Ferry Across the Bay

 

Our RV on the Ferry

Wednesday, April 28, 2021
Our day got off to a slower start than we’d hoped, somehow, despite the fact that all we had to do was pack and leave! Joe spent some time searching for a place to fill our propane tank on the way to the ferry, and I spent time uploading my first blog of the season, along with photos. It seems that once again the blog software has changed, and the photos couldn’t be placed the way I preferred, but at least it is up! We finally left the campground at about 11 a.m., which we thought was plenty of time to drive about 50 miles to Cape May, where we planned to catch the ferry at 2:30 p.m.

It wasn’t long, however, before we decided that 1) it was going to take us 90 minutes to drive at least (we were not planning to take the GS Parkway), and 2) we needed gas more than we needed propane (neither tank was full when we left home--a tactical mistake.) I also had to factor in time for lunch, and it usually takes at least 20 minutes for gas, and I wanted to get to the ferry terminal an hour ahead of sailing time. We also needed some bread and cold cuts to make lunches, so stopping at a grocery was also on the agenda if possible. All of this left about 30 minutes to get propane, and that is usually a ridiculously procedure. It usually involves a difficult maneuver to line up the RV with the propane tank, waiting for the one guy who is authorized to fill us up, and sometimes we have to unhook the jeep to make it all work. We decided to skip the propane until later and just deal with getting to the ferry.

The theme of this trip seems to be “take the wrong road.” I drove today, and Joe depended on the GPS for navigation. I was planning to take Route 9 all the way, but the GPS was determined to steer me elsewhere. So we had several loud disagreements as to the route, and lost some of our time that way. In the end, when a detour forced us onto the Parkway, we decided in the interests of time to just stay on it. We arrived at the ferry terminal at 1:30, but without the propane (I did pick up a few groceries while we stopped for lunch, and to remove a noisy hubcap which was annoying us.)

Wake Surfer following the Ferry

The ferry, however, changed our moods entirely. It was hot all day, and a boat trip for 85 minutes seemed ideal. Sam was the first “long vehicle” they loaded into the ferry, so we were right at the front and got out as soon as we were parked in our slot. We hung over the rail for a while looking at the water and the other passengers (everyone was wearing masks). As we pulled away past the breakwater, a surfer followed next to us, surfing the ferry's wake for several minutes before jumping off the board and throwing up his hands in triumph! We settled down into Adirondack chairs in front where we could both see the water and feel the breeze. We even saw some dolphins! And that was where we stayed for the entire trip! It was utterly relaxing and beautiful, and we totally enjoyed it. As we came close to the ferry terminal, we could see a lot of people on the beaches nearby, enjoying an unseasonably hot summer-like day.

When the ferry docked at Lewes, we were only about 2 miles from the entry to Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware. I had made reservations here a couple of weeks ago, and good thing, because the place is full. It’s a really nice campgroun with water and electricity at our site, but we’ve also noticed a LOT of pine pollen all over everything. I guess it’s the season for that. After I once again took the wrong road in the park (as I mentioned, that’s the theme of this trip!) I found my way to the campground, where we hooked up, put up our awning to provide some additional shade, and our lounge chairs. Then we got some cold drinks and sat for about an hour. I was reading my book, and Joe was still looking for propane, and also ice cream. It was such a beautiful evening, with the weather cooled down just a little bit and a pleasant breeze, that we decided to eat dinner on our picnic table outside for a change (it’s usually too much trouble to bother!) When we went inside, we decided that the breeze was not quite enough, and we turned on the air conditioner! It was on for much of the night.

Tomorrow is my birthday! We are going to explore the campground, look for ice cream, and then enjoy a steak dinner with some extra treats my sister sent with me for the day. The weather is supposed to continue to be hot, and I am tempted to say let’s go to the beach. I believe the park here has its own beach... we will find out tomorrow. We were given a campground map but not a park map, and I hope we can find one of those someplace. The wifi connection here hasn’t been working too well, making our hot-spot on our phones not function strongly enough. So we are stuck with our phones for information, and mine stinks. My gift to myself when we get home is going to finally be a new phone!