Apparently, everyone on the northeastern seaboard decides to visit the beach today. I am surprised by this since:
1. It's February
2. It's a workday.
3. New Hampshire doesn't have school break this week.
This is what happens when it hits 66 degrees when we should be looking at 66 inches of snow, instead. We are all in withdrawal from being stuck inside due to snow and cold temperatures. This week's weather has been a gift . . . to everyone . . . everyone who is at the beach today, and that is EVERYONE.
A pal and I work on maxing out our February school break, and this includes a trip along the coast. She is determined to get her feet in the ice-freaking-cold waves; I am determined not to develop hypothermia. I was in Newburyport yesterday, so today I decide to finish the coast.
Stop #1 is in Salisbury center. This place has changed a lot and yet stayed the same. Gone are the rides and amusement park and many of the cheesier shops and stands. Much of it is still the same, though, especially at the center. We find that Salisbury sand is gritty, dark, and difficult to maneuver.
After a car tour of Seabrook's coastal living (and Google searches for prices on property for sale), we head across the bridge to Hampton, NH, also known as Stop #2. It may be warm, but along the coast, it is windy enough to fly kites. Already we can see the change in the sand from brown and grainy to gray and smooth.
Stop #3 is the center of Hampton with its boarded-up arcades and shops and restaurants. We have to park near the north end of the beach just to find a spot, it is that crowded. It reminds me of a typical weekend during the summer, dodging people and vehicles and jockeying for a space. We walk from our spot to the water and then over to some rocks before moving on.
Stop #4 is my spot, The Wall. Tide is coming in, so there isn't a lot of sand left, but there are tons of rocks, so my friend and I grab a few to bring home with us. I have to back the car out of the spot, but the traffic pattern makes this nearly impossible. I am still having a hard time believing there are this many Maine and Massachusetts people up here for the day.
Stop #5 comes only after a long drive up the Rye coast past several more small beaches and spectacular, massive homes. We stop in Portsmouth, do some major-league window shopping, then hit a well-stocked tap house for lunch.
I'd ask, "Who doesn't want to be me?" because it has been a spectacular winter break, except the answer is simple -- Judging from the number of people outside and at the beaches on a Thursday, everybody IS me (I), and we are all very lucky.
