The last 2018 outing with the Hudson Islanders...
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| Well, not quite. Factor torrential rain and not going with your gut as to the easiest/quickest route, the trip was a little over 5 hrs. |
...and the last adventure for my 2018 RV season. There was one stop for refueling and another stop after my dash lit up with "Check DEF level;" What is DEF? DEF (diesel emission fluid) is made by combining urea (1/3) and deionized water.(2/3). Urea is an organic compound made up of nitrogen, hydrogen, carbon and oxygen. (And, no, human urine should never be used as a substitute.) When DEF is mixed with hot exhaust gases, it breaks down into ammonia and carbon dioxide. Once those two gases meet the diesel fumes, they bond with the nitrogen oxides to create nitrogen and water before exiting the tailpipe. In other words, chemistry happens and diesel exhaust is cleaner. It is added to its own (about 5 gal) reservoir in the engine compartment At 4,000 miles, this was the first time I added DEF to Winnie II. I'll be alert at 8,000 mile to see if the on-board computer detects the next refill point. I made sure I was well off the road as cars and semis sped by. Fortunately, skies were sunny and no wind. That was going to change later tonight...drastically.
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| A huge (88 acre) and spacious campground with amenities well suited for the in-season (6/29th to 9/3rd) crowd. We're here in their "off-season" (9/4th to 10/31st). In front of me, in the orange section are Roberta, John/Nina and Tony/Doreen. |
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| Back in site #34 |
As we all arrived after 4:00 pm Thursday, it was decided that we'd drive to a recommended Italian restaurant, Sapore Italiano for dinner.
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| Elegant white tablecloth setting in a restored Victorian home. |
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| We stopped in our tracks after it dawned on us what BYOB meant. The owner told us of a liquor store at the other end of their parking lot. So off I went. What would an Italian meal be without a glass of wine? |
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| Tony's entree: Gnocchi Al Gorgonzola: homemade potato pasta with Gorgonzola and a mascarpone, cream cheese sauce. |
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| John's entree: Mediterranean sea bass hidden underneath scallops, carrots, string beans, potato, roasted red peppers and artichoke. |
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| Charlie's entree: Chicken Francese: Huge chicken cutlets (5) dipped in egg with capers and lemon, extra virgin olive oil in a white wine sauce over cappellini. Half of it was for lunch the next day. |
After the special soup of the day, crab and asparagus, Nina had a huge salad consisting of beets, goat cheese, candied walnuts and baby greens in extra virgin olive oil. Doreen had chicken Marsala.
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| Ah, Tiramisu; rich, creamy and delicious. No, I was not the only one to have dessert. A creme brulee at the end of the table disappeared as fast as my tiramisu. |
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| One of the five room on the main floor. |
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| Check the website for more professional views. |
Later Thursday night, remnants of Hurricane Michael brushed our area. I never heard the rain beat on the roof as hard as it did. Along with the up to 50 mph gusty winds, I felt cozy as the RV "rocked and rolled."
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| At 1 am you're glad you beat the storm, got settled in and dealt with the torrential rain and wind gusts up to 50 mph. My strapped down awning was withdrawn at 4 am. |
The next day was mostly sunny and very breezy. No damage, drainage in the area was good and grounds crew was busy picking up branches that fell during the night. One for the books.
Friday we took one vehicle and headed to the tip of Cape May and Sunset Beach to view the 6:25 pm sunset.
Selected photos at Sunset Beach. For the "off season," the beach was quite crowded with other folks ready to photograph and experience the special sunset. Why special? It's the only location on the eastern seaboard where you can see the sun set into the water. (I don't think Key West counts as you are looking west into the Gulf..but it's still water isn't it?)
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| l. to r. Tony, Doreen, Roberta, Charlie, John, Nina |
"The S.S. Atlantus was one of a dozen concrete ships that were built, and it criss-crossed the Atlantic several times, hauling cargo and troops. But when steel again became available, the S.S. Atlantus was mothballed. In 1926, she was docked in Cape May when a storm broke her loose and ran her aground, just off of Sunset Beach. She couldn't be pried off of the bottom because she was made of, well, concrete. For the last 90+ years her slowly crumbling hulk has been a tourist attraction, although not much of her is left above water."
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| What's left of the S.S. Atlantus lying in Delaware Bay |
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| A better shot found on the Internet |
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| It happened that the Cape May ferry just happened to be sailing in front of us. I zoomed as much as I could to make it seem close to land. |
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| The actual distance shows the Cape May ferry "sailing into the sunset" in Delaware Bay and headed towards Lewes, DE |
What we didn't do (this time) was to search the beach for "Cape May Diamonds;" probably because our Cape May "tour guide," Roberta, didn't know about them. Take a minute to view this video and learn about Cape May Diamonds.
Saturday, we visited downtown Cape May. Some selected photos.
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| A beautiful day for the drive into town |
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| l. to r. Roberta, Nina, John, Charlie, Doreen, Tony |
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| Looking west down Washington Street |
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| Our route east on Washington Street. But first.... |
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| ...a lunch stop; right on the corner: Delaney's Irish Pub. |
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| An Irish Pub? Shepard's Pie: Ground Beef, Fresh Thyme, Carrots, Onions and Sweet Peas topped with Chive Mashed Potatoes. Our waitress, Olaga, was from Minsk. Thought that added a nice touch. |
I have a friend, Kathy, in North Palm Beach, FL, a fine Irish lass, whose been to Ireland a number of times in the recent past. She wrote me to say, "Kinsale is known as the gourmet capital of Ireland and even though I had many meals there, I never saw shepherds pie on any menu in any restaurant." Interesting. I think like the "gravy" term used by Italians here in America for the topping on pasta/macaroni, Shepard's Pie for the Irish is an American born tradition for that meal. In Italy, the term, "gravy" used on pasta/macaroni doesn't exist. Am I correct, Silvia?
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| The Sea Star is typical of the brightly colored, well maintained buildings that greet you as you enter the downtown area. |
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| Yes, they had butter pecan (2 scoops) in a sugar cone: $5.16 Thank you, John. |
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| Our Lady Star of the Sea church |
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| Dallas, laid back and obedient.... |
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| Horse drawn carriage tours. |
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| Roberta, Doreen and Tony would take the tour on Sunday. |
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| Beautiful animals well taken care of and loved by their drivers. A drink of water after the last tour. |
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| Granddaughter, Beca, hopefully will add a comment below and inform me about these special hooves; My guess is they're painted (nail polish) and they're fitted with horseshoes that gives that characteristic and pleasing clippity-clop sound we associate with horse drawn carriages. |
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| This was John's and my first stop, a Stewart's ice cream shop. The building was obviously once a bank. That locked gated door looked into another area of the restaurant. I don't think their ice cream was that valuable. Unfortunately, John and I waited about 5 minutes for service that never materialized so we left and wound up in Ben & Jerry's. |
And before you knew it, Sunday arrived with predicted temps in the high 60's. Another pleasant but overcast day. We drove to Beach Street and Uncle Bill's Pancake House for breakfast. This restaurant is one of eight. I did not find the tourist trade slowing down because it was "late in the season." It was a Sunday and it was bustling. The hostess did tell me it was "slow" for a weekend. Sam (Samantha), our busy and efficient waitress informed us that it remains quite busy right into the holiday seasons. This restaurant will stay open until January. A fifth grade elementary teacher of twelve years, she works weekends part time at the restaurant. Open only until 2 pm, their menu is extensive and the portions will not leave you wanting. Afterwards, we crossed the street and checked out the beach.
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| The view leaving the Pancake House |
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| Tony/Doreen. Roberta's Samsung phone's camera is so much better than my iPhone. |
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| Roberta's photo of the beach across from the Pancake House. |
From Beach Street we drove about four miles to the Cape May Lighthouse. The route we took along Sunset Blvd to Light House Avenue gave wonderful examples of the prime real estate with manicured and well maintained Victorian homes with wrap around porches, colorful coordinated clapboard siding and gingerbread trim.
When Doreen finds out that The Bread Lady Stand was located along this route, 657-699 Sunset Blvd, she'll go nuts. Hearing of long lines out the door and being a bread lover, this was a stop she wanted to make. Little did we know. I captured these photos from the Internet just for her:
The Light House.
The history here is fascinating. Built in 1859, the light house is 157' 6" tall with 217 steps within the double walled cone shaped structure. The outside wall is 3' 10" thick at the bottom, 1' 6" at the top and the inside wall is a cylinder with an 8½" thick wall which support the spiral staircase. The walls were designed to withstand winds several times above hurricane force. From the observation deck, a four point view...
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| East |
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| South |
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| West |
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| North |
And my attempt at a panoramic shot:
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| This is the best I could do with the iPhone. I forgot my camera. The massive structure to the left of the photo is an abandoned WWII bunker that protected the Delaware Bay. Another was on the Delaware side in Lewes. Built in 1942, the amazing history and terrific photos can be viewed HERE. |
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| Next to the visitor center and museum was a garden loaded with milkweed which attracted Monarchs. One flitted around and drew the attention of a lot of folks with cameras. |
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| This beautiful shot was captured by Roberta. |
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| ...their RV |
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| Doreen & Tony and... |
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| Photo shows how varied the weather was. Nina & John and... |
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| ...their RV |
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| Each site is provided a fire ring. |
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| We provide the kindling, logs and flame. Dear Jack, you were missed but Tony did an admirable job. |
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| Yup, got a tad chilly Saturday night. |
And so ends the trip and a wonderful season of RV adventures. I don't know if this last blog post can qualify as a "Reader's Digest Condensed" version but, for me, it captures the highlights of an enjoyable four day stay with a great group of people (albeit 5). There's tons of stories and experiences to be had, all you need is a campfire.
To the 97 readers (the highest number recorded this season for reading a blog entry) who have taken the time to read my blogs, I thank you for bringing my totals up to 3,370 views this year. My 2019 itinerary is set and available for your viewing by clicking on the right panel so labeled or you can CLICK HERE to view it.
Till next time, take care, stay well and enjoy the upcoming holidays.
To the 97 readers (the highest number recorded this season for reading a blog entry) who have taken the time to read my blogs, I thank you for bringing my totals up to 3,370 views this year. My 2019 itinerary is set and available for your viewing by clicking on the right panel so labeled or you can CLICK HERE to view it.
Till next time, take care, stay well and enjoy the upcoming holidays.