History being lost

We visited Barnegat Lightship today.  It is moored in a sad, run-down private marina with no public access.  It was sad to see such a proud ship being neglected.

 Almost as sad as seeing Sea Isle City Lighthouse being torn down last week.  Two pieces of history lost or rapidly deteriorating.

SeaIsle in its' heyday

Lighthouses of New Jersey

We are having a great time driving the coastline of New Jersey and seeing all variety of lighthouses.  Some restored, one replica, one being torn down, some in need of repair.  We also saw two of the prettiest lens I have ever seen.  One was a first order with 16 bullseye from Cape May and the other was a clamshell from Navesink.  Lots of history, good weather and fun.

Atlantic City

This week has been an adventure and an education.  South New Jersey is rural.  The coastline is obviously a seasonal tourist area.  The marsh areas and extensive and beautiful.   Lucky for us, this is off season so the crowds are manageable.

Atlantic City is full of high-rise casinos, hotels, limosines, helicopters and high rollers.  Then there is the sixty foot wide boardwalk full of tourists in bathing suits, shorts and t-shirts.  Lots of pizza, hot dogs, ice-cream stands and souvenier shops.  We are close to the Taj Mahal and not far from Absecon lighthouse.  We visited both.  Yesterday we walked down to Caesars Palace and saw the water fountain show.  Neat!  It has been unseasonably warm breaking records with 93 degrees yesterday.

Onward to Cape May

We started the day driving down the coast to Fenwick Island on the Delaware/Maryland border.  The lighthouse is lovely and both the assistant keeper and main keepers buildings are still standing. It still has a working second order lens.

The town of Lewes has a lovely historic district with charming shops and old homes.  

Before getting on the Lewes-Cape May Ferry, we saw four lighthouses and one light ship in the Lewes area.  We had a lovely lunch on the dock watching the replica sailing ship docked there. 

We visited Cape May then headed up to Atlantic City where we will be for the week.  

Life is an adventure

We flew into Philadelphia a few days ago.  The weather is warm and beautiful.  After having such a cloudy and cold summer at home, this is a real treat.  

We wandered down the coast of Delaware seeing lots of range lights.   The countryside is lovely and we don't have to drive far between the lighthouses.







Along the river were beautiful marshlands with lots of birds and wildlife.  Lighthouses make great perches for turkey vultures.