the popcorn park zoo

The other morning looked bleary and the weather forecast called for rain, but we decided to drive to the shore anyway. There was talk of going to Gunnisons at Sandy Hook and then Wildwood to see the boardwalk. We decided against both and headed towards Seaside Heights.

Along the way we stopped at the Popcorn Park Zoo in Forked River, the animal recovery zoo run by New Jersey's SPCA. http://www.ahscares.org/ I had taken my children here several times over the years and considering the capricious weather it would be a nice (and cheap) diversion. The cages are somewhat dingy and there's a lot of critters on display that were once pets, but nothing too exotic. For a modest fee of $5.00 one could ogle potbellied pigs, capuchin monkeys, horses, emus and ostriches. You are encouraged to feed the animals with peanuts or popcorn available for purchase at the front gate. Also on display were several tigers rescued from bad situations, a panther, a blind camel and several hulking black bears who displayed an eerie calm as they lapped up popcorn kernels like house pets cleaning the kitchen floor of spilled food. Several of the cages had little placards telling the woeful tales of some of the creatures, including a tiger that was rescued from a Texas ranch that was going to use the animal as part of a "canned safari" and allow hunters to kill it. It made me feel good to be a part of something so helpful for animals.

I especially liked the peacocks that had full run of the zoo. While pondering the potbellied pigs one peacock jumped up on the fence near us and squawked as it looked at us for a hand out. It was very interesting to get a close look at the colorful tufts of feathers on his head.

There was also a normal Humane Society shelter for dogs and cats. We endured the howling to give it a quick breeze through to see all the pooches, but steeled ourselves from getting too attached to any particular one... we didn't want to anger my poor dog at home...

If you're going to the shore, especially with the kids, I highly recommend the Popcorn Park Zoo.

Afterwards we drove to Seaside Heights and Janet delighted in walking through the rides and games, saying it reminded her of Wildwood. The beaches here though were much narrower than in Wildwood. I've never been to Wildwood, but I have been coming here since I was a young boy... back around the time of dinosaurs and when dirt was just beginning to form on Earth. For 4o+ years everything looked pretty much the same, even some of the concession stands like the Kohrs ice cream stops looked exactly the same.

We walked the length of the boardwalk, looked at some crazy rides that I steadfastly refused to go on, though Janet was very interested, and had some ice cream. Two small cones with sprinkles from Kohrs cost me $9.00 with a tip! At the northern end of Seaside Heights we took a sky ride along the beach. Compartively docile to some of the roller coaster and sling shot rides we saw at the Casino and Funtown Piers, we swayed slowly in the breeze on ski lift type chairs along the beach side of the boardwalk looking down on the sunbathers.The ride was $3.00 one way, $5.00 round trip; a very nice bargain considering the views and the length of the voyage.

It had proved to be a very nice day for the beach, but we did not want to pay $10.00 for two of us to get on the beach, especially so late in the afternoon. We were happy with a spirited game of air hockey (Janet won) and a $2.50 beer at a bar called the Sawmill at the extreme southern end of the boardwalk. But, by the time we were finished with our drink the booth attendant had left for the day and we were able to walk along the beach in Seaside Park for a few blocks. The water was rough; bathers were not allowed in to swim, but we giggled like school kids because we got something for free!

Later we drove to Bum Rogers which is just a block away from IBSP. The happy hour menu is very cheap and the food was great quality. We had mussels for $6.00, chicken wings at $.50 per and a very tasty burger for just $4.00! We drank Harpoon IPA for $2.50 a mug and played shuffle board for free after our food. Well, Janet played...I just got beat down.

After being turned away at Island Beach State Park because we did not want to pay the entrance fee at such a late hour, we took a meandering drive up route 35 through all the little towns like Lavellette and Normandy Beach, Bay Head and Pt. Pleasant before turning onto Route 195 for the quick ride home.

Thanks for reading, much more to come.