Day 5 Wildwood to Stone Harbor

A day for the birds. There was a light, constant rain but hardly any wind or chop. It made for great paddling.

It was quick paddle across the top of Richardson Sound. Just as we entered Grassy Sound, a group of terns were diving for fish. Larger fish were chasing the smaller ones and you could see the battle break the waterline every once in a while. The birds were capitalizing on it. The terns were swirling overhead, diving all around us and zooming past us. This captivated us for nearly 20 minutes.

As we approached the Rte. 585 bridge there was a flock of mergansers on the west side. Without being close to them they all took off together, first heading south and then circling back towards the bridge where they split into smaller groups, some flying over the bridge, some turning alongside it. One white egret trailed behind, seeming to have barely enough speed or energy to clear the bridge or the cars passing on it.

On the north side of the bridge we were about to paddle under a fishing pier when I spotted a gull which seemed as if it were standing on the side of it. At first I thought it was a fake bird comically nailed to the side but as we approached, it started to flap its wings, swing side to side and spin. It had swallowed a fishing hook at the end of a line dangling from the pier. John beached his boat and went up to cut it free. It didn't put up much of a fight being held. It was probably exhausted. There was no way to get the hook out and after John cut the line we tried to pour some puddled rain water down its throat and left it to rest on a bench on the pier.

After passing Hereford Inlet we paddled against a mild current behind Nummy Island and stopped to watch some hermit crabs. The current picked up along the Great Channel and we did some “dock dodging” — paddling under the docks. We followed a white egret that kept moving to be several docks ahead of us but the light was fading and I couldn't get a fast enough shutter speed to fix his flight in a photograph.

Dinner was had at a tavern on Rte. 9. It was Quizzo night and the "Ultimate Griswolds" behind us were in the top 5. This entertainment was the best part of the meal. I think I had the most flavorless, nutritionless, expensive spaghetti dinner on the planet. There wasn't even enough content to photograph. After hours of paddling you need some nourishment. I was craving a spinach salad and a support team — chef and chauffeur included.

Midnight fast approaching and still in need of lodging, we went back to Atlantic City for another $65 room, this time at the Hilton.