German Couple Tours North America, Finds Cape Friendly, Seafood Luscious

ERMA — Uwe and Sigrid Hennings were filled with wanderlust to see as much of North America as possible in six months.
They would like to have spent twice as much time, but their travel visa allowed only six months in the United States.
The Hamburg, Germany couple recently parked their 28-foot diesel-powered Charisma motor home, made by Fiat, among fellow campers at Holly Shores Campground on Route 9. Owner Dave Robinson told the Herald he had seen many recreational vehicles on the property, but Hennings was “definitely European.” Parked in front of the spacious recreational vehicle was a Piaggio motor scooter, which Hennings used to travel in the area.
On the day of the interview, Hennings said they had just 10 days left before their forced departure from America.
During the course of their stay, he estimated they spent roughly $22,000. Had they been able to stay a year, he estimated that sum could easily have doubled.
However, since Sept. 11, 2001, he said travel here for a foreigner has definite limits, which he termed, “der Wahnsenn,” which, interpreted means “insanity.”
Oh, yes, they could stay longer, but it would have meant having to return to Germany, leaving the camper in the U.S., and then flying back to the U.S.
“We had to make it clear we had money, because they (government) were concerned we would stay,” he said.
Should they decide to revisit, he said they would probably not bring their RV, and would rent a vehicle once here.
A true globetrotter, Hennings said he had worked in China for six months while employed at Volkswagen.
Hennings, a 66-year-old retired engineer from Volkswagen, shared part of his afternoon Wed., Sept. 15 with Herald Publisher Art Hall, as they conversed in German, and this writer caught a scattering of words from that language. Hall translated much of what Hennings said, although he explained the couple’s itinerary in English.
The couple began their trip in Baltimore, Md., where their motor home arrived after a 16-day trans-Atlantic passage that cost $15,000.
Throughout their journey that included virtually every tourist-spot in the nation, from Graceland to Las Vegas, Nev., they stayed in campgrounds, drinking in landscapes they had only seen in magazines and movies.
Hennings was awe-struck by the Carlsbad Cavern, which he said is unequaled in Europe or Asia.
“At night, there were millions of bats,” said the visitor.
After visiting Texas and the Southwest, they wanted to sample some original Mexican food, so they crossed the border to Juarez, Mexico.
“We were there for one hour to eat, and two and a half hours at the border. They looked through everything, had dogs sniffing and looked underneath and everything, and found nothing, of course,” he said.
After that, they went to California, where he was not impressed by Los Angeles, but dropped his jaw at the sight of the sequoia and redwood trees that reached “at least 150 meters (about 450 feet) into the sky.”
He could not believe that eight people holding hands were needed to encircle one of those grand trees of antiquity.
Rain and snow blocked their views of the Grand Canyon, but the steam railroad ride in Silverton, Colo. Made up somewhat for the loss, he said.
Not a gambler, Henning said his wife wanted to try her luck in a casino in Nevada. She put $2 into the slot machine, won $100 and quit playing for the day. Another time, in another place, she wagered $2 and won $200. He said they were planning a trip to Atlantic City, and hoped his spouse would continue her lucky streak.
At the Mormon Tabernacle, the couple was amazed and impressed by the 10 a.m. performance by the 250-voice Mormon Tabernacle Choir with organ and orchestra.
The Great Salt Lake allowed them to float high in the water.
The crossed into British Columbia and then went to the Alaskan border.
“I step one foot in Canada, one foot in Alaska,” he laughed, as he recalled his waddling back and forth between two nations.
In time for the spring salmon run, the couple watched hungry bears snatch flying salmon heading upstream. They also visited a glacier, and in Canada, saw bear, moose, elk and buffalo, one of which came so close to the RV he had to be chased away.
Included in the eastward trek was a stop at Mount Rushmore, and the Crazyhorse statue carved from a mountain.
The couple went through northern Michigan, eastward through Ontario, and then to Niagara Falls before making their way to Cape May County.
The worst experience, he said, was in New York City when an ATM machine snatched his card, which was impossible to get back from an uncaring bank employee. Even a call to his bank in Germany could not do much to fetch the card, and all because he said; he put the wrong PIN number into the machine.
He also had great difficulty cashing $500 American Express traveler’s checks, which he purchased in Germany.
He said the staff at Holly Shores had been helpful in getting such checks cashed.
Of Cape May County, and most of America, Hennings found the people to be “very friendly, not like at home, where you only greet people you know,” he said.
Of all the places, the couple ate while on their trip, he rated the Lobster House on top of all. They loved the lobsters and shrimp, and went three times, he exclaimed, and loved it each time.
“It was the best house,” he added.
Due to the exchange rate, the visitors felt this area was “relatively cheap.”
While diesel fuel here was under $3 a gallon, it was well over that in the West, he said.
Fuel consumption of their RV was “15 liters per 100 kilometers.”
He lauded the campground staff for giving “great service” to his wife and him.
They would like to have stayed longer, but they really had to go.
Parts of this story were first published at capemaycountyherald.com
Contact Campbell at (609) 886-8600 Ext 28 or at: al.c@cmcherald.com