11 September 2012 Cape May, NJ

Cape May, NJ, was a delightful place to wait out weather.  We spent one day walking and two days cycling to see all that we could see.  We’d never been there but have heard of Cape May for years.  Tucked behind a broad strip of white beach and nestled beside the harbor and fishing boats, it is on the southern tip of New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean.  It is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations and is designated as a National Historic Landmark because of its concentration of Victorian buildings, the second largest collection of Victorian gingerbread homes in the nation.  San Francisco is number one. 

This port city has such a rich history and takes pride in their beautiful award-winning beaches.  The Travel Channel recognized them among  America's top 10 beaches. 

Cape May also claims to be 2nd to Alaska as the largest fishing port in the nation.  We bought and froze several kinds of seafood that had just swum and the prices were unbelievably reasonable.

The city conserves its last-century look.  Congress Hall is one of the few high-rises and it was built in 1816.  The gingerbread-trimmed Victorian houses are known as “Painted Ladies”.  Their colors range from festive to almost gaudy--but a tasteful garish.

When we cycled out to the light house there was quite a crowd of bird watchers, armed with binoculars and huge professional looking cameras on an enormous platform.

The Cape May area is world-famous for the observation of migrating birds, especially in the fall. With over 400 bird species having been recorded in this area and hundreds of local birders, Cape May is arguably the top bird-watching area in the entire Northeastern United States.

There is much to do and see in Cape May and is a city that we anticipate visiting again.  We left this morning venturing out into the Delaware River which has a violent reputation.

Our 4 day wait was certainly the right thing to do because we’re currently in the C&D Canal expecting to arrive in Chesapeake City, MD, for the night.  It’s been a long but very beautiful and tranquil day.

Bill and Laura

Underway on the C&D Canal