Epic North Atlantic Road Trip Plan

Epic North Atlantic Road Trip Plan

EDIT:
No can do on this trip for 2020.  As an Alabama resident, I am required to self-quarantine for 14 days upon entry to New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.  I cannot count on these restrictions being lifted within 5 weeks.  I can still swim in Maine and New Hampshire though, at least for now.  That means I fly out of Atlanta to Portland, Maine.  I can still do a Philly/NJ/NY trip at some point.  At least according to Mapquest, it appears to be a fairly smooth drive into Rockaway from NJ.  It also appears that parking is available nearby for up to 7 days.  I've seen enough of Manhattan but I'd like to see a Yankee game in the Bronx and go a bit off the beaten path.  I could leave my car in Rockaway and pick it up the next day.  That would be cool.     

Day 1- Fly to Philadelphia from Birmingham.  I looked into Atlantic City from Atlanta but there are no direct flights. I’ll try to catch the earliest flight of the day so I can maximize my beach time.  I will rent a car and drive to the Jersey Shore.  Which beach?  Probably Wildwood even though it’s 30 minutes longer.  I want some Laura’s Fudge so I can mess with some HS teammates (inside joke).  I can stay until sunset because the drive will be short.  I’ll spend the night in North Jersey. 

Day 2- Rockaway Beach in Queens, New York.  The drive time is slightly less than 3 hours from Wildwood and about 2.5 from Atlantic City.  As usual, I’ll go part way and stay in a flea bag motel.  I’ll aim to get as close as I can.  The drive will take me through Staten Island but not Manhattan.  Still, I’ll want to get there early so I can beat the rush hour.  This beach session may be abbreviated a bit because the next day’s drive could be tough. 

Day 3- This day’s destination is Coastal New Hampshire.  It’s roughly 4.5 hours from Rockaway Beach.  It will be all interstate, but I will have to drive through Queens and Bronx.  I’ll pass through Connecticut and probably stop somewhere in Massachusetts the previous night.  That way, I’ll only have a little over 2 hours to go the next day.  I need to get there early because it can be awfully crowded on the weekends in late summer.  Hampton will be nuts but further north in Rye will probably be less crowded.  In any event, I’ll hop across the border to Maine for my afternoon beach session.  For the record, I hit the coasts of CT, RI and MA last summer.

Day 4- Bar Harbor and Mt. Desert Island, Maine.  It’s 3.5 hours from the southern part of Maine.  I want to get as close as I can.  I’ll have all day to tour Acadia NP.  I may be able to steal another swim session here at Sand Beach if it’s warm enough.  From here, it's back south.  It’s 3 hours to my next destination in Portland but I MUST arrive that night.  The race is at 6 AM.  I can scope out the race course on the way up.  

Day 5- Race day in Portland.  A 6AM start has its advantages.  Even with the expected slow time, I should be showered and ready to go by 10.  It’s only 2 hours to Mount Washington, New Hampshire.  The weather there can be very unpredictable and it’s out of the way so if I have to skip anything, this is it.  I'll check the weather forecast before I go.  At any rate, I’m 8 hours away from Philly if I go to the mountains but only 6.5 if I skip it.  If I choose the latter option, I could actually make an evening flight back.  Still. I'll take 2 days to get back.  I could probably steal another swim session along the way.  New York will be the most convenient stop but if my New Hampshire day is rained out, I have a chance to make it up here.

Top Priorities on this trip:
-Finish the half mary in Maine.  I don't care how slow it is.
-Swim in the ocean in New Jersey, New York, New Hampshire and Maine.  In late August, water temps should still be in the low-mid-70s in South Jersey.  It will be a touch cooler in New York but even in Maine, it should be at least 65F.  That's tolerable.  Currently, the water temp is 76F in New Jersey and 67F in Maine.  This is according to Magic Seaweed.  Water temps typically peak in early-mid August then gradually fall.  Figure that 5 weeks from now, the temps will be about the same.