Some Like It Hot

Yesterday was "beach day." My wife and son and I piled into the car and drove down to Sandy Hook, which has several nice beaches. My wife wanted to try Gunnison Beach, which sounded vaguely familiar to us, but we couldn't remember why. After parking the car, we walked for what seemed a mile across a short boardwalk and lots and lots of hot sand to reach the ocean, only to discover that this was a nude beach. Yes, New Jersey actually has a legal nude beach, part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, complete with life guards (who wear bathing suits). Your tax dollars at work! Rather than turn back--or doff our swimsuits--we decided to use the "clothed" part of the beach. Oddly, our 11-year-old son never seemed to notice that the other half of the beach was nude (although many people on that side actually did have their suits on--maybe they were voyeurs?). He was entirely focused on the waves and having fun. Just as well. We left after a while and drove to North Beach (a "prude" beach, you might say--no nudity), had lunch there and frolicked some more in the waves.

It was all quite the eye-opening experience. Believe me, though, most of the people on Gunnison Beach you would not care to see naked.