New Jersey 2011

We drove through Middletown, a nice and neat little town, over bridges and along the coast through other towns in New Jersey.

We arrived at Colts Neck for a weeks stay at the Navy Weapons Base there.  it was under construction at the entrance but the rest was nice.  It was a nice a quiet campground, when we got there we had neighbors but within a few days they were all gone so we pretty much had the area to ourselves.

There were alot of woodchucks around and Ty was dying to get to them.

The heat wave was still around the first couple of days that we were there. We walked around the base which had a really nice path into the housing area.

 I took Ty one afternoon for a walk but had to turn around it was so hot and he was panting pretty hard.

The next day we drove to Highlands by way of Normandy Road which is for Military only even though it was open and nobody guarding the beginning. However about halfway through there was a checkpoint where they were waiting to check ID's. As you can see from this sign every so often on Normandy Road, you better not get caught driving on it without permission or possession of an Military ID card.



Not sure what to think of this Truck in Highlands



In Highlands we had some lunch in the "Sand Witch" Shop. We drove down to Sandy Hook and the beaches where you could see the skylines of Manhattan and New York. I was impressed withe the size of the beach and all the white sand. It was a little windy on the water  but there were still people on the beaches sunbathing.

 

We drove down to Fort Hancock and visited the Coast Guard Base.  We had to call in and tell them we just wanted to look around.  They told us where to come in and check in with them.  They were kind of surprised I think that we just wanted to look around as they must not get many visitors there.  There was not that much to it either.  Just outside the gate there were some old buildings that used to be part of the military and now is a historic site.



This was on the base





Coast Guard Base



 There was this lighthouse that had tours but we decided not to stay as there was alot more we wanted to do that day.
 We did walk through this mortar battery .

 

Raritan Bay





Wind surfers at Raritan Bay



We drove through Seabright which had some nice

homes across from the bay.

 This car had a dummy in it...I had to do a double take as I thought it was real.

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 We then drove to Asbury Park where Bruce Springstein got his start at the Stone Pony.

There was a nice boardwalk, stores and restaurants along the way. There was also this kids waterpark which I am sure my granddaughter would have loved, it was very colorful and the teacup filled with water then dumped out all over the kids.

We then drove around Ocean Grove where there were these tent houses that people use as their summer retreats.  There were several rows and streets full of them.

Interesting Window Display

 After touring this town a bit and looking at the historic houses and downtown area, we drove to Point Pleasant and had dinner at Spikes Fish Market and Restaurant and ate at the bar stools. I had clam chowder and Mussels which were both really good. Bill had clams and oysters and said they were some of the best he has had in a long time.

We then went back to the campground for the evening.

The next day we went to Bill's old stomping grounds, Ridgefield Park, New Jersey. We drove by the house he grew up in from 3rd Grade until he left for the Coast Guard.

He had fun driving through the town and pointing out what was still there and what was gone since he left there.

We drove over the bridge and past the town of Cliffside Park where my Grandmother. It was strange to think that when I was 12 years old we were up here visiting at Christmas time and right across the meadow was where Bill lived so close by. We drove a little farther to Hiram's, a very popular Hot Dog joint that George claims to be the best around. It was a fun place where they yell when your order is up and they only take cash.

We then drove down to Pallisades Park and took the dogs on a walk along the River. It was a nice drive down to the Park but once we started walking, the path was really overgrown and the bugs were kind of bad so we did not stay long.

After we drove along the River back up to the roadway, we drove to Holy Cross Cemetery in North Arlington, New Jersey to where Bill's Dad was buried. He had not been there for at least twenty years but after a few minutes he remembered where he was buried and we visited his gravesite. It gave me goosebumps to see all the flags at the graves of all the men and women who had served in the armed forces.

After we left we took the long way home, not on purpose, driving through Newark which was pretty seedy looking and not the nicest area of New Jersey.
On Sunday we went to a Farmers Market in Red Bank, about 1/2 hour away from where we were staying. Most everything was Organic and we bought some salsa, cheese and bread and some Seafood Cakes that we had for dinner that night. We also bought some fresh made garlic pickles, green pickled tomatoes and marinated mushrooms, all very delicious.

They were having a festival down by the River but dogs weren't allowed so we did not stay for that.



On our last night there we went back to Red Bank to a popular Italian Restaurant for Burger night. I had the Burger, salad, bread and wine, Bill decided to have Calamari, Mussels and a Salad instead plus it was a micro brewery and they only served beer that they made, which of course he had to try one. It was good but we ate too much as usual and went back to prepare to leave the next morning for Long Island.