Visiting Cape May, New Jersey

Last summer, K's mom wanted us all to take a beach vacation together... It was time to get to the sea, and for the family to get closer to Baby E. I was all for it! I always miss the ocean when I'm away from it, so I was extremely pleased to be able to spend a week near the Atlantic... It's one of the oceans that I'm not too familiar with. I grew up next to the Pacific, and my timeshare is on a Pacific Ocean beach. I'm always happy to get to know another ocean, though!

Lush flowers

Wild berries to eat

Biking to the bay

We stayed at a home that we found on www.vrbo.com, which is how I booked places to stay when I was in Europe, remember? This worked well then, and it worked well for our local vacation, too! The house we rented had bikes, water gear, pretty much everything we needed for a fun time with family by the beach! We enjoyed biking to the bay to see the sun set... it's one of few places on the east coast where you can watch the sun set over the ocean!

Pathway to the bay

We also liked walking to the ocean early in the morning... but I was surprised the first time we went. This is what we saw...

Horseshoe crabs all over the beach

Getting stuck in the sand after the tide has gone out

I felt really bad for them! We helped a few live ones back to the retreating sea, but I doubt many made it. Turns out it was the time of year (July) for them to come in and find mates and lay eggs, and then die. Sad! But also kind of fascinating.

Who was this fishy creature?

Is this a needlefish? Do they live in cold water?

The other cool thing to see was the tidal patterns on the sand... I loved them.

Lacy patterns from detritus left on the shore

We went out a lot, too... just to eat yummy seafood, and to do a little shopping here and there. The historic downtown of Cape May is quaint. They have a couple of really cute candy shops, and unique children's stores. There were cafes and restaurants, too. One crab shack we went to was right by the water... it had a nice eating area on standard picnic tables. We ate some fresh crab there... it was okay, but the view was really cool.

My favorite beach, though, was Sunset Beach, which is more of a local's hangout. Not remotely like the main beach in Cape May proper. I can't stand those beaches where you have to pay to sit on the sand about a half mile from the edge of the water because it's so crowded. No thank you. I like the quiet little beaches where you can relax and hear the ocean waves lapping at your feet. Also, Sunset Beach had a little fried food shack that was actually pretty yummy! And the sand looked like this...

My favorite kind of sand...

We're going back to Cape May this July, and I'm already looking forward to it! Probably in part to the intense winter we've been having. Boy, I almost forgot what it feels like to have the sun on your face! Mama needs some time on the beach with her family!! It feels so far away right now, but the way time seems to fly since Elie was born, it'll be here in a flash! I need to remember to slow my mind down and savor the moments we're living. {Breathe... just breathe....}

Here's to sunny, loving thoughts to keep you warm this winter...

Blessings,

S

Part 2 - Sunfish Pond and Back

A giant birch tree.

Okay, where did I leave you? Oh yes, on the way to Sunfish Pond. It was very hot, very humid, and the bugs were flying into our eyes and ears. It was a bit frustrating. We passed two guys who were talking about the bugs being worse on the Appalachian Trail. They advised us to return from the pond on the same trail we were hiking due to the worsening of the bugs along the AT. We took it under advisement, and continued along the blueberry trail. I picked berries here and there, and we swatted the flying bugs and kept hiking up, up, up. 


We got to a point where we actually started to descend a bit, and then we had arrived in a very birch-filled copse of trees at the top of the Kittatinny Ridge. There was a sign that told us we were at Sunfish Pond, a 44 acre glacial pool that was created by the Wisconsin Glacier back in the last ice age. There were only the sounds of a few birds, frogs in the pond, and a little bit of wind through the tops of the trees. It was hot up there, and once we had viewed the pond, we realized it was no swimming hole. The edge along the pond was muddy and populated by frogs. 

Frog in the mud... center of the picture

Skeeters and other water bugs danced on the surface. It looked extremely shallow from where we stood, so we decided to just sit and have our lunch, and enjoy the view.

Sunfish Pond

It really is a beautiful place to stop. The reflections of the clouds upon the water were magical. The buzz of the insects (cicadas among them) were hypnotic. There was even a grassy spot to sit.

There wasn't a soul in sight, nor even the sound of voices other than our own. It made it easy to hear the sound of branches breaking and grunting sounds coming from our left... We both stopped and listened. K got out his binoculars to see if he could see what was making the noise back up the trail. I was certain that it was a wild boar or possibly a bear.
Then we also heard the sound of voices. Another couple had reached the ridge top, and came into view. I asked them what was back on the trail and they told us that about four deer were back there! K had guessed deer, but I thought deer were pretty quiet, so I had scarier animals in mind. I'm glad he was right!

Our view from the grass

After we'd eaten our sandwiches, fruit and almonds, and filled up our bellies with water, we decided to head back. A storm was supposed to be coming, and we wanted to get back before then. It was a three-hour hike (...a three hour hike...) back to the car. On the way back, I found a bracelet floating in the water and put it on...

My birch bark bracelet!

Isn't it cool? And we also saw a lone deer... she looked to be pretty young. She spotted us, but continued walking and eating at a leisurely pace. Also, I had a brilliant idea to deal with the bugs. We tied our bandanas around our heads, making sure to cover our ears, and we wore our sunglasses the whole time. It kept the bugs out, anyway! 

A young doe eating nearby.

It was a very hot, humid walk back, and both of us were feeling the ache already in our legs. The climb from the car to Sunfish Pond was four miles up from 600 feet elevation at the base to 1300 feet at the ridge. And then you have to go back down. I admit that I wasn't really in shape for this. My legs are better NOW, but over the weekend, they were sore!

There was so much beauty to see, though. I'm so glad we finally did this hike that we'd been talking about for months. It was truly gorgeous. Apparently, New Jersey does have something beautiful to offer! Just kidding! You know I love Monmouth Beach, too, in Long Branch. It's just that the reputation of New Jersey isn't the best since "Jersey Shore" first aired. Now I believe them when they say that it's the "Garden State." It's truly something to see for yourself.


One last thing before I close... check out this amazing exposed root... it's wild. There were still rocks embedded in it, and crazy plants, moss and mushrooms growing on it. I wish there were some way to lug this home and put it in my yard! (Just kidding! I'd never remove it... but it's pretty awesome, isn't it?) I hope you enjoyed your virtual hike with me and K. We are planning another trip up there in the fall, when the leaves are turning colors and the humidity is a little lower. It's going to be fabulous.

Hiking to Sunfish Pond - Part 1

We finally made it to Delaware Water Gap, to hike to Sunfish Pond! It was a balmy day, temperatures were around 75-80 degrees F, and the humidity was around 70%. Warm, but not brutal. We decided to go for it.


The drive to Delaware Water Gap only took us about an hour, which is great! The other place we hiked, Hawk Mountain, takes a little longer to get to. This was a surprise for us. Also, not a lot of traffic. (It's still strange for this California transplant to drive places and NOT be stuck in traffic for a while.)
Anyway, we had our veggie sammies in a pack, along with some plums, yogurt covered raisins, salted almonds, and a couple of energy bars, since we didn't have a big breakfast beforehand. We were ready!

We decided to take the Appalachian Trail only as far as Dunnfield Hollow Trail, then take that up to Sunfish Pond. Due to the heat, it seemed a good idea because we'd follow Dunnfield Creek almost all the way up. The entire trail was pretty much under the cover of trees, so we didn't get too hot or sunburned, even! Also, there was a strange phenomena going on that we still don't understand... there were these glistening rocks all embedded in the trail... when you touch them, you can feel that they're cold with condensate dew on their surfaces. Why are they cold, though? Other rocks were normal, dry, about the temp of the surrounding air, even in the same area of the trail. Specific rocks were COLD, though; so cold that they were condensing in the heated air. Weird.

Cold rock in the trail... sorry it's blurry

The trail was intensely green, with fields of ferns off to the sides, and towering birch trees, oaks, tulip trees and other deciduous trees... it was stunning! The creek that burbled alongside the trail was over mostly smoothed rock, with moss growing all around.
I loved when the sun would shine through, lighting up the undergrowth and making the treetops glow.

K near the creek bed

There were small waterfalls and chilly pools along the creek, which beckoned us in. We didn't stop to play, though. Maybe next time...

Lovely waterfall!

You could tell that people would stop and swim in some of the pools, because there were piles of rocks here and there (and some random initials carved into a tree.) There wasn't too much litter, although there were bits of broken glass along the trail.


There were blackberry, raspberry and wild blueberry bushes all along the forest, which we indulged in. Delicious, too.

We found bear scat in a few places, which made us nervous, ha ha. Never did see any bears, though. I'm not sure if I'm glad, or a little sad, about that. 


We were attacked by bugs along the trail... for anyone thinking of doing a summer hike, best to have a bandanna to tie around your head to cover your ears. They like to try to enter your ear canals. Freaks me OUT. Also, I had several bugs go into my eyes, so even though it was shaded under the canopy of trees, I had to wear my sunglasses to prevent anymore of the little buggers from going in my eyes. That was pretty annoying! Luckily, it wasn't for the entire trail, just through some stretches of it. Here are some views along the trail... there were a couple places where we had to ford the creek, but since it hasn't rained too much lately, that wasn't difficult, as you can see.

Fording area

Mossy rock being hugged by a tree 

The sun peeking through the canopy

Rocky steps along the trail

We walked four miles up trails like that (above) as well as less ordered rocky areas like this...

It wasn't easy! My legs are so sore today! Here are some of the goodies that we saw along the trail... so many mushrooms and fungi! It was amazing!

There were even more than this, but after a while, you get tired of squatting to take photos, especially when you've been walking straight up for a few hours.

These plants were especially intriguing to me, as I've never seen them before... they were very white, almost translucent, but with golden designs inside of them... I have them in the collage above, but wanted to share these closer shots with you.

Ghostly plants

Tomorrow, I'll share Part 2: Sunfish Pond and Back. I think you've had enough of this hike for today! I hope you enjoyed your trail walk with me!