My own personal Polar Bear Ride

I took the bike out on Monday December 24th.  The temperature was 37 degrees!  I do not have heated gear at the moment. ( waiting for the bike show in NY in Jan)  So I just bundled up in layers.  I swapped out my riding jacket for my ski jacket and some snowmobile gloves the cover my wrists almost mid for arm.  I was snug as a bug.  I left the house and traveled toward the shore.  I had not had a chance to see the devastation of the NJ beaches from hurricane Sandy up close.  As I drove thru Red Bank on Navesink River Road   Past the huge houses on this great twisty road I continued on into Highlands over the Sea Bright Bridge and into Sea Bright NJ

In Sea Bright I got to see the after effects of the storm.  From the point just after the bridge to Monmouth Beach the area is devastated.  Almost all of the business that are on the main road are gone,  just gone.  Boarded up and gutted.  Pizza places, dry cleaners, ice cream parlors, restaurants, grocery stores, clothing stores are all gone.  Above the store fronts are apartments that are also cleaned out.  It was a tough site to see.  All of the beach clubs on the Ocean site are also destroyed.   For those of you that never have been the this part of the NJ shore it was and will be again, a beautiful place but now it is in ruins.

I continued down Ocean Boulevard towards Long Branch. As I passed thru Monmouth beach the devastation continued.   The water crested above the sea wall and the fist floor of a number of houses were flooded.  Boarded up property everywhere.  Then after I passed a traffic light and entered Long Branch everything changed and it was as if nothing happened.  There were still some effects of the storm but no major damage.  It was surreal to see.  I pulled into Pier Village  The board walk was a little torn up but still open and the shops in the center were open for business.  I stopped at the coffee shop to warm up.  Removing some of my many layers and getting something warm to drink I realized that I was cold but not freezing.  The layers worked!  I spoke to the gal at the counter about the storm and she said while they lost power for a while nothing flooded and no windows broke.  She was grateful because she could still go to work.  The folks in Sea Bright will not be returning for some time.

After warming up a bit I headed home.  I took the scenic route to Atlantic Highlands on Ocean Boulevard.  A great road with lots of twisty's!  I took a spin thru the marina and headed home.

The trip was only 45 miles or so but just being on the bike on Christmas Eve was the best!  I returned a little colder than I would have liked but it was totally worth it!