Powered Paraglider. Ocean Grove beach. October 3, 2014. Paul Goldfinger photos © Click to enlarge all photos.
Flying overhead near the OG non fishing pier. ©
Dipping low. © Blogfinger
By Paul Goldfinger, Editor @Blogfinger
Two paragliders were flying low and then high, swooping as they cruised , the engine making a loud noise like a flying weedwacker. The pilots came down and nearly touched the water before gaining altitude to go over the pier, waving to the amazed audience. They headed north past Asbury and south towards Spring Lake, gliding solo and together.
Paragliders consist of a gas/oil motor, a harness and a wing which is somewhat like a flying beach umbrella. They have been around since the 1980’s and are similar to the kind that we usually see which are pulled along behind a boat. These can go from 15-45 mph, and they can cost $5,000-$9,000. They were attracting a lot of attention on the boards and pier of Ocean Grove. It was a magnificent autumn day—sunny with a breeze.
Bicyclists were enjoying their return to legality, peddling up and down the boards. Dogs on leashes were also happy to be back.
The “wisdom bench” viewing the flying machine. Is it a bird, is it a plane, it’s……
Blogfinger photo ©
The 2014 edition of the “wisdom bench” had reconvened somewhat east of their traditional location by the beach office building where the usual bench was no longer present. Joel, a member from Ocean Grove says, “There is just one requirement for membership—you must be breathing.” The members like to stay anonymous, but names aren’t needed–just conversation. Joel says that “these are quirky Ocean Grovers—a mixed lot from retired law professors to just plain folk.”
Here is a link to a 2012 Blogfinger article about the Wisdom Bench by Mary Walton: Wisdom Bench BF article
BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN “Waitin’ on a Sunny Day” This song was released in 2002 as part of the album The Rising which had its debut on the beach in Asbury Park.
