Let the Good Times Roll!: Swainton and Wildwood, NJ

Let the Good Times ROLL!

NATIONAL PARKS ACROSS USA -
Since September 28, 06, we have seen the following National Parks:
Badlands National Park – South Dakota
Big Bend National Park - Texas
Crater Lake National Park – Oregon
Great Smoky Mountains National Park – North Carolina
Mount Rainier - Washington
Mount Rushmore National Memorial – South Dakota
Mount St. Helens National Volcanic Monument - Washington
Redwoods National Park - California
Saguaro National Park - Arizona
Sequoia National Park - California
Yellowstone National Park - Wyoming
Yosemite National Park – California
National Parks and/or Monuments seen on previous vacations:
Jefferson Expansion National Memorial – St. Louis, Missouri
Lincoln Memorial & Washington Monument - DC
Everglades National Park – Florida
Grand Canyon National Park - Arizona
Haleakala National Park - Hawaii
Hawaii Volcanoes National Park – Hawaii
U.S.S. Arizona Memorial – Hawaii
National Parks we hope to see:
Death Valley National Park - California
Mesa Verde National Park – Colorado
Carlsbad Caverns National Park – New Mexico
Bryce Canyon National Park – Utah
Arches National Park – Utah
Canyonlands National Park – Utah
Zion National Park - Utah
Grand Teton National Park - Wyoming
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Monday, July 12 - Left Artillery Ridge Campground around 7:30 am to drive to Outdoor World Sea Pines, Swainton NJ. Our drive through Pennsylvania was mostly Rural Routes and in very bad need of repair. As we neared the New Jersey border, we saw pastoral landscapes with a lot of horse farms. On Route 322, the roads just got worse. We were on Baltimore Pike for a while and passed through Concordville around 10:30.
It is located 20 miles west-southwest of Philadelphia. Modern Concordville occupies the junction of two of the earliest public roads in the English colonies: Baltimore Pike or US Route One, and Concord Road, laid out by William Penn's surveyors. The old homes along the main drag do not show any signs they are under a Historical Society but I have read they are trying to get recognized. We crossed over the Delaware River on the impressive Commodore Barry Bridge . We saw tugboats and a lot of industry on both sides of the bridge, as well as the Philadelphia cityscape in the distance. The bridge is named after the American Revolutionary War hero and Philadelphia resident John Barry. making the bridge the fourth longest cantilever bridge in the world, and the longest in the United States.
We arrived at the Outdoor World Sea Pines Resort in Swainton NJ.

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There was no way we could get satellite because of the trees so we took their cable for $3 per day. Our site is at least spacious, however everything in this park is dirt and dead leaves, but lots of shade. The closest beach is Avalon Beach, which is very popular. In 1949, Avalon, NJ was a sleepy sea-side town without much more than a bar, a hotel and a real estate office. A lot of the sites are filled with annual/seasonal residents that leave their trailers/RVs here and then come out on the weekends to enjoy.
Tuesday, July 14 - Beautiful day here at Swainton New Jersey. Sun is filtering through the surrounding hardwood trees.

Ray took the Gold Wing out for a quick ride before the heat got too bad. He visited both Avalon and Stone Harbor. Cape May Courthouse is a name of a town with shops, etc. I went to the park office and collected a lot of literature on what to do while we are here.

7 14 09 SUNRISE AVALON BEACH 7-15-2009 4-13-55 AM 2048x1536

Wednesday, July 15, 2009 - We drove south of our park in Swainton NJ to visit the town of Wildwood. Wildwood is a resort city that is very popular with vacationers and tourists mostly from New Jersey, Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware and even nearby parts of Canada during the summer months. Its most notable features are its beach and 1.8-mile boardwalk, home to Morey's Pier amusement complex and Raging Waters and Ocean Oasis water parks owned by Morey's Pier. The boardwalk features a trolley called the "Tramcar", which runs from end-to-end. It is also home to Splash Zone Water Park. Built in 1999, Splash Zone features the world's highest dumping bucket and the biggest family raft ride on the east coast, The Beast of the East.

In June 2006, Wildwood’s Doo-Wop-style motels were placed on the National Trust for Historic Preservation's annual Eleven Most Endangered List, described as "irreplaceable icons of popular culture." It was ranked the best beach in New Jersey in the 2008 Top 10 Beaches Contest sponsored by the New Jersey Marine Sciences Consortium. Rock Around the Clock, often credited as the first rock and roll record, was first performed on Memorial Day weekend in 1954 at the HofBrau Hotel in Wildwood by Bill Haley & His Comets. The song's status as one of the first rock and roll hits has given rise to the city's claim as "the birthplace of rock and roll".

We had lunch at the local restaurant, Boathouse Restaurant and Marina Deck.

It was such a beautiful day with a slight breeze and very low humidity. Their marina is huge and filled with many large boats. The deck is quite large, but at noon was not busy at all. Open since 1989 they specialize in fresh seafood, steaks and sunsets. I had a crab cake sandwich roll and it was delicious.

7 15 09 Boathouse Rest. Deck views 7-15-2009 9-58-40 AM 2048x1536

Ray ordered his usual, very well done hamburger.
Next, we visited the Victorian Hereford Inlet Lighthouse built in 1874 in North Wildwood. Located near the entrance to Hereford Inlet, which leads from the Atlantic Ocean to the Intra-Coastal Waterway linking Maine to Florida. The fixed white Light is 57 feet above sea level and visible at a distance of 13 nautical miles. http://www.blogger.com/www.herefordlighthouse.org.

I was thoroughly impressed with their gardens with over 200 plant varieties of flowers, shrubs, and trees. Some flowered shrubs are certainly not seen down in Florida. The Victorian cottage-style gardens have won many awards and is such a beautiful place to visit.

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FULL TIMING

FULL TIMING? Our first thoughts on such a monumental change of direction in our lives started with the purchase of a 32' Toy Hauler-KZ 5th Wheel early 2006. We took a vacation in May and traveled the mountains of North Carolina. We liked the fact we had our own bed to sleep in and could see surrounding areas either on our Honda Gold Wing or GMC truck. However, during the vacation, we found that the KZ 32' 5th-wheel was entirely too small, even for a long weekend. We wanted to trade up. One thing led to another and we started to question the next three years before Marsha was scheduled to retire.After much soul-searching, prayer, and financial calculations, Marsha requested early retirement for personal and physical reasons.Full timing meant we were saying "goodbye" to all that is familiar. Everything happened so quickly we didn't have time to contemplate that aspect much. We research everything thoroughly before we purchase. This would be our new home and we wanted all the "bells & whistles" within our budget. Lazy Days in Seffner, Florida had a new National, 2006 Tradewinds motorhome available at the right price. It has a 400-HP Turbo diesel engine and many amenities. We did get the "cart before the horse" purchasing the RV before selling our home. It was the worst time of year to sell a home in Florida. We sold with only a month before closing! Thankfully, we had our new "home on wheels" in our back yard for preparation.

It became clear that our personal craving for travel and adventure overcame our requirement for a traditional home with all the things that seemed so important.Getting rid of clutter can be liberating. We did not want to pay for storage. Collectibles such as our Fenton glass, sets of crystal glass, or ceramic pieces were handed over to family members or close friends for their enjoyment. We had a two-day garage sale and anything remaining went to charity. We feel the flexibility and comfort of RV travel far outweighs any pinch felt at the fuel pump. Let the Good Times Roll!