June Roadtrip, Day 17, Back to the old Hometown

 Day 17

Thursday, June 17

     Remember when I said I usually just wake up in time for sunrise.  Today was one of those days.  I rolled over, looked at the clock.  There was just enough time to grab the camera and run...

   After showering and packing up the room, I was off for a final walk down the Asbury Park boardwalk...

     Yesterday, as I was walking past the long wall with the murals, Holly Suzanne Rader was out putting some finishing touches on hers.  It was partially covered as she worked.  She caught me watching, smiled and got back to work.  This was the first time I saw the finished project.

     The murals are part of an effort to beautify a row of empty, boarded up walls, called the Wooden Walls Project.  

    On the far end of the boardwalk, this guitarist was picking out "Beast of Burden" by the Rolling Stones.  He gave me a scowl when he caught me taking his picture.  

     Time to head out and up the coast.  Passing through Long Branch, I passed an iconic New Jersey location, Windmill Hotdogs.  

     I briefly left the coast and headed inland a couple of miles to the town of Highland.  I had read about a series of trails lopping through Hartshorne Woods Park, named after the Hartshorne family, who originally settled here.

     The day's hike was a fairly easy four miles or so of well maintained forest trails, with minimal hills.  

    On the far side of the park is where you'll find the Rocky Point Navesink Military Reservation.   During WWII, this site was built up and armed with two sixteen inch guns to protect New York Harbor.  In 1950, anti-aircraft guns were added and the site was renamed the Highlands Army Air Defense Site.  It was decommissioned in 1974.

     

   There was one more stop to make in the Highland area.  I'd wanted to check it out for years, but never had the opportunity.  To help ships navigating their way into New York Harbor, a lighthouse was first built here in 1828.  It was rebuilt in 1862.  This time it had two towers.  One light was fixed, while the other rotated, making it instantly recognizable from the water.

          The lights were shut down for good in 1952, with the original lens in a neighboring building.  Ten year later, the whole facility was turned over to Monmouth County.  It's now a museum, but mostly closed due to Covid-19.

         Great view of lower Manhattan, too...

       Next stop, the old neighborhood.  I've stayed at the New Providence Best Western many times over the years.  The last time was late January, 2020.  Like much of my old home town, its changed a great deal along the way.  The outdoor patio and expanded bar area were new...

     The interior corridor was teeming with contractors.  With the sounds of things being cut, carried and installed, it certainly felt like a major remodel.  The view out the window at the end of the hall said it all...

     The bar had a pretty good crowd as I walked by.   There were two guys playing music and singing.  Not back.  Imagine if you can, Rod Stewart's "Maggie Mae" as if sung by Steely Dan.  They made it work.

      

      One thing about putting together a roadtrip late.  Not everyone's going to be available.  But, to have four of my oldest friends come out for a Thursday night on short notice means a lot.  There were the usual flurry of texts, as to meeting time and where.  In the end, we chose the place we always do, the Stirling Hotel.  The staff as great and mostly left us alone.  

    It's funny how the conversations have shifted over the years.  We're all a little older, but we're still there for each other.

     So yeah, this goes in the books as a really good day.