mel@pegasus.UUCP (Mel Haas) (02/25/85)
(brr...) No, it is a perfectly balmy day here in NJ, 70+ degrees, bright sun, strong off shore wind. The family is off visiting relatives, so I took the dogs to the beach for a walk (along with many hundreds of others). Sandy Hook Gateway National Park is just 20 miles due south of NY City, but an hour away by car. Take Rt. 36 to the park entrance (/car fee in summer), 1.2 miles to the gates of Ft. Hancock (drive right through), 1.3 miles to the right turn to Gunnison Beach, 1.2 miles to the Gunnison Battery gun emplacement and a left turn to the parking lot (0.2 miles West, don't turn North again toward North Beach). Take the "Path to Beach" through a little woods, and the boardwalk along the gun emplacement (the kids love to climb on it, and the little bandstand in front is a good place for a sand-free picnic). Continue East to the beach, about 100 yards and turn right (South) for another 200 yards to reach the nude area. Today, for about a mile there were 30-40 naked men in ones and twos walking, standing, or laying along the beach. And, about twice that number of clothed people walking the beach. There was one group of about 6 men and 2 older women nude (looked like a club meeting of some sort). One nude man walking with his clothed son. Otherwise no unclothed women or anyone under 20 nude. The clothed people were of all ages and groupings, including some small children seemingly unaffected by the rather strange sight of so many naked sentinels. Attractions (I can't say "other" attractions) at Sandy Hook are fine beaches (somewhat fouled by the refuse of garbage dumps that washes ashore), a good nature program focused on the visitor's center (small museum and good slide show, excellent Rangers), good fishing in several environments, excellent sailboarding (or so it seems, on the bay side), interesting old gun emplacements and Nike sites, a fair military museum, and lots and lots of outdoors. A great place. And, a great place for nude activity (a Federal Park, so no hassles), but why mostly older men? no kids, no couples, no teenagers, no minorities, few women, no parties, no games, sort of bleak and sad. What is it like in the summer? What are other areas like? and where are they (why is this group so coy?)?
ecl@ahutb.UUCP (e.leeper) (02/27/85)
REFERENCES: <2114@pegasus.UUCP>
During the summer, when the temperature is above freezing, the beach is much
more crowded, although nowhere near as crowded as the main beach on Sandy Hook.
That's one of the reasons it's better--you can actually get some space to put a
towel down, and the radios aren't blasting you off the sand. After work, it's
basically all adults, but on the weekends there are families there. There are
many more men than women either time (5:1 or more, I'd guess). During the
summer there's a fair-sized crowd of regulars who set up a volleyball net, etc.
What did you expect in February anyway? We went to the boardwalk in Asbury
Park (dressed in sweatshirts) and were cold!
This group is so coy because people are worried about what their management
might say if they found out their people were involved in this sort of thing.
:-)
Evelyn C. Leeper
Note temporary kluge for new address => ...{ihnp4, houxm, hocsj}!ahuta!ahutb!ecl