Yesterday morning we had such an unusual sight as we left the motel we didn't know what to make of it : the sun was actually out of the clouds and shining on us, a first for this trip. Not to worry though. It soon disappeared and was replaced by the heavy gray and black clouds we have become accustomed to. There is a current best-seller titled "The Art of Racing in the Rain" and I was thinking yesterday that after this ride perhaps I would write my own "The Art of Riding in the Rain". We had maybe a half hour in the morning yesterday of wearing our rain jackets, watched it clear up at the SAG (rest stop) , only to get pelted again and actually pulled off the road to wait it out. It finally cleared up once we got close to the shore heading for Cape May only to start up again on our short (10 miles) ride through Delaware to the hotel. There truly is an art to riding in the rain and we have become pretty good at it. Watch the puddles, they probably disguise potholes. Stay off the white lines, very slippery when wet; likewise railroad tracks become like ice rinks when crossing. Get a rain jacket that breathes a little - the good ones are so water proof that without a little air you start sweating so much it is like a sauna. And finally keep your eyes on the road as much as possible - all that rain disguises the debris on the shoulders where we ride and the little pieces of glass and wire create probably twice the number of flats. And then there is a whole 'nother chapter on what to do with the soggy socks, shorts and shoes when the riding is over - that's a fun exercise too. So we left the blueberry capitol and headed for the Jersey shore on our way to Cape May. For the most part we have probably left the climbing of hills behind us. Yesterday we did only 1500 feet of climbing and I think 3/4s of that were the bridges we had to cross coming in and out of some of the shore areas. We went in the general direction of Atlantic City, took a right at Egg Harbor City and finally got our first views of the ocean since Maine in Sea Isle City. From there we skirted Avon and went through Wildwood on our way to Cape May. The couple of scenic photos are of the bay side on the way out of Sea Isle City. The Cape May/Lewes ferry takes us across the Delaware Bay, a 17 mile/90 minute trip. The good news was that the sun came out just as we pulled out of the docks (you can see those dark rain clouds in the last photo above) so we sat on the deck, ate lunch and relaxed. They have little stands for the bikes down among the cars on the first deck. I was not at comfortable that my bike would stay stable if we got heavy seas but it was a pretty uneventful trip. The photo, by the way, is my bike with Mike standing guard - he is from Matthews NC, home also to my niece Sandy and her family. Also pictured is me and Doug on the aft deck enjoying both lunch and the sun. Doug is from Great Britain and is a classic example of the old joke of a people separated by a common language. He and I are riding in the same group and I think I understand maybe 50% of what he says the first time around. Funny thing is that the Brits don't seem to have any problem with the American accents. So we did the compulsory photo shoot at the Delaware welcome sign - we have now covered 7 states in just about as many days. I'm going down to view the beach in just a little while - the inspection on our (old) house came in so I've spent a good part of the off day dealing with our attorney and writing up a bit of a response and action plan. A few items need attending to but certainly no deal breakers that I can see. Will also try to get some laundry done and then a bit of dinner - tomorrow we are off to Pocomoke Maryland - another state line crossing. For the stats yesterday - 81 miles, about 15 mph average and, oops, three flats from that disguised road debris I mentioned earlier. And tomorrow is only51 miles - we get to sleep in an extra hour and it is almost like a rest day after some of our earlier long rides.