Our expedition to Victorian Cape May went through a few evolutions before it actually took place. We had originally scheduled our trip for August but it wasn't until October 8th that we made it, but it proved well worth the wait! Hard upon the heels of my trip out to Interbike I was wound tighter than a drum from my six hour flight the night before and we hit massive traffic on the way out of New York. Yeah, so what else is new? Once we got out to the Garden State Parkway the traffic moved well enough. But it wasn't until that first night at the Queen Victoria Bed and Breakfast, in the Whirlpool tub, that the real relaxation hit and the tensions melted away. The directions are easy enough, simply drive south on the Garden State Parkway until it ends and then cross the bridge. Presto, you are in Cape May.

OK, so this is a biking site. So why are we talking Cape May and Victorian Bed and Breakfasts? Simply because the average cyclist will unload his bike from his rack and think he (or she) has died and gone to biker heaven! So bear with my tale.

Cape May is an island because of a canal dug across the peninsula upon which it sits. But, since it is at the end of that peninsula, nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and Delaware Bay, there simply is no where for cars to go from there. So, there is NO THROUGH Traffic. Additionally there is not a great deal of un-metered parking. Therefor, people tend to park their cars in an un-metered spot

upon their arrival and leave it there for the balance of their stay! This is in fact suggested by the Inn Keepers, and the local Chamber of Commerce, so in Cape May, the bicycle reigns supreme.



Cape May is the perfect vacation spot for a cyclist and his family of less enthusiastic riders. Rising early the hard core rider can let out the horses and get a great work out, or go for a run along the beach for his or her aero workout. Then they can return for a fast shower and walk down to the Queen's Dining room for a fabulous breakfast with the family. Then the rest of the day can be spent with the family lazily riding along the side streets viewing the Victorian ginger bread, cruising the beaches, visiting a winery, museum hopping, or touring the sites of Cape May with the entire family, you on your full race Litespeed and the rest of the family on their retro Cruisers. This is the land God had in mind when he invented the Townie and beach cruiser. So then, what is here to keep the family off of their bike? This is the place where no one feels intimidated by the idea of hopping back on a bike and pedaling off into history, theirs as a kid and Cape May's as a Victorian Age Beach Resort for the Very Rich.


Cape May Page Two...