June 29

June 29th (rainy, howling winds)
We awoke to howling winds and crashing rain. We packed quickly and began our drive towards Dover to catch a committed 12:15 ferry. George was also worried that the weather and road conditions may delay our arrival, so we gave ourselves ample time which we definitely needed as we momentarily lost our way, resulting in a 60 mile detour.
Upon our arrival at Dover, the weather continued to worsen. Swells in the harbor were 12 – 15 feet high. We thought the sailing might be cancelled, but instead it was delayed one hour. While waiting for the one hour at the terminal, we observed a busload of rugby players in full Hawaiian garb standing on the tarmac singing and getting absolutely soaked “inside and out” – some things never change! The journey across the English Channel was so rough that I felt “green”. George loved the rough and tumble ride and watching people being sick on board and overboard.
We arrived at Calais only to see that the “big, black cloud” had followed us. Plans changed. Our intentions were to leisurely travel the side roads, but unfortunately in this storm, we decided to get onto the super highway and head south a.s.a.p. After 12 hours of travel, we stopped at a campground 45 kms north of Paris. Had a couple of drinks, dinner and totally crashed. PS – Susi ran like a charm.