dirty Jersey myth

Published October 20, 2018

Jersey marathon weekend. Blog preview: no Hazmat required, all a myth.

Mobster crime & industrial pollution, their past. dirty Jersey, the slur. My holiday? Jersey GREEN, Atlantic Ocean GREY.

Friday post-work flight to Newark. Eastern Time touchdown, rental car traffic, hotel pillow 1am. Fast 6 hours later, two mile shake-out run. Stretch goal met, BIG smile. Gonna be an AMAZING day 😊

Ivy League START, quiet Saturday morn. ‘Welcome to Princeton’ settled 1683. Craftsmen-carved/Revolutionary-era buildings, varsity oars cutting thru Lake Carnegie, bricked clock towers, hushed chapel architecture. Pitched arch, footstep echoes, stained glass glory. WOW!

2nd stop: New Hope PENNSYLVANIA. Parked in downtown Lambertville (New JERSEY). Pedestrian-crossed the Delaware. Riverside LUNCHED in PA. Watched paddleboarders trek UP the river – ski beanie & shorts, chilly water sport day. Mussel feasted. Warm broth, crusty bread. YUM!

History NERD ALERT. Post-lunch walkabout at Washington Crossing Park. Yep, that Washington. General George’s infamous Christmas-crossing of the Delaware. You’ve seen the painting. Toured Johnson Ferry House, only original still standing. After Washington’s icy river crossing, ferryman-Slater moved Washington’s troops, horses & 6 remaining cannons. Soooo much history!

[Thanks Nat’l Park folks for the private tour, very much appreciated!]

Tick, tick, tick. Same state, same day, third destination – the AC: Atlantic City, Jersey’s casino-riddled Monopoly. Boardwalk, Park Place, all the red properties – that Monopoly. Inspired HERE.

Bib pick-up at Bally’s, check-in at the Claridge (casino-free sleeps), ocean walk. Two miles of sunset. Stared out into the Atlantic, wave hypnotized. B-I-G, my life. Dinner: oysters & octopus.

Rethink the slur, folks. Much to see & do. America’s secret vacation destination.

Princeton University

: Jersey weekend

: Lake Carnegie

: Patriot

University Chapel

: Prayer for Princeton

Crossing the Delaware

: Lambertville NJ

: New Hope PA

: dining on the Delaware

Washington Crossing Park

: Continental Lane

: Johnson Ferry House

: our Nation’s First

Atlantic City

: Philly skyline

: oceanview room

: the Boardwalk

: 9-11, WW2 & Korea

: Atlantic sunset

: I ❤️ Jersey

Posted in Northeast | Tagged beachcombing, kyrkan, museo, rivers-lakes, us-presidents | Leave a comment

Green Gables Anne

Published October 15, 2018

3 flights of stairs, post-marathon shower, quick one-hour nap. Attic B&B kinda loses its charm after running 26 miles. Just saying. LOL>

Historic homes, old churches, seaside path ‘round Government House (home to PEI’s Lieutenant Governor). From there walked inland, downtown Charlottetown. City Hall, University Park, St. Dunstan’s Basilica. HUGE fan of cathedral architecture. Gothic block buildings, high overreaching arches, stained glass artistry. Oft adapts character of the city you’re visiting. Ornate ship anchor molding in this provincial capital’s church home. Quiet/peaceful/hushed/stunning. Great place to reflect & give thanks.

Dinner reservations at 5; theatre tickets 7 o’clock show.

But first, homage paid to everything Anne – at the Anne of Green Gables Store. Dolls, DVDs, postcards, magnets, candy, entire book series (of course) – all centered on the red-headed orphan from PEI. When on Prince Edward, gotta/hafta/must.

Sunday-nite FOOD FEAST @ 23 Queen St: half-dozen Oysters, Cioppino entrée. FIVE LOCAL varieties of Oyster. Tomato herb broth, crusty bread. Mussels, haddock, clams & shrimp – Cioppino, what’s not to LOVE? GET in my BELLY! WOW meal.

LOVE LOVED ‘Anne & Gilbert’ at the Guild. Perfect Avonlea finish to crazy FULL day. Highly recommended!

Goodbye PEI. Lighthouse sunrise, hot B&B breakfast, noon flight off the Island. I HEART the Land of Anne ❤️

: Beaconsfield House

: St. James Presbyterian

: Government House

: St. Dunstan’s Basilica

: architectural reverence

: homage to red-headed Anne

: LOCAL oysters & Cioppino

: Marathon Day end at Charlottetown’s Guild

: LIGHTHOUSE goodbye 🌞

Posted in Canada | Tagged kyrkan, lighthouses, theatre | Leave a comment

Prince Edward Island Marathon

Published October 14, 2018

Bienvenue à l’Île du Prince Édouard. Birthplace of Canada.

Saturday 2am. Crazy early start. Woke six miles short of my Week 2 stretch goal (done/finished: 76.6 miles complete), late last-minute panic packing for O’ Canada, 6am flight to Detroit. Denver-Detroit, Detroit-Toronto, Toronto-Charlottetown. First try at WestJet. No frills, on-time experience (like our Southwest). Whatta find! How did I not know there were anti-Air Canada options? YAHOO!

6:15 touchdown in PEI. 20 minute taxi-ride downtown. 7pm Expo end. Tight timing.

5 block walk to my B&B sleeps. Oceanside digs, attic all mine. Marathon Sunday morn. Alarm set, predawn bus ride (7am prompt). Don’t be late mate. Land of Anne – Green Gables Anne, Anne with an E.

Coast-to-coast course: Brackley Beach-PEI National Park to Confederation Centre-downtown Charlottetown. Cold, breezy weather. Already LOVING my chances 😊 Shadowed 3 local runners & hunkered inside a beachside shower hut. Nippy gusts o’ ocean this morning. Brrr. PEI, Canada’s vacationland. LOL> Emerged 10 minutes before Start burrito-wrapped in last weekend’s Twin Cities mylar throwaway.

Canadian Anthem, 8am Start & SUNSHINE. Shed layers early, soaked in the coastline. Breezy cold & BEAUTIFUL. Brightly-coloured out buildings. Photo-stopped @ Covehead Lighthouse. WOW!

Sand dunes & shoreline gave way to rolling farmland. Push, push, push. Stanhope, Tracadie, Corran Ban, Millcove. All Sunday quiet. Started to slow after 12 miles. Then TRAIL. 12.5 kilometers (over 7 miles) of TRAIL. Crushed gravel & autumn COLOR, leaf-turn still happening on Prince Edward. BIG grin.

Warned one big climb late in the race. Large incline/near mile 21, but NOT Newfoundland HILLY. Head down, arms pumping, aggressively pushed to the top. 9:26/min pace. Fastest mile of 2^nd Half.

Last mile/mile-half did not disappoint, city scenic. Historic buildings, parks, statues.

Never saw a pace bunny (Canada-popular), never checked my watch. B-I-G run today. Fastest of 2018, new Canadian PR. FINALLY! Tens & tens of training miles, FINALLY! FINISH SUCCESS 🍁