I wasn’t quite finished with summer travel yet. My husband was volunteering at the aerobatics competition in Cape May, New Jersey so I tagged along for a short weekend on the Jersey shore.

ACTIVITIES ABOUND

After a brief stop at the Cape May Airport,

we took a short walk to the Wildwood boardwalk and Morey’s Piers. It has been more than 30 years since I’ve made a trip to any of the New Jersey beaches and this was my first to Wildwood.

Wildwood is an experience and if you haven’t been here before, a bit of a shock to the senses. It has a carnival atmosphere and families enjoy the incredible number of attractions and the beach.

HOW TO CHANGE COURSE WHEN A BOARDWALK BECOMES A MULTI-USE SPACE

In preparation for a fall marathon, I was scheduled for a weekend long run. Wildwood offered an opportunity to do longer mileage on a new venue rather than the two or three (or four) longer mileage routes I generally run near home.

Saturday morning, husband leaves early for the airport and I leave early (pre 7:00) for my run. I ran the 2.5 miles of the boardwalk, first south to the end and a mile or two into Wildwood Crest. It had been daylight about 15 minutes and my company on the boardwalk included couples walking hand-in-hand, the occasional early morning runner and a few rental bikes cruising along. It was a beautiful start to a long run.

Upon my return 45 minutes later, the boardwalk was filling fast with shops opening up, families crossing to the beach and somewhere around fifty vintage vehicles parading down the boardwalk. I had run into Fall Boardwalk Classic Car Show.

I stopped to snap a few photos to share with auto enthusiast relatives, then hopped off the crowded boardwalk to the beach road, continuing on to the more sedate North Wildwood breakwall. Here, I was running into a nice sea breeze that the buildings on the boardwalk seemed to stifle.

Returning to Wildwood via the bike path and beach road, I took the stairs back up to the boardwalk in search of a cold Gatorade. The sun was beating down and I called my 18-mile run quits at 16.5 miles.

On my 4-mile shakeout run the following morning, the weather was a bit cooler, a welcome change. On the turnaround, I found myself running headlong into a 5K coming off the boardwalk.

OH, AND THERE WAS FOOD!

Whether it is chowder on the shores of the Atlantic or fish fresh from the pier on O’ahu, food is always wonderful near the water. At the Jersey Girl restaurant, I had a great breakfast crepe stuffed with brie and figs.

Our last meal in Wildwood at the Boathouse was excellent. My husband ordered flounder and I opted for the Blueberry Salmon. Good food, good company and excellent service considering the large group of people.

AND SO, SUMMER DOES END

Capping off the weekend, I made a daybreak dash to the beach to catch a sunrise photo.

Looking at the leaves waiting to be swept from our deck upon our return, it appears that summer may finally be over. With that, I offer a big welcome to cooler running temps and eastern standard time.