Cape May meanderings

I usually go to Cape May with my family, so I never get to do what I want.  We do what they want.  That's fine, but we go to the same places all the time.  This time I went by myself.  I found some areas that I hadn't seen before.  I explored Cape May Point State Park.  In addition to the lighthouse, the park consists of marshes, ponds, and a series of trails.  It is remarkable.  I was surprised to find a beautiful wilderness hidden away in Cape May.

That's a swan floating through the marsh.

Since it was off-season, the place was deserted.  It was just me and the wildlife.  The only sounds were reeds rustling in the wind, the ocean, and bird calls.  It was great.  Me being me, I almost fell in the marshes more than once.  I tend to get in a zone when I'm taking photos and not pay attention to anything outside of what I see through the lens.  This can be annoying to people who are with me, but when I'm alone, it can get me into trouble.  While some of the trails were dirt paths through woods, others were planks over swampy wetlands.  That's what it was like where I took the above photo- planks over swamp.  This was just one of the places where I almost plopped myself right in the water.

Cape May Light

From the park, I went to Cape May's main beach area.  I parked near the arcade because I wanted to play skeeball.  ALAS, the arcade was closed for the winter.  I love the ocean.  Watching the waves, listening to them crash on the shore- these things are very soothing to me.  Almost immediately upon stepping foot on the beach, a seagull landed near me.

my seagull friend

He became disgusted with me when I had no food for him, so he left soon after.  I walked up and down the beach.  I watched a few birds perched on giant rocks that kept being pounded by waves.  The tiny birds refused to move.  I left this beach and headed over to the bay side of Cape May.  It being a peninsula, one side borders the Atlantic Ocean, while the other side borders the Delaware Bay.  Higbee Beach was empty.  It's part of a huge wildlife refuge, and I walked through some of the trails before hitting the beach itself.

Higbee Beach

It was nice to be in Cape May during the winter.  The Jersey shore is a madhouse in the summer.  It's harder to appreciate the beauty of the place when it is overrun with people.  I had a peaceful day of solitude.  I needed it.