Sandy,

Keep in mind the Challenge happens in October. the routes to the Shore are not quite so bad then.

I was on the Garden state Parkway last Saturday going from Tarrytown lighthouse to Sandy Hook on my way to the PNC Bank Arts Center for the James Taylor show and I ran into the same traffic.

There was a 7 mile backup for a toll booth that only those paying cash for had to actually stop. those using easy pass could zip through at full speed- which of course wasn't that fast.

You do use the GSP quite a bit going from one Lighthouse to the next- especially from Sea Girt south to Cape May. There are not many other choices for much of the way- in fact for part of the way Rt 9 is the GSP.

I've also spent many an hour trying to drive the parking lot called I-95 in CT from the NY border to the Connecticut River. Beth, my daughter, went to the University of Rhode Island and we drove up there many times.

I usually go up I-87 to I-84 and go over to RT 9 and come back down. It's a bit longer but usually takes less time and is definitely less aggravating.

Last point- the traffic on both the GSP and I-95 in CT is nothing compared to traffic almost any time of year on the west end of Long Island and on the east end during the summer.

Dennis