Hike #707; Absecon and Atlantic City

 Hike #707; Absecon and Atlantic City

6/23/13 Absecon/Pleasantville/Ventnor/Margate/Atlantic City with Brandan Jermyn, Shep Glennon, Jason Kumpas, Jack Lowry, David "Captain Soup" Campbell, Lyz Hagenbuch, Ric Giantisco, Daniel Yu, Rick Brack, Carol Creamer, Colin Webb, Wayne ?, Michelle McBriarty, Eleanor Murfitt Hermann, and ?.

The group entering Ventnor City

This next hike would be a point to point, but almost loop using the train to connect and have no car spotting between the towns of Absecon, Margate City, Ventnor City, and Atlantic City. It would be the next fitting into the series to hike the entire perimeter of NJ. The first part would just be something different to connect it and save doing the car shuttle. Only about five miles of it would be the Jersey Perimeter section.

We started by walking from the railroad underpass out to Ohio Ave where there was a lovely large old hotel like building. It probably was one situated so close to the tracks. We turned right and headed along Ohio Ave out to New Road. We turned left on New Road and followed it out to what Google Maps had showed me was a bike trail, but it was not. It was some utility right of way with no trespassing signs. We ended up walking to a nearby school and cutting across their fields. We passed a turtle along the way.

We turned left on California Avenue, then right onto a gravel road that accessed a few roads out to another left to Shore Road. We followed this into downtown Pleasantville, which was not nearly as pleasant as anticipated. Jack and I sang songs as we walked, he with his carbon fiber guitar in hand.

We stopped in the middle of town where Jason bought some fried chicken and shared with everyone. I've been eating so much fried chicken lately it's absolutely mad. I can't get enough of it, and I'm sure it's very very unhealthy.

We followed the roads through town until we reached the railroad tracks that headed east, then turned on the road parallel. We followed it for a ways, and passed some homes that were messed up from Sandy, then crossed over Black Horse Pike over to Bay Drive. We had a nice walk along the bay in this section.

We were actually able to get out in the sand, and I went for a brief swim. Very refreshing although no one else went in. We continued out until we had to return to Black Horse Pike, which became Albany Ave into Ventnor City/Atlantic City area. Carol Creamer joined us there. Before she met up we crossed the causeway, passed an ornamental light house and the high school, then turned right onto West End Ave. Carol was at a nearby supermarket.

Also on the causeway, we passed an Amerihealth of NJ billboard with the word "IMAGINE" on it. Of course, we would expect to see "War is Over (If You Want It)" or some other John Lennon quote, or sketch art or something, but instead it was this Amerihealth thing. Jack immediately broke out into song, singing Lennon's "Imagine" basically reading what the sign said. Hilarious. "Imagine All The Hikers....cashing in..." he sang.
Link to video: https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10152284877581777&saved

We stopped at stores and continued on to Little Rock Ave which took us to a town park. We crossed and paralleled parks and made our way directly to the ocean on Dorset Ave. We didn't get on the beach right away, and instead turned right to follow the boardwalk south to the border of Margate City. Captain Soup and the new guy Wayne opted to head north on the boardwalk to the casino areas in AC instead.
In Margate City, the boardwalk ended. We descended from the boardwalk and walked the beach north from here.

We continued on the beach without really stopping until we got to the first Trump building. Just before that spot we stopped for a nice swim in the ocean, and pretty much all of us went out "too far" for the life guards. I went ou the furthest and had some guy tow me back in because he said I was in a rip current. It was actually sort of tough to swim back in comparison to how it usually is, but I wasn't trying either. The life guards were pretty pissed.

We rejoined with Wayne, and continued on along the beach to the sand sculpture contest area. We walked all through it, and it was amazing. Only a couple of them were castles, and the rest were all sorts of things like mermaids and faces and such. We headed out of here, then followed the beach south, after a short section of board walk over the water. We headed south on the beach to the next big pier area, then headed back up to the boardwalk. We stopped for some snacks at a hot dog type of place along the way which was nice.

From here, we made our way to the Trump building once more. We were able to walk through from here onto the streets, the part called "Ducktown", heading toward the train station. On the way, I walked through big water fountains. When I saw Donald Trump's giant one reading "TRUMP PLAZA", I had to get under the falling water in the middle. A policeman went by, followed by two others, and after the third one was gone I ran into the fountain to get a picture. After the picture was taken I ran and jumped between tiers of the fountain, and at the last step it was just too slippery. I fell hard on my ass, right on the concrete, also slamming both of my wrists hard. I got up as quick as I could, and we moved on, but I was really sore for a few days.

We made our way to the station and the train came very shortly after arriving. We stopped for food at a small mexican type of place a couple blocks from the station, and I had an outstanding burrito that Jack treated me to.

We had already done the one beach hike the previous month, at LBI, but this was different for me. The border at Margate City would be the furthest continuous south we had ever reached on the connective hikes I've done. Even Havre De Grace on the Chesapeake Bay was not this far south. On the previous hike to Atlantic City, we didn't really go all the way to the ocean; we remained on the bay side when we were on the water. This time we reached the beach again, and I have a long way to go to connect to the southern tip of NJ in Cape May, but then again it's not all that far.

I'd have to go from Margate City to Corson's Inlet, then Corson's Inlet to Stone Harbor, then Stone Harbor to Cold Spring in Cape May. A Cape May Loop, another section in AC, Brigantine, and then the southern remainder of Long Beach Island will finish the entire eastern side of the state for me. As planned, I'll reach Stone Harbor in Cape May by the end of the Summer, and probably fill in those other missing pieces next Summer. Hopefully I'll have hiked the entire perimeter of the state by mid 2015.