Vacation Contemplation

My wife and I took a vacation trip to New Jersey recently.

New Jersey.

Not my preferred destination.

And, honestly, were it not for a family gathering taking place there, I never would've gone.

It wasn't unpleasant. We stayed at Days Inn across from Fort Dix/McGuire Air Force Base. I did basic training at Fort Dix back in the 1980s. Given my desire to see old spots again, it was a little interesting. But we didn't attempt to go onto the post. Had we been there a few more days, I maybe would have tried to find out if it was possible. But neither my wife nor I are retired veterans, so we don't have an ID higher than my VA card which wouldn't be enough to allow access.

Being across the street from the military installation meant we had to listen to a myriad of aircraft taking off, landing, revving their engines. It got quite loud at times.

We were also treated to the sound of Taps being broadcast from loudspeakers every night at 10:00.

The Days Inn is located in Wrightstown. I had heard of Wrightstown back when I was in basic, but never saw it as we weren't allowed off post. My first impression of the town was that there are a lot of boarded up, empty businesses in plazas that are pretty run down. I have to assume that retail doesn't fare well outside of a post that boasts of a mall to service both Army and Air Force personnel. It was a smallish mall when I did time there; I have to assume it's larger now.

My second impression is that Wrightstown is small for its location. At other posts where I have been stationed, the towns right outside the gates were pretty good sized and growing.

We ate at a couple area restaurants. One was a BBQ place and it was just okay despite its claims to having won awards. Given the lack of competition in the area, I'd say that it was much easier to win than in places like... oh, New York City or Boston.,

Another was a German restaurant, and I really enjoyed that. The decor was very cluttered with steins and dolls in all sorts of costume. The brats and sauerkraut were good as was the bread and salad. I didn't sample any of their beer.

We spent an afternoon in Bordentown which is about 20 minutes away. This is an historic town and maintains a colonial atmosphere. Thomas Paine had a house on the main street there according to a sign beside it. The business owners we chatted with were all personable.

 Cookstown, where my wife's cousin lives and was the center of family activity, was only about 2 miles from our motel. The drive there, once you get beyond the security fence around Fort Dix, is pastoral with fields and white fences. There is a well kept park with a gazebo in the middle of Cookstown. There is no business district, just a few small establishments here and there. For grocery shopping, one has to drive about 15 miles. It seems like everything is about 15 miles away from where we were at any given time.

We did take a drive up the road to New Egypt where there is more of a business presence. I had all the tires replaced on our RAV4 when I noticed one was worn quite badly. Since the vehicle is 4-wheel drive and the tires it had were no longer available, I had to go with a new set. This service was done at GW Tire Service on Cookstown New Egypt Road. The people there were friendly as well.

It was surprising to me how many wineries are in that part of the country. I had never envisioned New Jersey as a producer of anything but chemicals, mafia and gambling. But we passed by a few without stopping in.

The family gathering was nice. It was a reunion of sorts. I finally got to meet one of my wife's cousins for the first time. This after being with her for over 30 years.

All in all, it was a good trip. But I was glad to get home and had no post-vacation blues.

Now, two weeks after, I find myself still thinking about the trip.

It's not that I want to go back. After all, New Jersey is still not my preferred destination.

But at least it was away from work.

And that's always good.