the lighthouse

It’s hard to imagine that after nearly 30 summers down the shore, I have never been inside a lighthouse. We spent one of the windiest days of our minimoon exploring the Cape May Lighthouse and its breathtaking surroundings. My favorite part was staring out over the ocean from the tippy top and feeling like I was going to blow away (no really, thank goodness for the cage because I would not have needed wings that day to fly!)

I loved reading about the Lighthouse’s rich and dramatic history as we ascended the 217 stairs to the top. If you don’t believe the Jersey Shore is at risk of washing away, this here is proof. It’s actually the third lighthouse built in Cape May — the first two are now residents of the sea, along with miles of homes, some of which have been moved and kept partly in tact further inland.

looking up inside the tippy top

Cape May is known as one of the best places for bird watching in North America (who knew?!). The only bird I could likely properly identify is a seagull, but the sounds alone were mesmerizing as we walked the pathway through the woods and out to Lighthouse Pond. Like the rest of our minimoon, it was peaceful and picturesque.

 I mentioned it was windy, but other than that little lady summer couldn’t make up her mind that day. Blue skies to the right, storm clouds to the left. It made for a pretty spectacular photo shoot (all taken with the iPhone, I might add!).

what is it about an empty bench by the sea?

What you probably can’t see in the top two photos: two swans in the marshy part of the pond. We sat back and watched while one tried to attack a duck sunbathing on the dock just across the way.

view from the top

From the tower we could see a huge structure on the beach but couldn’t figure out what it was. We walked all the way out there just to check it out and discovered it’s a massive WWII bunker. After further research we learned it was hidden under water just a few years back before beach replenishment restored it to Lighthouse Beach.