Reaching the Atlantic Coast (updated)

I finally reached the Atlantic Coast on Friday night after a 750 miles (1,200 kilometers) ride to get there in time to spend some time with my family at Chincoteague. The boys were very happy to see me. Elizabeth took this (little staged) picture on Saturday morning with the Atlantic Ocean on the background. The other one is of the Ducati and the Assateague lighthouse. I feel a little bad because the Triumph should be on the photo rather than the Ducati after doing the bulk of the job.
When I started the Ducati on Saturday morning in front of the hotel, it cranked but wouldn't fire up. I put more choke to no avail until I realized that the kill switch was on. That switch "kills" the engine without turning the ignition key off and I had used it the night before not to wake everybody up. Because of the choke, fuel pressure had built up in the cylinders and the bike started with a very loud detonation sounding like a gun shot. Elizabeth and the boys looked at me with a puzzled expression on their face, all thinking that I had bought a real lemon. The hotel management came rushing out fearing that a gun battle had started on their premises. These Ducati have such a way to introduce themselves to the civilized crowd....
And that was just before I almost drowned Henry, sitting him on the sand just when a big wave was coming. I couldn't see him for about five seconds and Elizabeth fished him out of the water a good two meters from where I had left him. Henry was not amused and Elizabeth pretty mad. Hey, Papa is back, let's have some fun...
Anyway, I took a swim in the Atlantic Ocean and the water was good, much warmer than the Pacific where waves discouraged me from taking the plunge.
I love the Chincoteague/Assateague Natural Reserve. Sea birds and wild poneys roam around, it's totally untouched by urban developement and Chincoteague itself has the look of the little harbour in "The Birds", the Alfred Hitchcock movie. It may not be as spectacular as the Pacific Coast and the riding is certainly not as spirited as on Highway One but if you're not willing to cross the United States on a motorcycle it's a nice ersatz. The only drawback is the really voracious mosquitoes.
The Washington Post had a story on Saturday about how Real Estate developers are now coming to Chincoteague with the intention of turning it into the next Virginia Beach or Ocean City. It would be sad to see such a gem going down the drain with casinos and high-rises. But what can you expect, only four hours away from DC ?
This little detour by the Chesapeake included, the trip total is, as of Sunday night after return in Washington, of 10,212 miles (16,339 km) of which 8,117 miles (12,987 km) with the Triumph and 2,095 miles (3,352 km) with the Ducati.
Apart from the GPS, not a scrape, not a scratch, not an incident. I guess I should considered myself lucky (or just well prepared)
And now, back to work on Monday... Bummer.
I'll keep the blog updated in the following weeks with more pictures of the trip and new comments. Now, I am going to bed. My butt hurts.