On the Way to Cape May

It isn't as much what we did on the way to Cape May, as it is what we did once we got there. Cape May is a great day trip from Ocean City, about a 45 minute drive, and we've only scratched the surface.

Our goal for our trip was two fold: see the sunken ship, the Atlantis, and to hunt for Cape May Diamonds.

The Atlantis is a World War I ship, constructed of concrete due to a steel shortage. Not surprisingly, it was quickly decommissioned due to its weight and slow speed. It was towed to Cape May where it was to be used as a loading platform for the ferry. The ship, however, broke her moorings during a storm and has been at Cape May's Sunset Beach ever since. The ship sinks lower into the sand each year and within a few years, will no longer be visible at all.

Will loved seeing the wreckage and spent some time plotting how he could get closer. He soon decided it was probably too far out for him to swim and spent some time trying to convince Maggie, my mother's helper at the shore, to have her father take him out to the ship on his boat. The idea that a ship wreck has become part of a casual landscape, with no fanfare or drama, is baffling to Will.

This trip to the beach was also a treasure hunt. I had heard of Cape May Diamonds before and was even more intrigued when Maggie, who has spent most of her summers in Cape May, said they were fairly easy to find on Sunset Beach.

The beach itself is rocky, and although it was scattered with sunbathers and swimmers, it probably isn't a great beach for relaxing. There's a deep drop off a few feet into the ocean and the waves are calm. But the beach is alive with treasures, and treasure hunters, like us.

Cape May Diamonds aren't diamonds at all, but quartz. The rocks are actually washed up by the Delaware River. They were first discovered by the Kechemeche Indians, who believe the diamonds have supernatural powers, bringing success and good luck. It takes the pieces of quartz thousands of years to travel down the Delaware River. Upon reaching the mouth of the river, the strong flow hits the sides of the Atlantis, which has formed a man-made reef, and propels the pieces of rock up on the beach.

Although rocky, the stones on the beach are all smooth, worn by the waters of the Delaware and the Atlantic. The boys, who do love to dig in the sand, were rewarded with actual treasure this time. We found many diamonds. Carter was just as happy to put any pretty rock into his bucket. Charlotte liked to dump gravel into the buckets by the handle, filling up my bucket, with diamonds by the dozen, with random rocks. Will soon lost interest, lured again by the vision of the Atlantis, and his dreams of exploring it more closely. I, on the other hand, could have searched for diamonds all day long. Once again, I wrestled my bucket away from Charlotte and filled the bottom of it with diamonds. I left it balanced on top of the stroller, only to have a gust of wind knock it down. The kids' attention span was waning, so our trip was shorter than I would have liked. I gathered up as many as I could, probably a dozen or so, and hope to go back again to find more. They would look so pretty in a glass vase on my kitchen counter.

After a brief stop in the Sunset Beach gift shop (where, for those of you not lucky enough to find your own Cape May Diamonds, you can buy them, already polished, faceted, and placed in a jewelry setting), where we enjoyed the air conditioning and bargain shopping, we headed to a World War II lookout tower, Fire Control Tower # 23. Built in 1942, it is one of the last few remaining restored lookout towers. When in use, 8 soldiers were stationed there at a time, acting as lookouts in 12-hour shifts. Now, the tower is equipped with a spiral staircase, but during WWII, soldiers climbed to the top by ladder. Four at a time would sit at the top of the tower, looking for enemy ships and plans. By looking through the tower windows, we could see far into the ocean. It was a great history lesson, and a great view, for us all.

Another close by attraction is the Cape May Lighthouse. We could see it from the tower, but didn't the energy left to climb its hundreds of steps.

We'll make our way down to Cape May again. In addition to the lighthouse, there's a World War II bunker, trolley rides, the ferry, whale and dolphin watching--so many things to do. And, of course, more diamonds to discover, as well.