This year, for FAT 30, we decided to visit our oldest brother in the East Coast. He and his wife had planned out our entire trip. What a great blessing.
Since Mrs. Miracles (MM) likes the City life, there would be visits to crowded life with lots of people. But I, on the other hand, prefer the quiet soothing sounds of water, river, ocean, and mountains; so, my trips would include peace and quiet... and fishing!
First, we gotta get to the East Coast. MM and I both have two carry-on bags for our planned air trip. At the checkpoint, I was scanned and both of my bags were checked. MM, on the other hand, was NOT scanned and her bags were NOT checked! What's up with that? The security guard told me that it's because I have food and fishing lures in my bags.... Sounds reasonable....
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| At Sac AP waiting for take off. |
After the long flight with one short lay over in South Carolina, we were picked up by Big Brother and his wife in Rhode Island. MM was tired and went to take a nap. Meanwhile I got a tour of nearby rivers and streams in Rhode Island. It was awesome!
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| Our gracious hosts for the week |
When MM woke up from her nap, we got a chance to see the nearby beach and get some intel for fishing.
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| Nothing like getting fishing info from a local. |
The following day (8/1), we went to New York. It was a three-hour drive; that's nothing when you live in California and is used to the traffic. We checked in to a hotel within walking distance of Central Park.
We had excellent sandwiches at Zabar's (local New York deli) before catching the Subway train to a ferry that would give us a glance at the Statue of Liberty. This was a very first trip on the subway train for the both of us. It was exciting to see all the people coming and leaving the train. It brought back memory of our commute to work using the light rail train in Sacramento, CA.
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| First time on the subway train. |
As soon as we exited the train station to walk to the ferry, we were approached by "friendly" staff that offered their services to get us to see the Statue of Liberty! Fortunately, we were with Big Brother, who knew their tricks. Those friendly staff turned out to be scammers trying to get some $$$ from unsuspecting tourists. The ferry that goes past the Statue of Liberty is a FREE ride!!! It was super fun to go on a ferry ride and took some pictures of the Statue of Liberty!
On the way back, we walked to the One World Trade Center (One WTC). We visited the Twin Towers Memorial where the names of those who died there during the tragic 9/11 event were scripted. Colorful plastic flowers were placed by the names to commemorate their birth dates.
We visited the Shrine of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton. It was closed, so we said a little prayer outside before heading on....
Some where along the way, we managed to have a beer at a Sport's Bar named Patrick's. We ate dinner at a Chinese's restaurant that supposedly served "pho." We ate good.
Then we took the subway once again to the Big Apple, where the New Year celebration took place. From there, it got very interesting! We decided to walk back to our hotel several miles away, thereby, visiting lots of tourist sites including St. Patrick's Cathedral, Rockefeller Center, Ed Sullivan's Theater, Times Square, Radio City, and Lincoln Center for Performing Arts. We were tired and rested well at the hotel.
Friday (8/2) morning, we went back to Zabar's for a quick breakfast before visiting Central Park. We walked towards the side with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis Reservoir. Afterwards, we headed back to Rhode Island. Due to traffic, it took us five hours to get to home base.
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| We didn't stay here, but took this picture for little "j" |
Saturday (8/3) evening, we enjoyed an event called WaterFire Providence. According to goprovidence.com, "WaterFire centers around a series of nearly 100 bonfires that blaze just above the surface of the three rivers that pass through the middle of downtown Providence. The string of fires illuminates nearly two-thirds of a mile of urban public spaces and parks, as residents and visitors gather to stroll along the river, listening to music and watching performances. Boats pass quietly before the flames, as black-clad performers tend the fires from sunset to midnight." Another super fun event of listening to soothing music and seeing street performers.
Sunday(8/4) evening, we were treated to a night on a secluded beach in the camper. The goal was for me to catch a big striper. I was armed with bucktail jig and squid as bait. I fished for an hour up and down the beach with the bucktail, but did not get any takers. Just before sunset, I switched to the bottom rig with the squid as bait! Immediately, I got a hit. I was doubting that it was a hit, so I reeled the line back slowly to check the bait. Sure enough, the bait was gone!!! Thus, the next time I threw the line out, the same thing happened: I got another hit! I instantly set the hook! The miraculous thing is that MM had the cell phone camera on and recorded the whole thing!!! I took my time cleaning the fish. Big mistake! The fish bites were super hot! When done with cleaning the fish, I cast out for the third time and instantly got another hit! I was too slow in setting the hook and the fish got away. At that time, the wind died and mosquitoes and biting flies came to life! I was not prepared (only short pants and short sleeve shirt with no bug repellents) and had to run for the camper or get my blood sucked out of me. LOL.
The following morning (8/5), we woke up to a fantastic sunrise!!! This time I was prepared for the bugs and caught more fish. Unfortunately, the fish bites slowed down when the sun was out. I managed to land a sea robin while targeting striper with the bucktail. I even got a crab trying to steal the squid bait. What a fun fishing trip!
Sadly, the FAT 30 had to come to a closing! But not before a trip to visit the sea cliffs at Newport, Rhode Island. We took a fantastic walk along the shore of the Atlantic Ocean and had lobster roll for lunch!
On the trip home, I put fishing lures in MM's bags. However, at the airport checkpoint, the security guard again checked my bag, but neglected to check my wife's bags?!?!?!
God is good!
Until next time, may God bless you always.
-JU
