North and South Beaches

Finally good weather and finally outdoors...
On Saturday we decided to give Wildwood State Park another chance - last time it was really too windy to enjoy the walk.
This Park on the North Shore is easily accessible and just a fifteen minute drive from our home, which is very convenient (no complaints in the car is always very relaxing).
We were hoping to use the boat ramp like we did the first time and then walk along the shore, but this time it was closed to public (to the public who doesn't want to climb on the fence) so we took the shortest of the four trails - marked in red - and walked through the beech forest for 1,8 miles.

For the blue trail (2,9 miles), the orange trail (2,3 miles) and the yellow trail (3,8 miles) you need to organize food and drinks, unless you want to hear "Are we there yet?" more than hour long.

The red trail goes past one bluff from which you can enjoy this view:

I got myself "Hiking Long Island" by Lee McAllister, which is of course very stimulating - we definitely want to explore more of Long Island but we also know our limits (not too much of sun, cold, exhaustion, ticks and so on...or it would just make it hard on all the family).

Anyway, as the weather was going to be nice on Sunday too...we took a trip southbound and had a walk in West Hampton Beach.
We found a parking spot next to a wooden ramp that takes you to the beach and walked eastward. It wasn't just Carlotta collecting shells and stones, I could spend hours picking up whatever sparkles in the sun.
What did we find?Oysters, mussels, snails, clams....and some sand dollars. For some reason I believed these were just to be found on the Pacific Ocean but nope!

The highlight of the day is in the next picture!In doubt whether this was a log or a dead seal, we approached it with lot of excitement.


It was a seal, and it was alive (just lazy, maybe)!!

It only turned to look at us and decided we weren't a dangerous specie; then kept on sunbathing.

I'd get upset if Carlotta was walking looking behind and not forward, but in this case we were all looking at the seal behind us.

When the sun started to go down, we moved to West Hampton (in the hope of finding good ice-cream, what else?) but the Shock Ice Cream and Candy Café was closed...too bad.

Main Street was sleepy, guess it will come alive again after Easter.
Maybe after some of the houses will be rented...

This for example

Longing for some sweets

Thanks Ralph for this pictures - I am the mind you are the arm...and today is March 8th, so complaints are not allowed.