wonderful warm showers in New Joisey

the southern tip of Manhattan Island

The snow in New York put the frighteners on us. How cold will it be by the time we reach our friends near Washington DC just before Christmas?  We have already realised what a strong community Warm Showers is in the US, but is it in the spirit of cycle touring to just jump from one host to another?  Ideally we would not stay just for one night - on the ride to Long Island we met really good hosts and it didn't feel right moving on again the next day.  Perhaps this is a hangover of our Couch Surfiing experiences.  Oh well, it's bloody cold.  What's the harm in asking - people can always say no.

Happily Dave said yes, even though his house on the New Jersey shore is really just a summer vacation home.  So, he won't be there to host us, and there's no running water, but he welcomes us to stay and tells us where the key is hidden. Wow.  Oh, just about the toilet. By all means pee in the garden, but anything more substantial can you use the supermarket toilets in the town centre?  It's an easy flat ride along the shore once we step off the very convenient ferry from Manhattan.  We can't see the sea or the beach most of the time - the shore line is built up with what looks like holiday homes and on the other side of the road is a sort of lagoon with more holiday homes.  And as it's December the place feels almost deserted.  When we reach Dave's little cul-de-sac we struggle to identify the house at first and wonder about just rummaging around someone's property. Try explaining that to the police.  Well, officer, we were just looking for the key to the house.  No, no, we don't know the owner. No, we don't live round here.  Yes, that's right, we're just a couple of bums looking for shelter out of this freezing cold.  What's that?  Put my hands apart on the roof of your car?

We identify the right house - it's a wooden bungalow which is possibly colder inside than out - but it offers the hope of being warmer at three in the morning.  Because we only have petrol for the stove, I cook in the front yard.  Only one other house on the street looks occupied.  We do sleep quite comfortably and yes, we do pee in the yard.  

ooh look, a rail trail!

The next day the scenery is very similar i.e. not so inspiring.  Except now we seem to pass through some living communities. Houses seem to be getting bigger and brasher, but still mostly of wood.  There's a tendency towards stilts for some new houses - perhaps after some of the big storms flooded the shoreline last year?  The sun is out, it's dry but there's a constant wind.  We ride wrapped up and take lunch in a, shhhhh, whisper it, a McDonald's.  That evening we are welcomed in to Fran and Brian's comfy home in Manahawkin.  

Fran and Brian

In the morning Brian cheerfully offers to ride with us some of the way.  This is great because it will help us to not get lost.  It's sunny again but even colder with quite a wind chill factor.  After we say goodbye to Brian we get lost.  Well, sort of.  We're in the woods and we're looking for a back road that will cross the Mullica River, but we take a few wrong turns that eventually bring us to the bridge in a roundabout way.  So far so good.  Now all we need is a McDonald's so that we don't starve and freeze in this forest.  Nothing. Zilch.  Oh, hang on, a bar.  In the woods.  We are desperate so we go in and they have food, and there are even some people dining here, so we take a table and order burgers and chips because that's what we wanted, okay?  The owner comes to have a chat beause he saw the bikes.  He's very friendly.  After lunch we ask the waitress for the bill and she smiles, telling us that the couple who were sitting at the table next to us had already paid.  They left a note and she hands it to us.

signed "The Friendly Pineys"

That evening we reach Cindy and Rob's house just as the sun is setting.  We have a good natter with them about their Warm Showers experiences and then eat a fantastic vegetarian tortilla pie before collapsing into a snug bed.  Their yard is dusted in snow when we awake.  Rob offers us a lift in his pickup but the sky is clearing so we thank him but head off on the bikes.  It's an easier day navigating because we stay on or close to the main road all the way to Cape May.

Cindy and Rob

Marc greets us with his two large dogs.  You can't miss them - they are everywhere.  "That one's a bread monster" Marc tells us.  "If he finds bread he'll eat the lot". No kidding. Within an hour of arrival , and while we're having a cup of tea and chat with Marc, the bread monster has sniffed out our tortillas, extricated them from the packaging and scoffed the lot.  Well, I won't be giving him any strokes or cuddles.  Mark's wife, Carol, is at a meeting having just been elected mayor of West Cape May.  Christian, their son, a wanderer like us, is about to head west for the ski season.  After dinner, Marc introduces us to Jeopardy and we impress our host by getting a few answers right. 

dreaming of bread

 

 Marc had suggested we take a day to look around, a nice offer, and despite the cold we enjoy walking along the beach and around the town centre.  We set off the next morning to take the ferry to Delaware and Marc and Christian hop on their bikes to accompany us to the dock.  It's so nice to be seen off like this.  We join quite a few tourists all heading over to Delaware for some tax-free shopping mall.  Another sunny day.  Only nine shopping days to Christmas.

with Christain and Marc.  Did I mention it's cold?