Day 5
Tuesday, March 5, 2024
After the weekend, I was grateful not to have much driving in store for the day. The forecast was for cold and rain all day anyway. When I woke up, there was no patter of rain on the windows. Looking out the window, it seemed nice and calm. I realized odds were pretty low, but I took a load of stuff down to the car and looked down the road towards the beach. Yeah, no rain. No sunrise, either.
There was originally a full day of stuff planned today. But first, I had to get across to New Jersey! The ferry from Lewes, Delaware to Cape May, New Jersey is a personal favorite. There's just something about it.
Lining up at the terminal for the eventual trip across.
Given a choice, I'd rather my car be in the middle of the ferry, under some cover, especially on a choppy day like this. But no, I had to show up on time and be towards the front.
Yeah, not the most inspiring morning.
Much to everyone's surprise, midway across the Delaware Bay, the ferry's engines shut down and we coasted to a stop. Crossing our path were two whales. We saw them come up and blow a few times before they were clear and we finished our journey.
Whales in the Delaware Bay are nothing new. Swedish settlers established the colony of New Sweden in 1638, partially for the purpose of whale hunting. The colony stretched up both sides of the future Delaware Bay. The first settlement was Fort Christina in present day Wilmington, Delaware and named after Christina, the Swiss Queen.
The colony only lasted twenty-three years. Dutch forced from New Amsterdam(soon to become New York) invaded. With their forts overrun, the colony surrendered. In 1669, the British arrived and took control of everything.
All that's left of New Sweden is the town of Swedesboro and a replica of Fort Christina in Wilmington.
The plan was to hit a few hiking trails in the general Cape May area. The light mist put an end to that. So, I drove down to the Cape May Lighthouse. Sure it was closed today and there wouldn't be much of a view anyway. But, they're still cool
Seen on the way, a manatee mailbox...
Not much of a view of the lighthouse today...
The lighthouse sits in a state park on the southern tip of the state. On the back side of the parking lot I saw this curious platform.
Due to its geography, Cape May Point is a major stopping point for migratory birds. Click the link to the New Jersey Audubon Society page for some more detail.
Even though it was a damp day, I couldn't resist a brief walk out to the beach.
By now, I was thinking about an early lunch. One of the great things about being back in Jersey are the diners. There's one adjacent to the Cape May Airport called the Flight Deck Diner.
By the time I finished lunch, the forecast had changed somewhat, No more rain for the day, just the damp, leaden sky. The Wildwood Naval Air Station Museum was next door and I considered a visit. In the rain, I definitely would have stopped in. Instead, I did a search for hiking trails near me.
The search brought me to a place called the Cox Hall Creek Wildlife Management Area. The 253 acres used to be a golf course. Now, it's another stop for migrating birds. Daniel Coxe purchased the land in the 1680's but never left England. A physician to the Court of King Charles II, Coxe was even declared governor for a year in 1687.
After parking the car, I started walking up a well maintained, paved path.
If I stayed on the outer loops, I'd do a little over three miles.
On the far side of the lake, I picked up the outer loop again. Something you really don't want to see on the trail...
Back around the lake I went. While the trails are in great shape, the markings leave much to be desired. There are no signs at trail junctures. There are no blazes. Every once in a while, you will encounter one of these on the pavement. That's it. At one point I did get turned around and was headed in the opposite direction from I wanted to go. In the end, I have no idea how far I walked. But, it certainly felt good.
My home for the next two nights was a stereotypical Jersey Shore motel, a place called The Waves. No complaints, the place definitely felt clean.
After unloading my stuff, I walked the one block to the Wildwood Boardwalk. Start to finish, it runs two and a half miles. When I last visited, it was early in the season and most of it was open. Today, I had it to myself and everything was closed.
Two blocks north, the boardwalk was barricaded and closed.
With some blue skies to the east, I was hoping for some sort of sunset, at least a little color. Unfortunately, the sky to the west was still socked in by clouds. It was still good to be walking the boardwalk again, even if I did have it do myself.
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