Day 215 - May 28, 2013: Cape May, New Jersey

We decided to get up at 5:30 a.m. in order to ride the tide down Delaware Bay to Cape May. The sun rose in the east behind the power plant, making for an interesting contrast between man's and God's creations. Marking the channel were several substantial lighthouses which were long ago vacated by their crews because of total automation. Besides us, there were only a couple of fishing vessels out busily setting and retrieving nets.

Sunrise over the Delaware River

Lighthouse in the Delaware Bay

Fishing vessel "Morning Star" up early setting nets

If the tide is falling in the direction you are cruising, there is a tidal current sweeping you along and you gain speed and save fuel. This was the case as we departed, and there were times we were going up to 4 mph faster over the ground than relative to the water! Making such good time, we traversed the entire Delaware Bay and arrived before noon in Cape May.

Cape May is at the southern tip of New Jersey along the Atlantic Ocean and is recognized as the country's oldest seaside resort. Vacationers from Philadelphia began coming here in the mid-1800s to take advantage of the miles of beaches and the ocean breezes. Cape May is also noted for the largest collection of well-restored and maintained Victorian homes outside of San Francisco. They are painted in a variety of colors, and no two look alike. I'll bet painters make a good living here!

We docked at Utsch's Marina, and after I did some maintenance on the generator, we rode our bikes through the downtown, followed by dinner at The Lobster House.

Victorian home in pink and maroon

Victorian home with extensive lattice work

Victorian in pink and green