Roadtrip, Day 13... Jovi

Day 13

Friday, May 30, 2025

        It wasn't actively raining when I woke up.  But, it was certainly coming.  So, it was up and out for a morning walk before breakfast.

    Surprised to see a little light color on horizon, I wish I had started earlier.

     It's 1.4 miles from the Ocean Grove pier to the end of the Asbury Park Boardwalk.  Great start to the day.  

      

      Checking the weather over breakfast, the forecast rain didn't look like it was going to happen after all. Bonus.  I had no commitments until 1P.  

     So, after clearing out my room and packing up the car, I just started walking with my travel mug of coffee.  I could get used to this.

     Instead of heading north into Asbury Park, this time I walked south into Bradley Beach.  

     The Promenade ends 1.2 miles south from the Ocean Grove Pier.  An easy two and a half miles from the inn.

        Sure, hanging out at the Jersey Shore was just what I needed.  But, it was time to head inland to catch up with some old friends.

     First stop, Red Bank to meet my friend Stacey.  We've known each other since high school band.  She was an electrical engineer until being downsized.  Like me, we're still adjusting to the whole retirement thing.

     Great lunch and great conversation.

      From there. I hit the parkway northbound.  A few years ago, the state started renaming the rest stops for famous Jersey people.  Earlier on the trip, I hit the Frank Sinatra Rest Stop.  This time, it was Jon Bon Jovi.

     I have nothing against the guy.  I even saw him play the Philadelphia Spectrum back in the '80s.  Great show.  I'm just sick of hearing "Living on a Prayer."  One guess what song was playing.  

     With more rain in the forecast, I just continued on to New Providence, my old home town.

     By now, you know I like to just go walk around and see what's changed.  Case in point, this was the headquarters for C.R. Bard back in my day.  They made medical supplies and were innovators in designs for catheters.  By the mid '90s, their sales had topped $1 Billion.  After a string of lawsuits over the next twenty years, the company was sold and the site abandoned.  

   Now it's luxury townhouses.  

    An evening walk by the old high school before the  storm...

     Seen in the motel corridor...

      I did follow the QR code and it went directly to Spotify.  You might think it strange, but I don't actually have an account with them.  Curious who the local artists are.    

Roadtrip, Day 11... Calling Germany

Day 11

Wednesday, May 28, 2025

     The weather report was right, I woke up to a light, but steady rain.  With no hope for sunrise, or a long walk on the boardwalk. I just went back to sleep.

     Two days down the shore is never enough.  So, I packed up the room and headed up the coast to Ocean Grove, my next stop on the tour.

     But first, a few stops along the way.

       The Hereford Inlet Lighthouse was open for tours today, just not for another two hours.

     As usual, I took the longer, coastal route north.  Loads of bridges, plenty of tolls. 

     Gotta stop in Margate and visit Lucy....

     Which brings me to the small shore community of Tuckerton.  Ebenezer Tucker fought in the Revolutionary War under General Washington.  After the war, President Washington made him the Collector of Revenue for the Seaport here.  

     But, that's not why I came to Tuckerton.  I was looking for this...

     Yes, it's a large block of concrete.  But, it's got some history.  

     In 1912 a German businessman had an idea. With radio still being referred to as wireless, he wanted to build the first wireless network.

     His vision had large, very powerful radio transmitters scattered around the globe, instantly sharing information.

     The first tower went up in Germany.  The second was here in Tuckerton, with the base on this block.  At the time, it was the second highest man made structure on Earth, behind The Eiffel Tower.

     Three of the support blocks still remain.

     As does the building that once housed the generator.

     The first message sent was a greeting to President Woodrow Wilson. Two weeks later, Archduke Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking WWI.

      There were rumors the antenna was being used to contact the German military and share intelligence.  Once America formerly entered the war, President Wilson warned them to knock it off.  The reply, make us.  So Wilson did and the government took over the transmitter.  

     Eventually. I did make it to Ocean Grove and the Ocean View Inn.  I'd never been here before and took a short walk when the rain let up.

    

     My first stop was this shelter by the beach.  I just wasn't expecting it to be a chapel, with rows of pews facing forward.

       I'm used to seeing upcoming concert listing.  Here, it's a weekly minister list.

         In 1869, a group of Methodist ministers bought the land that would become Ocean Grove.  Their vision was to build permanent Christian community.  To oversee it all, they created the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association.  The group still runs the place.

     Reverend Stokes was the one who made it all happen.  He oversaw the layout of the tow and started building.  The Great Auditorium was rebuild and expanded numerous times.  It currently can hold ten thousand people and contains one of the largest pipe organs in the country. The acoustics are supposed to be amazing.   You can see a video shot inside the auditorium here:

     That pavilion on the right once held a scale model of Jerusalem.

     Visiting Methodists have stayed in tents since the very beginning.  There are still 114 of them.  They're mostly tent in the front, cabin in the back.  You can get an idea what they look like here:

      Walking around, there was just something about the place.  Parking for the inn is on the street out front.  I got the feeling I could have left my car unlocked and it would have been fine.  I would definitely stay in Ocean Grove again.

    

Roadtrip, Day 12...Asbury and Beyond

 Day 12

Thursday, May 29, 2025

     Another beautiful morning down the shore.

   If you head north on the boardwalk, you enter Asbury Park.  It's easy to see the demarcation line.

     The last time I was in Asbury, the old casino frame was still open for pedestrians.  Colorful art displays hung from above and along the walls.  It was closed due to structural issues and a fear of a roof collapse.  I found articles about the developer's plans, but no recent updates.

      

   

     Had to stop by the old carousel house...

        Seen walking he Asbury Park boardwalk.

     The old Howard Johnson, long since turned into a restaurant.  

    It really is a Jersey thing...

     There's also the Silver Ball Museum, a retro arcade full of vintage pinball machines and video games.  All the machines work.  Pay your hourly, half day or full day fee and play anything you want.  

     I remember seeing this one as a little kid, back when the games cost ten cents.  

    I vented on this one a few times in college.

    Battlezone was released to arcades in 1980 and was billed as the first 3-D game.  

    Heading back to Ocean Grove...

     Ocean Grove is a half hour drive from Atlantic Highlands.  My friend Ann moved there recently and we met for dinner.  She selected a place down by the harbor, complete with a hazy view of the Manhattan skyline.

     One of the realities of not having kids, the startling jump in ages when you see your friend's kids.  The last time I saw Ryan, he was early in high school.  He recently graduated college.  He joined us for dinner and was a good sport with all the conversation of back in the day.

     Sunset over Atlantic Highlands...