Marvelous Cape May NJ [Mid-Atlantic] (October 27-28, 2015)

Cape May has managed to keep the feeling of a genteel, Victorian seaside resort.  The old part of town is full of gorgeous, frivolous, over-decorated grand dames of houses and hotels.  Many of the former homes have been turned into bed and breakfasts.

We arrived on a grey and windy day, and drove through town looking for a free parking area that could hold a 30 foot motor home.  After a driving tour through town, we stopped a local cop who directed us to a neighborhood where the parking meters had been turned off.  [Actually they had had their innards taken out – they were eviscerated.]

We retraced our path and stopped to admire the lovely old buildings.  Most of them have been lovingly restored and cared for.  One street in town has been turned into a pedestrian mall with shops, and restaurants.  It was there we met a middle school photography class team taught by a science teacher and an art teacher.  Russ was very envious of the cameras and tripods the student’s got to use, provided by their school.

 

 We drove out of town to Diamond Beach where chunks of quartz washed down from rivers into the Delaware Bay wash up and sparkle on the beach.  We saw a serious collector looking through the sand for specimens.  After World War II several concrete boats were sunk off of this beach.  One carcass is quite close to shore.  Around the corner from Diamond Beach is the lovely Cape May lighthouse.  Sadly, it wasn’t open to the public.

The next day we took the ferry across the mouth of Delaware Bay from Cape May to Lewes, Delaware.  The ferry trip takes 1.5 hours.  It would take 3.5 hours to drive from Cape May to Lewes.  Besides we love ferries!  The crossing was choppy but enjoyable.