I'm hooked on Sandy!!!!

I had two lovely days off for the 4th of July and as we are still experiencing one of the worst heat waves I've ever felt, I did what most people do on a hot July day; I went to the beach!
Sandy Hook State Park in New Jersey is not your typical Jersey Shore beach. You won't have a "Situation" with anyone named "Snookie" and instead of a boardwalk filled with Bars, you will see sand dunes filled with birds and a possible appearance of seals (I have yet to see any.) there is also a really cool (and somewhat creepy) abandoned army coastal defense post called Fort Hancock. It was developed in 1895 to protect New York Harbor from Attack and remained active until 1974. The fort operated like a small town. it had its own school, movie theater, chapel, and even it's own baseball team. During WWII, the garrison of soldiers grew from 400 to over 18,000.  below are some pictures of the abandoned living quarters.  Pretty sweet diggs if you ask me. You really can't beat that ocean front view.

Within Fort Hancock is also the Sandy Hook Lighthouse which is the oldest Lighthouse in the United States. Being the skeptic that I am, I found that hard to believe and had to do a little research.  It turns out that the Boston Light on Little Brewster Island was the first lighthouse built in America in 1716 but it was dammaged in the Revolutionary war and had to be rebuilt in the late 1700's.  That means the oldest lighthouse as it was originally constructed is the one on Sandy Hook, built in 1764.

Enough with the boring history lesson. I came here for a reason and was not intending to leave until I was at least 2 shades darker.  There are several beaches to chose from in Sandy Hook. I usually head to the North Beach. If you are taking the Ferry from Downtown New York, this is probably the closest  to your drop off point and also provides a view of the New York skyline... which is awesome if you are playing hooky from work and can vaguely make out the outline of your office from your glorious spot on the beach. Most of the beaches have bathrooms and concession stands at the entrance. One beach that I would recommend avoiding though, is Gunnison Beach. This is Sandy Hook's Nude
Beach. I've accidentally gone there before. Yes, I swear it was completely accidental and I will surely never go there again. It is not what you picture when you think of a Nude Beach. I warned one of my friends to avoid it, and she went anyway thinking that it was no big deal. She ended up having nightmares for two days.   Their Motto is, "Life is short... Play Naked." but it is mostly older heavy set men who are heeding this philosophy.  They Proudly strut around the beach with hands behind their backs so as not to hide any of their normally hidden parts, and the best way to describe the activity in the ocean is Frolicking.  there is lots of hopping, flopping, jumping and accentuated body movements in the water. No Judgement from me if this is what you are in to, or if you are an older man who likes to frolic naked in the ocean. But if you have never been to a nude beach, this is probably not the place for you.
The rest of dear old Sandy is lovely and I would highly recommend a visit. If driving, there is a $15 per car fee. If you are taking the Ferry, I believe it is $26 one way.  Carpooling might be the way to go.  There is also a bike rental place near Fort Hancock and all 7 miles of Sandy hook is lined with bike trails so it's a great way to see the area and some of the wildlife.