State 31 of 50  

 

 

    New Jersey

 

Capital: Trenton

Population: 8,400,000 (ranked 11th of 50 states)

Area: 22,200 kmē (ranked 47th of 50 states)

 

 

 

 

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Ride Report

This state: 343 kms     Journey to date: 18,529 kms

Scroll down below the route map for this state's ride report and photos

 

 

Ride Report

New Jersey means two things to me. Seeing the Big Apple and Hurricane Hanna. I spent the entire time on inter-states and turnpikes. I've spent a total $20 on tolls. I've tanked up 3 times. I thought about navigating into central New York to bring you photos of Central Park, Wall St & that sort of thing. Just getting to the harbour I made 3 blunders by not following the GPS. It was tense and I ended up in parts of the Bronx where I probably shouldn't have ended up in.

It was a traumatic ride into New York negotiating the grid of motorway interchanges. The GPS's audio had packed up so I had to keep looking down at the GPS thereby taking my eyes of the road.

The first sign of the Big Apple was the Empire State Building looming out of the gloom.

The high rises of Manhattan, minus the twin towers.

Inside the ferry building are exhibits of 911. That flag you see there was flying somewhere on one of the twin towers when it went down.

Tributes from families to their loved ones who died in the twin towers attacks.

On the New Jersey Turnpike you have get in and out refuelling in double quick time. 

This is the Garden State Parkway my chosen conduit through New Jersey down to Delaware Bay.

The toll plazas just popped up at random and took varying amounts off you from 70c to $5.85

I decided to branch into fresh food for a change so note the fresh fruit salad which complements the pizza & garlic bread.

I was riding in driving rain and buffeting gusts of wind. This was the eye of Tropical Storm Hanna which was centred over Atlantic City. I was 5 miles from Atlantic City. I saw a pickup truck which had veered off the parkway into some trees. Lots of motorists were trying to see if the occupants were OK but nothing was moving. It was impossible to keep the bike in a straight line and the rain was soaking me to the skin even through rain gear. I bailed out at the turn off to Atlantic City & checked in to a cheap motel where presently the tent, riding gear and road atlas are drying out. On TV are scenes of storm damage occurring just 5 miles down the road - it's quite surreal. See the red swirl depicting the eye? That's right where this motel is.

This is a picture snapped outside my motel room door. It doesn't do the rain justice but it is absolutely hammering down. The bike is outside. I've placed the board under the side stand.