East Coast Family Reunion - Day 21 - June 27th

We slept in a little and planned to try the Wildwood Boardwalk again today.

Two of my sister Eileen’s daughters and a friend came over around noon before leaving for home in the Philadelphia area for a short visit to see the RV.  After the last goodbye, we are now the only members of the reunion group still here.

 Before the boardwalk we decided to visit the Maui Dog House again for lunch. It was another great meal, just as good as the last one.

No weather delays today, just a lot of people on the beach and boardwalk. We boarded the tram at the Wildwood Crest end of the boardwalk (south end). And rode the tram the two miles to the north end of the boardwalk in North Wildwood.

If you have ever been to an east coast boardwalk, the Wildwood Boardwalk is a great example of the genre.  Lots of game booths, arcades, tacky tee shirt stores, all kinds of food, mostly fried and/or pizza, steak sandwiches, Italian Ice , funnel cakes, etc.  One thing we noticed, no alcohol is being sold on the boardwalk. A good idea. I am not sure how you could regulate sales as well as the behavior of some towards the end of the day.  There was a lot of security present, police on bikes and quads but it was a great crowd – lots of families, young people, old people and everyone in between.  Everyone was having fun and the beach was right there.  There also several amusement ride piers with impressive rides.  We did not ride on any of them.

The way the tram works, you have to buy a ticket every time you get on and at each end.  They have three mandatory stops each way but if you tell them, they will let you off anywhere along the route.  Likewise, if you want to get on, they will stop and pick you up.

Wildwood BoardwalkPictures

On the way back we decided to get off about half way to visit a candy/fudge store that was recommended.  We bought some fudge (delicious) had ice cream cones, got back on the tram and arrived back at the south end of the boardwalk around 5:00 pm.  We then picked up hoagies for dinner on the way back to the RV.

We are travelling to Philadelphia tomorrow without the RV to do some sightseeing and attend a Phillies game with my sister Eileen on Tuesday night.  We will return here on Wednesday and depart on Thursday, July 1^st, for Gettysburg, PA for the 4^th of July weekend.  It is the 158^th anniversary of the pivotal Civil War Battle of Gettysburg on July 1 – 3, !863.  There are lots of events planned in the National Park and the area and it will be a great place to spend the weekend.  Subsequent return home travel plans are still TBD.

The next phase of the adventure begins.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 20 - June 26, 2021

Our main plan for today was to visit the Wildwood Boardwalk and ride the tram from one end to the other (2 miles).

First,  I went over to the main group house at 9:00 am to help my sister Eileen and her daughters move out, loading things into a daughter’s truck for transport to one of their cottages nearby.

After returning to the RV Judy and I went to the boardwalk area.  By then, it was time for lunch.  We ate at an east coast style diner (Marvis Diner).  Lots of choices, breakfast all day and huge portions.  It was an excellent lunch/breakfast but really too much to eat.

We were close to the Doo Wop museum we tried to visit a few days ago so we decided to try again.  It was open this time.  It is not really a museum but rather a collection of artifacts from the 50s and 60s spread around here and there. The site is an old 50’s style restaurant that has been converted into a collection of old neon, hotel and business signs as well as other period things. 

Here is more information about the Wildwood Doo Wop marketing theme:

The Wildwoods, NJ: The Doo Wop Capital of the World | The Wildwoods, NJ (wildwoodsnj.com)

They artifacts have been generally arranged into living room, kitchen and household settings.  The Doo Wop music theme is a display of old 45 rpm records and information about the Doo Wop music scene in the Wildwood area from that era. The museum appears to be run by a small non-profit organization and the guides today were an elderly couple who showed us around and answered questions. 

You know you are getting older when you remember using things when you were growing up that are now displayed as historical artifacts.

Doo Wop Museum

The boardwalk was next.  The adjoining beach and the boardwalk were crowded as the weekend crowd as well as the start of seasonal visitors is increasing.  After purchasing our tickets and waiting for the next tram, the skies started getting darker and a few drops of rain were felt.  They decided to shut down the tram until the weather passed. We decided not to wait and returned to the RV.  We’ll try again tomorrow for the tram ride.

Eileen, here daughter Amy, Evia and Kate stopped by later for a short visit to see the RV before they went out for dinner.  We relaxed in the RV and watched two old Alfred Hitchcock movies before retiring for the evening.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 19 - June 25, 2021

We just rested in the RV today.  Every now-and-then you just have to do that while on vacation.

Group activities are winding down as people depart for home.  There was one  last farewell diner at an Italian restaurant this evening.  My sister Sharyn and her husband Barry and granddaughter Payton leave early Saturday morning for home and my sister Eileen and her daughters need to be out of the main group house by 10:00 am Saturday morning.

Our plan for tomorrow is to visit the Wildwood Boardwalk. It is two miles long and can be travelled by a motorized tram car you can get off-and-on.  Sounds like a sensible way to check it all out.  Maybe even the Doo Wop museum if it is open.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 18 - June 24, 2021

The plan today was to visit the Doo Wop Experience Museum in Wildwood, just north of Wildwood Crest and have lunch at a highly rated hot dog restaurant in North Wildwood.  Most of the rest of the group was going to the beach again.

Our first stop was the restaurant, the Maui Dog House. It is actually more of a hot dog stand, not very large with window ordering and pick-up.  The main menu focus is hot dogs.  They make their own and offer at least 25 different variety of toppings/combinations.  They have other things on the menu but people come here for the hot dogs.  We had a delicious lunch including their specialty French fries with unique seasoning and dipping sauce.

Alas, the Doo Wop museum was closed despite the hours advertised on their website.  The place viewed through the window is not very large and seems to be combined with a travel info center.  Outside they have a collection of neon hotel signs from old hotels aound town.  It is definitely a work-in-progress and not really a formal museum but rather a collection of artifacts.  The Doo Wop Experience is a theme the city is promoting but it still has a way to go. We may go back if the timing works out.

After resting back at the RV for awhile, it was another dinner at the main group house.  I grilled steaks and Judy made linguine and clams.  Others made salads and side dishes. It was another farewell diner as our son Brian and his family are leaving early the next morning.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 17 - June 23, 2021

Part of the group went deep sea fishing today.  Another group went to the beach. We decided to do some sightseeing.

We travelled to the end of the peninsula at Cape May Point to see the Cape May Lighthouse. It is only about a 5-mile drive from the RV park but it was lunch time when we arrived.  Before touring the lighthouse in the NJ State Park we had lunch at a nearby snack bar, The Grille, at Sunset Beach.  The food was good, we had a great beach view and the weather was about perfect with little wind and mild temperatures. 

An interesting sight right off shore is the remains of a concrete cargo ship built in WWI in  response to a shortage of steel.  The Navy only built 14 concrete ships as a test, but they were too heavy and slow and they were quickly retired.  After the war some were used for coastal commerce and after their retirement in 1926 the plan was to submerge some of them off- shore of the point to inhibit beach erosion.  The first, the USS Atlantis was beached in a storm and broke apart. Some of the remains are still visible and will probably be covered over by nature at some point in the future.

 

After lunch we toured the Cape May Lighthouse in the Cape May Lighthouse complex.  It is in a state park open to the public without charge.  There is a small visitors center, a nature museum and several beach and wildlife viewing platforms.  There are also numerous display boards around the grounds explaining the history and activities of the area.  An old WWII artillery bunker is also visible from a beach viewing platform.  Originally designed to protect the coast in WWII, it is now closed to the public due to beach erosion.

The lighthouse is open but you have to pay an admission fee to climb the 199 stairs.  We did not.

An interesting sight was a number of Purple Martin bird houses and feeders.  The lady in the visitors center the area is a large gathering location for migrating Purple Martins from Brazil.  Actually, this area has a lot of wildlife refuges, especially for birds.

Cape May LIghthouse Pictures

 On the way back, we made a short stop at the remaining fire control tower in NJ (Fire Control Tower 23) that was used in support of the nearby artillery bunker.  It is also open to the public and is managed by a local non-profit.

After returning to the RV and resting for awhile, we had a pizza take out dinner with our son and daughter and their families at the house where our son Brian is staying.

After dinner the group rejoined at  nearby Sunset Lake Park to watch the sunset at 8:30 pm.  The park, along the lake shore is a popular sunset viewing location.  The sunset was spectacular and everyone had a good time with more pictures of families, cousins, parents, etc. being taken.

Sunset Lake Pictures

People will start to leave tomorrow.  Our daughter Karin and her family leave early from Philadelphia for home in Roseville, and our son on Friday back to Nebraska.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 16 - June 22, 2021

Rain was in the forecast for today and it disrupted the schedule.

The plan was for another beach day followed by a picnic dinner at a local park (Sunset Lake Park) and to watch the sunset over the Bay/Atlantic.  Apparently, you can do that from here at the southern tip of NJ.

As the forecast had a 90% probability, it was decided to reschedule the picnic dinner at the lake.  Some tried to go to the beach, but it was closed due to thunder and lightning in the area.

We decided to do laundry and got that all done before the rains came in early afternoon.  It was a frontal passage  - not a lot of wind and the embedded thunderstorms and lightning missed the immediate area.  There was a lot of rain however, but it all passed by 5:00 pm.

Our plan B for dinner was potluck at the main group house followed by a board game called “Mind the Gap”.  It was a lot of fun and everyone had a great time.

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 15 - June 21, 2021

We slept in today and just relaxed around the RV this morning and into the early afternoon. The younger folks went to the beach again.

The evening gathering was at a beach club at the south end of Wildwood Crest adjacent to a coastal nature preserve.  The club is essentially a beachfront bar & grill with outside seating.  You have to be a member.  It costs $40 per season (May – Oct) and allows uncrowded access to a nice beachfront eating and drinking facility.  The also have live music on weekends.  Membership in the club however, does not include beach access. You have to buy seasonal beach tags but it would be worth it if here for the season as the ocean is a lot closer than the Wildwood Crest beach we went to the other day. Both of my sister’s girls are members and had reserved a section of the club for dinner and drinks.

It was a nice informal gathering and the only night everyone in the clan would be here.  A photographer was also there and took lots of group pictures, family photos and activity shots (proofs to follow later).

Diamond Beach Club Photos

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 14 - June 20, 2021

Fathers Day.

Today was beach time.  The main group house is actually in Wildwood Crest, just North of Cape May.  The area is primarily vacation homes, condos and hotels.  Our group house is about 4 blocks from the beach.  Too far to walk with beach gear for us old folks, so after caravanning from the house, I  drove there and parked on a street nearby after dropping Judy off at the beach entrance.  

New Jersey beaches have different rules for beach access.  Some towns charge a fee to use the beach (beach tags) others are free.  You can still walk along the beach anywhere on the coast but to set-up at some locations you have to pay.  I suspect the rational is to pay for services like lifeguards, trash removal, beach maintenance, etc. (and maybe even a little tourist revenue).

The Wildwood Crest beach is free.  It is a very wide flat beach like most east coast beaches. The slope into the Atlantic Ocean is very gentle here and the water is much warmer than the Pacific Ocean.  The beach however has a fairly long walk across the sand on a boardwalk to get to the ocean.  At the end of the boardwalk You can also call a number for a free shuttle ride the rest of the way to where you set up the beach chairs and umbrellas. Many people have carts with wide wheels for carrying their chairs, coolers, umbrellas, etc.

The weather was about perfect, sunny, not too windy and temperature around 80 degrees.  Everyone had a great time especially the kids playing in the surf.  There were a lot of people on the beach but there was plenty of room to spread out.

Wildwood Crest Beach Photos

Judy and I left the beach around 4:00 pm and returned to the RV to get ready for dinner.  The RV park where we are staying is about 4 miles away from the main group house.  There are 3 other houses where family members are staying.  Two cottages are leased/purchased by my Sister Eileen’s daughters and another is being rented by our Son Brian and his family.  Each house is close to each other and group activities are at the main house (5 bedrooms) that is being rented through a friend of my sister Eileen.

Fathers Day dinner was at the group house.  I grilled the NJ version of a Tri-Tip (close) and some sirloin  some steaks.  I also grilled some corn.  After dinner, all the dads were appropriately recognized. 

East Coast Family Reunion - Day 13, June 19, 2021

The group plan was for some of the family to take a pontoon boat trip into the bay today with some crabbing and fishing.  Alas, the boat had a mechanical problem (before sailing) and they had to cancel.  Plan B was bicycle riding on the Wildwood Boardwalk.

Judy and I just stayed in the campground most of the day, getting things set-up, making a trip to the grocery store, and relaxing a little from the long drive (2907 miles).

Happy Hour and dinner were at the main group house.  I grilled chicken and others prepared delicious side dishes.  We also celebrated my sister Sharyn's husband, Barry Turner 's 80th Birthday with an ice cream cake for desert.

A few more family members still need to arrive but most are now here.

 It was great for everyone to get together again.