Springtime Nor'easter

[Half Dimes]

Jo Ann and I have been taking the coastal route up to New Jersey. Last weekend we stayed at Delaware Seashore State Park, located on a barrier island off the Delaware coast. We stayed there as it was close to the Lewes-Cape May Ferry where we had reservations for Monday morning to cross Delaware Bay to NJ.

Sunday afternoon we ate at a restaurant in Lewes for Mothers Day. Weather was cloudy as rain was expected that night. By the time we got back to the campground around 7 p.m., rain and wind had started to pick up. Thinking the rain would let up, we spent a few minutes in the truck talking to our kids on the cell phone. Within that time, rain and wind became intense. We made our way into the rig, having to hold tightly to the door because of the wind gusts. All evening the wind got worse. We had our weather radio on but heard no warnings. At 10:45 p.m. we lost power. We ran the generator for awhile to check the late news and weather which predicted, well....rain and some wind.

We slept little that night as wind gusts jolted the rig all night. The winds were coming in off the ocean and since we were camping only slightly above sea level, we were concerned about flooding. By daybreak, there was still no power. I tried calling the ferry to see if they were going to sail in this weather but all we got was a recording that the call center would open at 8:30. Since we had to be there by 8:15 or forfeit our prepaid fare, we packed up. As we left, some roads in the campground were already under water. Luckily the exit road was still clear.

As we drove north on route 1, water had started to cover the road, and state transportation trucks were parked along side the road apparently monitoring the situation. We found out later that the road was shut down shortly after we passed.

We arrived at the ferry terminal on time and got in line for loading. Rain by this time was horizontal. The ferry we boarded had come across the bay that morning from Cape May so how bad could it be...? The crew loaded us toward the front of the boat probably due to our length (53 feet). We could barely get out of the truck due to the wind. We made our way to the upper enclosed deck. Departure was delayed a few minutes for some reason. Frankly, we hoped they would cancel. At worst, we would have to spend a few hours in the ferry terminal. But no such luck and off we went.

The wind and rain pelted the boat. The trip from DE to NJ was into the wind. Up and down and side to side we went. At one point, a wave passed over the bow and hit the windows on the upper deck. The sky was grey and I (Dave) was green. The heaving was so bad (the boat, not me) that we didn't know what was going on down on the vehicle deck. We had visions of the rig on its side or leaning sideways on someone else's car. Just before arrival, the captain announced that all sailings for the rest of the day had been canceled. They let us back down to the vehicle deck just before getting to port. Luckily the rig was right where we left it. We struggled to open the truck doors because of the wind and driving rain. We exited uneventfully and made our way to the campground, not far from the terminal.

By this time, news media was picking up on the fact that there was some weather going on. Turns out during our crossing that sustained winds had been between 40-45 mph with hurricane strength gusts. Newscasts characterized the storm as a highly unusual springtime nor'easter. The campground owner in Cape May was very nice and let us completely wash down the rig and truck to get rid of the salt water residue.

Cleanup is still going on along the NJ coast. We're just happy we had no damage except to our nerves. This weekend we head for northern Jersey.

[Half Dimes]

Jo Ann and I have been taking the coastal route up to New Jersey. Last weekend we stayed at Delaware Seashore State Park, located on a barrier island off the Delaware coast. We stayed there as it was close to the Lewes-Cape May Ferry where we had reservations for Monday morning to cross Delaware Bay to NJ.

Sunday afternoon we ate at a restaurant in Lewes for Mothers Day. Weather was cloudy as rain was expected that night. By the time we got back to the campground around 7 p.m., rain and wind had started to pick up. Thinking the rain would let up, we spent a few minutes in the truck talking to our kids on the cell phone. Within that time, rain and wind became intense. We made our way into the rig, having to hold tightly to the door because of the wind gusts. All evening the wind got worse. We had our weather radio on but heard no warnings. At 10:45 p.m. we lost power. We ran the generator for awhile to check the late news and weather which predicted, well....rain and some wind.

We slept little that night as wind gusts jolted the rig all night. The winds were coming in off the ocean and since we were camping only slightly above sea level, we were concerned about flooding. By daybreak, there was still no power. I tried calling the ferry to see if they were going to sail in this weather but all we got was a recording that the call center would open at 8:30. Since we had to be there by 8:15 or forfeit our prepaid fare, we packed up. As we left, some roads in the campground were already under water. Luckily the exit road was still clear.

As we drove north on route 1, water had started to cover the road, and state transportation trucks were parked along side the road apparently monitoring the situation. We found out later that the road was shut down shortly after we passed.

We arrived at the ferry terminal on time and got in line for loading. Rain by this time was horizontal. The ferry we boarded had come across the bay that morning from Cape May so how bad could it be...? The crew loaded us toward the front of the boat probably due to our length (53 feet). We could barely get out of the truck due to the wind. We made our way to the upper enclosed deck. Departure was delayed a few minutes for some reason. Frankly, we hoped they would cancel. At worst, we would have to spend a few hours in the ferry terminal. But no such luck and off we went.

The wind and rain pelted the boat. The trip from DE to NJ was into the wind. Up and down and side to side we went. At one point, a wave passed over the bow and hit the windows on the upper deck. The sky was grey and I (Dave) was green. The heaving was so bad (the boat, not me) that we didn't know what was going on down on the vehicle deck. We had visions of the rig on its side or leaning sideways on someone else's car. Just before arrival, the captain announced that all sailings for the rest of the day had been canceled. They let us back down to the vehicle deck just before getting to port. Luckily the rig was right where we left it. We struggled to open the truck doors because of the wind and driving rain. We exited uneventfully and made our way to the campground, not far from the terminal.

By this time, news media was picking up on the fact that there was some weather going on. Turns out during our crossing that sustained winds had been between 40-45 mph with hurricane strength gusts. Newscasts characterized the storm as a highly unusual springtime nor'easter. The campground owner in Cape May was very nice and let us completely wash down the rig and truck to get rid of the salt water residue.

Cleanup is still going on along the NJ coast. We're just happy we had no damage except to our nerves. This weekend we head for northern Jersey.

[Kissimmee Kids]

Boy, Dave & JoAnn, you two really seem to bring the strong rains and flooding where ever you go (remember the night near Dade City with 6 of us in your truck?) Maybe you should come back to Central FL and bring some rain here to stop our drought and wild fires!

What a shame that the weather was so horrible in Lewes, DE. It's one of Rick and my favorite places to be, except in a NorEaster, and we've been in a few. (But, not in a ferry boat!)

Cheryl