June 10, 2023 The morning was cool and the sun was out. The skies were clear and blue. We left around 11:30 to drive out towards the beaches. Bob had taken a bike ride this morning through the neighborhood to check it out. He discovered many beautiful homes and wanted me to show them to me.
Some were older and some were new, made to have the older style architecture. All were impeccably cared for.
We drove along Beach Ave. which had the beach on one side and shops or lodging of all kinds on the other side — from one-family homes, to B and B’s, to large hotel resorts.
Parking along Beach Ave. was full as people were enjoying a great beach day.
We followed the signs to the Lost Fisherman’s Memorial.
The statue facing Cape May Harbor dedicated in 1988 is a tribute to the fishermen who have been lost at sea.
The 8-foot granite statue depicts a woman and her children looking out at the water for the return of her fisherman husband. The earliest date recorded on the monument was 1897 and the most recent date was 2020. Laying on the ground were fishing rods and memorial crosses. Decorated seashells adorned the top of the stone.
From the shore, we could look out at the Coast Guard Station. It is the 5th largest and the Nation’s only Coast Guard Recruit Training Center.
We drove to Cape May Harbor and saw all the commercial fishing boats docked there. Cape May Harbor has 22 marinas located here.
From there. we went out to the town of Wildwood located on a barrier island. We had to pay a toll of $2.50 to get off of the island and nothing to get on. On the way back, we stopped at the Crab House for beverages and a snack.
It was situated right on the water. We sat outside at the Tiki Bar where we could watch the boat traffic going out of Cape May Inlet. It was a busy boating day. We had a view of all kinds of sea birds in the Wildlife Management Area across the water from us. I miss my spoonbills!
Bob had oysters and we shared a lobster roll. That’s lobster #1. Bob said the oysters were good . . .and big!
In the marina there, we spotted an Ocean Yacht like the one we had, only slightly smaller. I miss that boat!
As we were leaving the parking lot, I saw a turtle trying to make his way back to the salt marsh. He was almost there.
We came back to the campground where it was quiet and peaceful. For as many RVs as there are in this campground, there is nobody around. Later, people were slowly returning from a day at the beach. The skies remained clear and there was no air quality alert posted today. Both of our camping neighbors left this morning and by dark, we had two new neighbors. We had a light dinner and watched the Belmont Stakes! Tomorrow we’ll do some more exploring of the area.