To Lewes DE

May 10, 2024

Rain came through last night bringing warnings of coastal flooding. It's not raining at the moment but I am no hurry to get out there on this cold morning. We'll just hang out at the Holiday Inn and enjoy the hot breakfast, with a team of hungry college Lacrosse players for company, or competition.

We dawdle until 10:30 when the temperature rises all the way to 56. It feels colder on the bike path riding east to the shore. The skies are steely and a stiff gusty wind blows straight at us. Any thoughts of a beach walk today are fading. Just past the bridge the streets are flooded, making it a challenge to keep our feet dry.

There's not much wobble room on the drawbridge so we're walking it.

I doubt there's anyone riding the Ferris Wheel that spins ahead of us.

We get through the first 5 inch deep puddle off the bridge unscathed

I'm on the sidewalk while Barry churns through the lake. His disc brakes will be squeaking for awhile after this.

A we ride north I struggle to keep my space above 10 mph in the crosswind. We're riding up the Coastal Highway, with detours on the side roads where there's more cover from the wind. Moving over requires us to push through the blast from the east. I like the quieter parallel roads when they go on long enough to make it worth the effort. And hey, despite the dicey forecast, it's not raining. Could be worse.

On the Coastal Highway we have the wide bike & bus lane to ourselves.

Welcome to Delaware, another new state for both of us.

The touristy stuff falls away in Fenwick Island State Park

I want to at least get a good look at one beach today and Bethany Beach is elected. My brother-in-law Joe talks fondly of all the vacations he has taken here with his family. We ride to the boardwalk and spy Mango's, a second story restaurant right above the waves.

It's easy to score an ocean view table on a day like this

Scrumptious lobster tacos. That's two lobster days in a row!

After lunch the wind eases up, there are fewer stop signs and we can move along a bit faster on the wide shoulder. We ride through Delaware Seashore State Park and Rehoboth Beach. There we pick up a beautiful bike path that runs through the marshes and neighborhoods all the way to Lewes.

Rumble strips are no problem with this wide lane. Really, we've had nice roads and paths all through DelMarVa. It's been many days since I felt any car stress.

Starting on a series of bike paths that will take us 8 miles to Lewes

Lewes is known as "The First Town in the First State." Dutch people founded the first European settlement here in June of 1631 that they named Zwaanendael, or Swan Valley. The town was wiped out the following year by a tribe of Lenape Indians the next year. It was 30 years before a group of Dutch Mennonites started another settlement nearby on Cape Henlopen. That one lasted a year before the British captured and razed the settlement. There are all sorts of historic buildings here that I hope to explore on our layover day tomorrow.

Our WarmShowers hosts Ann and Del live just over a mile from historic Lewes. They welcome us with homemade pumpkin muffins and we have some time to get acquainted before Del leaves to umpire for a little league game and Ann rides off on her bike to watch the game. We head off on foot for dinner just as it starts to rain and pass Ann coming back on her bike. She insists on driving us to the restaurant and comes back later to pick us up. We spend the rest of the evening getting to know our hosts and have a great sleep in their comfortable home. I'm so ready for a day off tomorrow.

Victorian Homes on Gills Neck Road in Lewes

We thought we'd escaped the rain. At least it was dry on the ride.

Tamales at Agave restaurant, the best Mexican place I've ever been to.

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Today's ride: 38 miles (61 km)
Total: 1,934 miles (3,112 km)

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