Mike and I got married right after college and have been happily married for the past ten years. He had a good job. He worked hard, with long hours, frequently putting in overtime and even the occasional weekend. But one of the perks of his job was that every other month of so he'd have to work out of another of his companies offices, which were located across the country, and a few overseas locations. Not so much of a perk for him I guess, but I almost always traveled with him and we would usually add a couple of days of vacation to the end of the trip. It was a well-deserved break for him, and one of the advantages of being childless was that we could pack up and leave town at the drop of a hat.
His company had an office in New York City, which he had worked out of at least once a year. While he was working, I'd live the good life.... room service for breakfast, maybe use the hotels spa amenities to work out or swim, get a massage, perhaps a facial, manicure or pedicure. I'd visit museums, which was something that I love to do and Mike hated to do. And I did more than my share of shopping, again something I loved and Mike hated. After his work week was over and our 'vacation' began, we'd catch a Broadway show or two, have some nice meals, catch some jazz down in the Greenwich Village, and perhaps go out to club and get in some dancing. We'd generally enjoy all that NYC could offer. The fact the Mike could expense account some of the costs was an added bonus.
One summer four years ago, our New York vacation ended up being far from the norm.
It had been a hard winter that year. Spring was mild and when summer eventually arrived it came in with a bang. The NY trip was already scheduled, and rather than spending hot nights in the city, Mike suggested that we get a car and visit Atlantic City. We could spend the days on the beach and the evenings in the casinos. He didn't have to talk me into it – I love the beach.
So early on Saturday, after Mikes work week, we packed our travel bags into the rental and headed out the Lincoln Tunnel into New Jersey, then south towards the beaches. Mike had said that we should have our swimming and beach accessories available in case we wanted to stop somewhere before Atlantic City, so I had packed up a smaller carry-on bag with swim suits, towels, and sun lotion.
After about an hour of driving, Mike exited the highway, looking for a place to get some breakfast. We found a diner. In the entrance way to the dining area there was a display of brochures promoting the various tourist attractions and sites to see. We picked some up and looked through them over breakfast. Most of them were for the typical roadside attractions, but Mike found one about Sandy Hook Gateway National Recreation Area, a state park not far from where we were. There were swimming areas with lifeguards and concessions – all that we needed to hear. We decided to head there after we finished breakfast.
After we drove through the entrance into Sandy Hook, we passed a couple of parking areas for beach access. Mike had read through the brochure more than I had and seemed to know where he was heading. Before long we pulled into the parking area for Gunnison Beach.
There were a good number of cars in the parking area, which was to be expected as it was a clear sunny day without a cloud in the sky. The temperature was still pleasant, but the day had all the markings of being a scorcher. The ocean water was going to feel great.
At the entrance to the beach there were restrooms with areas to change. I put on my green bikini and checked myself out in the mirror. The suit was the most daring one that I owned. I knew that I had a good body; I kept myself in shape by my almost daily visits to the gym. I was never comfortable showing it off, but I was ok in that suit. I had worn it throughout the summer so far and already had the base of a nice tan. I was looking forward to getting even darker.
There was a long walkway through the dunes to get down to the beach, and an even longer walk across the sand to get to the shoreline. Mike led the way towards the left after we got off the walkway.
We settled down not far from the shore in an area with plenty of space to ourselves. Once I sat down I noticed that the beach around us was the pretty much empty and the area to the right seemed much more popular. As I was looking down the beach I realized that most of the people on that part of the beach were naked.
I turned to Mike and saw him looking as well, with a big grin on his face.
"Did you know this was a nude beach?" I asked.
"I had heard that there might be a clothing optional beach here, but I didn't know this was it." he replied.
He looked back across the beach and pointed out a sign that we had missed on the way in. It read BEYOND THIS POINT YOU MAY ENCOUNTER NUDE SUNBATHERS.
"It seems that we are in the non-nude side," he said, "but if you want to get an all-over tan, we can cross over."
