The next day we again traversed NYC as we drove toward Connecticut.  Traffic on I-95 was stop and go, and it took all day to go 160 miles.  Adding to the fun was a GPS mishap directing us northeast to Hartford, when we intended to go east of New Haven on the coast.

During our stay in Connecticut, we hoped to visit with my cousins whom I had not seen for more than 25 years.  Unfortunately, one cousin was recovering from Covid and the other was out of town.  We decided to tour the area a bit, and after enjoying donuts in Clinton, CT, we visited the nearby Gillette Castle.

We thought the castle namesake was of Gillette razor fame.  But we learned Gillette Castle was a residence built by William Gillette, an American actor who is most famous for his portrayal of Sherlock Holmes on stage.  Several elements associated with Sherlock Holmes, including his pipe, cap, cloak and expression “elementary, my dear Watson,” can be attributed to Gillette.

The 14,000 square foot castle sits on a cliff high above the Connecticut River and is covered with Connecticut fieldstone.  From the castle we could see small motorboats and jet skis, large tour boats and an auto ferry on the river below.

We left and followed signs to the ferry landing.  To our surprise, the ferry was boarding its last crossing of the day and a Max-sized spot was available.   The 10-minute trip across the river was fun and gave us a great view of the castle.  The ferry, known as the Chester-Hadlyme Ferry, has provided public transportation across the Connecticut River for more than 250 years!

Next week:  we visit a long time friend in New Hampshire and enjoy a tour of Portsmouth and nearby areas.

(2022 Newfoundland Ep 1)

When we decided to travel north to cooler temps and magnificent vistas in the Canadian Maritimes and Newfoundland, we knew getting there would pose some driving challenges. 

Ed had white knuckles as we drove from Virginia to the eastern shore of Chesapeake Bay via the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel.  The four lane (two each direction) bridge portions of the 17.6 mile crossing weren’t bad, but the two one-mile-long tunnels (with one lane each way) were stressful.  What if Oscar hit the side, what if we had a flat tire, what if Max had engine problems, what if…    

But we made it!

As we approached one of the tunnels we saw a Navy Destroyer on one side and a large tanker on the other, both at eye level.

Proceeding northward on the Delmarva peninsula, we camped a couple nights at Maryland’s Pocomoke River State Park.  We visited nearby Assateague Island National Seashore, where we rode our bicycles across a bridge to the barrier island and then several miles south passing nearly full parking lots and crowded beaches. 

The highlight of the ride was seeing the wild horses that roam Assateague – you see their ‘evidence’ everywhere.  When we stopped to watch and take photos of a group of nearby horses, the horses turned toward us and passed within 10 feet of Ed!

The next day was our second while knuckle experience as we traveled on the New Jersey Turnpike and crossed the George Washington Bridge to skirt New York City.  Traffic was heavy and it began to rain. 

But we made it!

We continued toward our Long Island campground for a four night stay and learned something critical.  Our GPS routed us via the Cross Island Parkway.  As we neared the parkway entrance, we saw signs indicating ‘car traffic only, bridge clearance 7 ft 11 in.’  We quickly rerouted to I-295.  Had we continued on the parkway it would have been disastrous – Oscar is 11 ft 6 in tall!

It turns out all parkways in the area have low bridges and accommodate cars only.

We drove to the northeastern end (called the North Fork) of Long Island one day, past numerous farms and vineyards.  Among them was Lavender By the Bay, with acres and acres of purple-flowered sweet smelling lavender.

The next day we went to the end of the South Fork to the Montauk Point Lighthouse.  The lighthouse is the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States, authorized by George Washington in 1792 and completed four years later.  We climbed 137 steps to enjoy the view from the top of the 110 ft lighthouse.

Next week:

We journey to NYC to see the World Trade Center and 9-11 Memorial, experience a double rabbittrail on the Connecticut River, and more. 

(2022 Newfoundland Ep 0)

Bright and early Friday (July 15) we launch our trip north to Newfoundland. We’re anticipating cooler temps and lots of new rabbitrails.

Preview of the First Week

• We’ll head up I-95 and spend our first night at Jones Lake State Park, near Fayetteville, NC.
• We’ll hang a right (east) in southern Virginia toward Norfolk and cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge and Tunnel. Nights two and three will be at Pocomoke River State Park on Maryland’s eastern shore.
• The next four nights will be at Wildwood State Park on Long Island. We’re praying for safe passage with Max (our truck) and Oscar (our travel trailer) as we drive through New York City!