Day Two

9/11/11

Fairfield CT

                Exercised out this morning for 45 min then loaded the bike.  Did a little variation to the arrangement and think it’ll work out for the better.  Stopped at the Waffle House for breakfast and was served will by Pamela….that place was really jumping…WH, exit 80 on I-95.

Made it as far as Fairfield CT, actually got thru NYC without any trouble…not bad for 9/11….of course it was around 9pm on a Sunday so that helped a lot.  My route took me into the town of Aberdeen so I could mail a letter and get a pic taken with something that depicted the name of the city.  From there I headed up the I-95 into DE and the University of Delaware campus.  I lost some time here as I could not find a mailbox to deposit my letter…asked two kids if they knew where a mailbox was….one said it was on his computer…I liked that.  Finally found a post office and got outa Dodge.

On the run to the City I missed the turnoff for the DE Bridge and Jersey Turnpike and staying on the 95 entered PA.  Fortunately there was a Welcome Center at the first exit and I a route thru PA and NJ that got me back on the NJT.  Along that route I stopped at a roadside stand to confirm directions…met Frank, fella in a truck for Gates & Doors. 

The Turnpike was a long ride….all the way to the Geo. Washington Bridge into NYC.  With the exception of the 40 miles of construction it’s a pretty good one…and the 100+ mile ride only cost $4.75, however, before  the bridge I got hit for another $4 which seemed like the cost per mile went up considerably as I only traveled about 10-15 miles.  Riding these slabs and constantly watching traffic is a full time job in these overpopulated areas….not like runnin thru the Dakotas or WY or UT….hell, the whole southwest.
At the first service stop for fuel I got directions to Rahway from the attendant pumpmeister.  Of course, finding a PO or PD is a challenge.  So I pulled into a Quick Stop and a young man was coming out...perfect...asked if he knew the area...and he did.  His name is Marcus and he gave me excellent directions to both the PO and PD.  At the PO I was able to get a phot taken by a gentleman from the Ukraine...forgot his name (bummer aging)...got me, Sophia's license plate (DIELVN), and the Rahway NH PO signage...sweet :)

At the last service area, around 830pm, I bought a small hamburger and a coke.  In the parking lot I met Lenny Gusel , his wife Anna and cute little girl Avial (hope I got the spelling correct).  He’s a SW engineer working marketing and she’s a grad from Columbia…so we had that connection as my dau is an alum.

Found a Hampton Inn in Stamford CT but they wanted $175 for a room…oops!  Another 20 miles later I found a Best Western to bunk down for the night.  Hope to get an earlier start tomorrow and get settled into a good routine to get in and out of hotels/campsites. 

C ya mañana
Gonzo
twitter: @GonzoCrossUSA
email: GonzoCrossUSA@gmail.com