I took a Me Day to visit the shore. After over two decades of not going to the beach, I thought it was time to return, so I’m renting a property to take some time off just to write and relax. As part of the process of reviewing the place in person and finalizing the details, I decided to get my walking in on the boardwalk while I was there. Boy am I tired.
The driving was not bad for a spring weekend. In the absence of maps, I tried to use my car’s service to offer turn-by-turn directions, but it wanted me to take the toll road, so I discarded that option. Instead I headed out using the main highway leading to the popular beach side resorts, and turned when the signs told me to. Worked fine for me.
The issue I had was not recognizing anything along the route. The usual landmarks have been replaced by sprawling malls and housing developments, and I think I completely missed one of my father’s favorite shortcuts simply because it wasn’t there (or at least it didn’t look like I expected it to), so I drove flat out on one road until a turnoff appeared for the main strip to the southern shore towns. If I had stayed on the same road, eventually I would have driven my car into the Atlantic Ocean, so it was just a matter of making a turn before that happened.
Some things have not changed in over twenty years; the little tykes’ theme park was still there, along with the familiar farmer’s markets, the hubcap emporium featuring a tall tree of them as a roadside attraction, and an abundance of mobile home parks and campgrounds along the way. It was a pleasant excursion, though my favorite radio station lost its signal less than a quarter of a way to the destination.
The visitor’s center used to be a little building on a spit of land off the bridge, but it has become a modern and complex place to figure out how to enter. I missed the turnoff, so I didn’t visit. The truck behind me, who was in an immense hurry, is partly to blame for the distraction.
Once I tended to the business portion of the trip, I dropped off some donations at the animal shelter, then went to the boardwalk and strolled nearly ten full blocks, then took off my shoes and walked barefoot along the sand and dipped my toes in the water. The ocean was bracing, the breeze strong but tolerable, and the sand felt good on my feet. By the time I turned for home, I was pleasantly achy and tired, so I know I’ll sleep well tonight. Also, my wallet is lighter, because I made a gift shop stop.
Come summer, I’ll be back to enjoy some peace and quiet. If I can ignore the call of the sea.
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