Rainy Day in the City

Hey Everyone,

The rain cleared up nicely yesterday & this morning when I put my bike back on its rack it was still dry. By the time I put my stuff in the car (5 min later) it was pouring. It continued to rain until late this afternoon. I skipped a couple places where I had hoped to do some sightseeing from my bike, but still made one stop in The Highlands.

Once upon a time there were 6 or 7 twin lighthouses in the US, although none were connected. And I learned today that there are a couple still standing along the coast. However, the Navesink Highlands Lighthouse (1862, also known as the Twin Lights) were connected at some point along the way and is the only connected twin lighthouse. It is 200ft above sea level, one of the highest positions along the Atlantic Coast. Another thing that makes this station special is that it was the first to demonstrate commercial wireless telegraph in this country.

My next stop was Liberty State Park in Jersey City. My goal was to visit both Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. However, it was so foggy and rainy when I arrived that I couldn't see much.

Luckily, the rain let up a little and I caught the ferry. I found it interesting that it costs more to visit Shenandoah National Park than it costs to ride the ferry roundtrip to both sites.

This is the old train terminal that now serves as the ferry terminal.

I chose to visit the sites from New Jersey because I read that it was just easier than doing it from NYC. I would guess it's prettier too. Liberty State Park is about 1,200 acres & a really nice park. It has a great view of the Statue, bike paths, trails, and walkways.

Ellis Island & The Statue of Liberty

New Jersey's Empty Sky Memorial

I made one big mistake today....I decided not to fill the gas tank before leaving the city. Gas in Connecticut is abut 50 cents higher than the lowest price I saw in the past 24 hours. Oops!!!

I also made an interesting mistake today....left NJ/NY just after 5pm. That's right...I drove through New Jersey and New York, over the George Wahington Bridge ($12!) and it took just over two hours to go 59 miles. But...it also meant that I had time to appreciate some beautiful old buildings on Summit Avenue in NJ's Bergen Hill Neighborhood.

I do plan to make a couple more stops in NY before the trip is finished, but not for a couple weeks at least. Som that's it for tonight...much to be grateful for from day to day. More soon....thanks for stopping by!