American Discovery Trail

 Delaware

Part Two

In retrospect, the fact that we got lost before even making it to the starting point should have been a warning sign.  Only, I was too giddy with the excitement of beginning this long-awaited journey to pay attention to warning signs.  And, Kim had put all her misplaced trust in me.  Prior to day one on the trail, I was pretty much a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person.  That was altered by the end of day one.  Not that I would have changed anything.  The experiences we had leading up to day one was all part of the trail magic.

The evening before starting, we decided to leave our rental car at a halfway point and then Uber back from there to the Airbnb, where the bikes were waiting.  Sounds easy.  Except here's the thing we learned – away from the beaches, Delaware is very rural.  As in miles and miles of nothing but a forest and farmland.  Not the best place to leave a car that didn't belong to us, nor find an Uber.  Driving around in the dark, in the middle of nothing, pops up a small town with a small police station.  It seemed like the safest place to leave a car unattended, and get picked up by a car service.  Leaving the car was easy.  The police officer on duty was nice and found the idea of riding bikes across the state interesting.  He agreed to keep an eye on the rental.  In the lower part of Delaware, only three drivers are operating for a car service.  Or, so we were told.  None of those three drivers were interested in picking up a random stranger from a police station.  The officer helped us out here, too.  He got us to a different location, where a driver would feel safe meeting and driving us back to the townhome where we were staying.  Finally, in an Uber and heading towards the rental, it seemed like some trail magic had come through for us in the nick of time. 

Riding across America on this trail was a dream I'd had for a very long time.  It wasn't a dream that my husband shared.  Occasionally, I would try to convince him that he would find it fun and exciting.  He didn't believe me but didn't discourage me either.  Then, the man I loved so much passed away.  Fun and excitement went out the window.  Life was more about just getting through the day.  That evening with the dream finally happening, life was again fun and exciting. 

As the car service cruised into the end of the lift, the driver suddenly says, "Ladies, do you mind if I sing to you?"

Kim and I exchanged looks.  What do you say to that?  Do we want some stranger singing to us as we drive through a strange city?  Maybe not, but we didn't want to be unkind, so we responded with an uncertain, "oh no, we don't mind at all."   

This man breaks out into just a stunningly beautiful rendition of Elvis', Can't Help Falling in Love.  No music.  Just a beautiful, honest voice, echoing through the silent car.  Tears well up in my eyes, and goosebumps break out along my arms.  Can't Help Falling in Love was the song that my husband and I had danced to for our wedding song.  Some signs were not to be overlooked.   I think my love found a way to let me know that he was here for this dream, after all.     

 

Delaware

            Part One 

To start the American Discovery Trail one must step back in time.

The terminus of the trail starts right at the Atlantic Ocean, where water meets land, at Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, Delaware.  

Walking up the path to the edge of the water was surreal.  During World War 2, Cape Henlopen was used as a strategic defense site.  Old watch towers and bunker sites litter the coastal site.   

An abandoned fort existed there in the sand.  Kim and I took turns lifting each other up in the air, in order to peek in the small windows.  Nothing but darkness and cobwebs.  Still, it felt as if something could have been there, just out of sight, continuing it's watch.

   

As we walked the path a shout came from somewhere nearby, "Hey, look up!  Look up!"

A bald eagle is soaring overhead.  

It seems like an unwritten rule; when an eagle soars, people stop to watch.  We did.  It was a great way to mark the beginning of the trip.  People will talk about 'trail magic'.  If you've never experienced this, the notion seems kind of corny.  Until you've experienced trail magic.  That morning, watching the eagle fly, was a taste of trail magic.  We encountered two bird watchers, the ones who had told us to look up, and spent some time talking about bird watching.  It's fascinating to me what people are fascinated by.  These women love to watch birds and Cape Henlopen is apparently a great place for it.  Birds; they represent a certain freedom.  They go where they want, when they want and see things from a vantage point most humans never will. 

We left the birds and their watchers behind, making our way finally down to the boundary of the sand.  I'd dreamed of this moment for fifteen years.  Of the moment where I dip my toes into the ocean, collect the sand, and start a journey of a lifetime.  The water was freezing, so no toes being dipped.  Dolphins rose out of the waves to greet us.  I was so enchanted by their antics that I forgot all about collecting the sand.  Time to retrace our steps, back to the bikes, and the let the rest of the journey begin.  

Delaware

Part Two

In retrospect, the fact that we got lost before even making it to the starting point should have been a warning sign.  Only, I was too giddy with the excitement of beginning this long-awaited journey to pay attention to warning signs.  And, Kim had put all her misplaced trust in me.  Before the end of day one on the trail, I was pretty much a fly by the seat of my pants kind of person.  That was altered by the end of day one.  Not that I would have changed anything.  The experiences we had leading up to day one was all part of the trail magic.

The evening before starting, we decided to leave our rental car at a halfway point and then Uber back from there to the Airbnb, where the bikes were waiting.  Sounds easy.  Except here's the thing we learned – away from the beaches, Delaware is very rural.  As in miles and miles of nothing but a forest and farmland.  Not the best place to leave a car that didn't belong to us, nor find an Uber.  Driving around in the dark, in the middle of nothing, pops up a small town with a small police station.  It seemed like the safest place to leave a car unattended, and get picked up by a car service.  Leaving the car was easy.  The police officer on duty was nice and found the idea of riding bikes across the state interesting.  He agreed to keep an eye on the rental.  In the lower part of Delaware, only three drivers are operating for a car service.  Or, so we were told.  None of those three drivers were interested in picking up a random stranger from a police station.  The officer helped us out here, too.  He got us to a different location, where a driver would feel safe meeting and driving us back to the townhome where we were staying.  Finally, in an Uber and heading towards the rental, it seemed like some trail magic had come through for us in the nick of time. 

Riding across America on this trail was a dream I'd had for a very long time.  It wasn't a dream that my husband shared.  Occasionally, I would try to convince him that he would find it fun and exciting.  He didn't believe me but didn't discourage me either.  Then, the man I loved so much passed away.  Fun and excitement went out the window.  Life was more about just getting through the day.  That evening with the dream finally happening, life was again fun and exciting. 

As the car service cruised into the end of the lift, the driver suddenly says, "Ladies, do you mind if I sing to you?"

Kim and I exchanged looks.  What do you say to that?  Do we want some stranger singing to us as we drive through a strange city?  Maybe not, but we didn't want to be unkind, so we responded with an uncertain, "oh no, we don't mind at all."   

This man breaks out into just a stunningly beautiful rendition of Elvis', Can't Help Falling in Love.  No music.  Just a beautiful, honest voice, echoing through the silent car.  Tears well up in my eyes, and goosebumps break out along my arms.  Can't Help Falling in Love was the song that my husband and I had danced to for our wedding song.  Some signs were not to be overlooked.   I think my love found a way to let me know that he was here for this dream, after all.