Adventuring in Cape May

I don't know what it is about the beach that I find so alluring. I can't really swim, Shelley and I get eaten alive by bugs, I am fair-skinned, and I get very angsty about all that is unseen in the Atlantic Ocean while we're all floating around in there. Sand gets EVERYWHERE. It's hot. It's crowded. And last summer I had jellyfish stings up and down both legs and around my entire left forearm because I must have wandered, unknowingly, into a bloom of them. Waves literally try to push us back to the shore, like, "Hey, we don't want you here!" and we all laugh and bob back in, pushing our wet hair out of our faces and spitting out seawater and seaweed.

Ready to go!

Cape May, New Jersey 

With all of that, it's actually hard for me to believe that I am so drawn to the siren song of those waves ebbing and flowing to the shore, but I love it. I love the vastness of dark blue meeting the lighter blue of the sky. I love the sand underfoot, and all the colors. I love the salty air and the sun and the way my hair just gets wavy and out of control. I love the kitschy boardwalk sweatshirts and shark tooth bracelets. I love the live music and smells of pizza and funnel cake, and I even the people drinking out of coconuts with little umbrellas in them.  

Shameless tourist (AKA me)

This year, as we're trying to save for our wedding, we aren't going on a big vacation like we usually try to do, but we did seize the opportunity for a weekend away at the Jersey shore. We decided to head to Cape May, where neither of us have ever been but a friend recommended. I was drawn in by the images of old Victorian homes, a lighthouse, and Cape May diamonds. 

Selfie with the lighthouse

Shells walking along the beach 

These colors are unreal!

We drove out late Saturday morning and got there around dinnertime. Our first stop was to ride past all of the enormous houses from the late 1800s and walk along the shore. I was admittedly a little wary, still, of jellyfish that may be lurking close to shore, so I didn't get in as deep as Shells did, but I enjoyed it just the same. We climbed along the rocks and watched people play in the surf and ride by in yachts before heading over to the lighthouse (I blame growing up watching "Murder She Wrote" and all the joys of Cabot Cove for my love of lighthouses) and checking it out, along with an abandoned bunker and a lookout from World War II.

V. excited 

Cape May lighthouse 

For dinner, we went for lobster rolls and local IPAs. Our plan was to spend the first night sleeping near the beach, as is our tradition. Luck was not on our side though-- the biggest heat wave in forever was rolling through and it was like 96 degrees. We got a fan, lots of water, and spent much of that night sitting down by the ocean watching people fish (and only catch copious amounts of trash) while we stared at constellations, talked about life, and watched the waves ripple along the shore.

car camping 

We made it to the car eventually and woke up with the sun changing the rainbow-sherbet-colored sky... and woke up to a flat tire. I didn't believe it when Shelley told me, but there it was, like a cartoon drawing. It was already so hot at 6:30am as she put on the spare and we rode out to Walmart when it opened at 7, already 6th in line, just to get a new tire. (Last year in Myrtle, we had to get new brakes-- my car, Arlandria, apparently does not like road trips.)

Up with the sun & this little guy

FOUR HOURS LATER we were back in the car, heading to the beach. We ended up on Sunset Beach after the other two we tried were packed and required pre-bought tags. We slathered ourselves with sunscreen and dragged our folding chairs down the beach to the surf, where we sat with the water washing around our ankles, just basking in having some beach time before we had to leave. The bugs were relentless, and at one point I decided to wade in up to my knees just to get away from them. I was about to take another step when I heard a kid yell out that he'd gotten stung by a jellyfish! I was outta there! Then it happened to a couple other people as well, so Shells and I busied ourselves sifting through sand on the edge of the water and looking for Cape May diamonds. The fish were jumping in and out of the water like crazy, and we even saw some sharks circling in the distance!!!

Cape May diamonds 

Literally covered in sunscreen :D 

On our way back up the coast, we stopped off at Ocean City because Shells wanted to see the boardwalk. We got Mac & Manco's pizza and toured the boardwalk-- mostly ducking in to the air conditioned shops to get away from the 104 degree sun beating on us. The beach was gorgeous though. It was my first beach I ever went to, and I'm happy I got to share it with Shells, even if it was brief!

At the boardwalk

Ocean City, NJ

Still smiling!

Overall, this trip was pretty eventful-- more than we would've liked, I think-- but I am happy that we were able to look on the bright side, smile, and enjoy our time together at the shore. 

Home sweet home!