Where Nature Smiles for 30 Miles

A pitchman long ago coined a slogan for Cape May County “Where nature smiles for 30 miles.” I don’t think it will be found any longer on the brochures that Canadians or others browsing a travel show will see. Regardless, there is a truth to that phrase which most of us routinely overlook.
We hurry to work or to a doctor’s appointment or shopping over boulevards and causeways through some truly unique wetlands. We cross bays and channels that some travel thousands of miles to cruise. And this one, I am guilty of a thousand times over, we live so close to the Atlantic Ocean, yet how many of us enjoy it or its beaches?
I read a devotional article last week about farms. The author noted that, in very rural areas, where residents are close to the earth, there seem to be more believers. Why? Maybe it’s because, opined the writer, they see God’s miracles on a daily basis and grow to appreciate just how close they are to those wonders.
Far from city lights, as in Belleplain State Forest, one can see myriad stars, and it seems you can reach out and grab them. In those ultra-dark spots, still found here in Cape May County, one can look up and see the moon glide across the night sky, perhaps seeming to be close to Jupiter.
Also last week, after the torrential rains that flooded the bogs in the woods behind our home, the almost-deafening sound of “peepers” could be heard. I recall what the late columnist Libby Demp-Forrest said about them, it was an annual restoration to her that she had made it through another rough winter, and was a true harbinger that milder days were soon to follow.
That said, I was in awe March 30, as I am every year, of the men and women who participate in the Ocean Drive Marathon. Maybe it’s because it’s something I will never do. I don’t mind bike riding, but I draw the line at running.
Maybe it’s because of the discipline those runners have that I lack, following a rigorous routine, a tough training schedule that prepares them for the race.
Perhaps it’s the awe I have for anyone who freely enters a race to go from Beach Avenue in Cape May all the way north on Ocean Drive to Sea Isle City. I just think it’s an incredible journey, and laud the runners as well as the organizers for their foresight and imagination.
As I stood in the drizzle by Stone Harbor’s Great Channel (free) Bridge at Mile 15 awaiting the front runners, I looked around at that natural wonder: marshes, a high tide that flooded the marshes. How many in urban places, I thought, would love to trade places for just a few minutes?
Later in the week, I attended Wildwoods’ session to unveil its tourism marketing campaign for this season. The theme is based on memories, pleasant ones, they hope that will guide young mothers and youngsters to yearn to return to wiggle their toes in the sand on Five Mile Beach.
Understanding there is more to a vacation than a day at the beach and a night or two on a boardwalk, the program is also noting other amenities close by, wineries and golf courses, to mention a few; living history museums are another.
And what of the legion of anonymous Spout Off scribblers who disdain vacationers? Maybe it would be a beneficial thing for every Cape May County resident to take a week and live as a tourist. Don’t eat at home, don’t worry about work, go to the beach and go fishing or crabbing. Buy seven breakfasts and lunches in diners or from local eateries. For supper eat in restaurants every night. Ask questions of the wait staff, and listen to their responses. Are they a welcoming crowd, or would you grab your check and say to your beloved, “We are never coming back here?” Did they seem interested to have you and your party there to serve, or were you nothing but an inconvenience on the way toward a paycheck? There is a decided difference.
One thing I found astonishing in our visits to Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Fla. was that everyone (employees that is) from room service to sellers of water to ride attendants were very pleasant and patient when they had to be. I know it’s part of the act. I know that they are schooled that each of them is onstage, it’s all part of the show, but it works. It’s one thing that makes that spot a destination many book for next year before they leave this year. That is saying something about the vacation experience. Can the same be said for Cape May County? If not, why not?
A friend owns a motel in North Wildwood. His niche is families. He does his utmost to keep the same families returning year after year. He knows the value of a good customer, as well as the pricelessness of word-of-mouth recommendations. How many other places wish they could say the same?
Most folks like to be treated as family. They loathe being outsiders, even though they are on vacation. I feel that way when we head to Virginia. Most people there are welcoming to this Northerner and family. We do our best not to be obnoxious tourists. It is their hometown and we are merely visitors. We do not expect royal treatment, but often receive it.
I am certain they are as happy to see us leave as many county residents are when Labor Day arrives, but at least we don’t feel that way when we depart Chincoteague. It is a charming spot that, sadly, is changing with the times, but still is a place we find relaxing.
When I’m not there, I’m here enjoying this place where “Nature smiles for 30 miles.”