South end transition, looking north. The pier and beach offices are behind us. Paul Goldfinger photos ©. Left click to enlarge
For those of you who are reading Blogfinger from out of town, you may have some difficulty understanding the layout of the beach front. So here is the first of a series describing the orientation of the beachfront component parts.
The photograph above shows, from left to right: Ocean Avenue, the transition from boardwalk to grassy/sandy strip (there is a small boy with a red pail; this occurs at Heck Avenue) the no-man’s land where the boardwalk used to be, and then the beach. Note the sand fencing between the grassy/sandy area and no-man’s land. And again there is fencing between no-mans land and the then the beach.
I saw a couple walking north as far as the end of the boardwalk. There they stopped, and she said, “Let’s continue walking along the sand.”
He said, “You want me to walk in the sand? ”
She said, “God forbid.” Then they turned and headed south.
Here they are, heading south, toward the non-fishing pier. Note the pier and a gaggle of rookie OG lifeguards who are in the midst of extensive training. Also you can see what the completed boardwalk will look like.
Latest news from the non- fishing pier. If you enlarge this photo (click left) you might be able to make out Ralph at the far end.
The non-fishing pier was reopened for 167 feet after engineers found the supports to be safe. New planking was placed along with railings. Walkers can go to the stop point, a horizontal railing (with a sign) visible in the above photo.
But recently, according to Bill Bailey, the COO of the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association , engineers have determined that the usable pier can go out another 85 feet. You can see the new planking beyond the current stop point. Soon the stop point will be moved out to bring the walking pier to 252 feet, about half the size of the original pier. It will still not be over the water. People have discovered the newly reopened pier, and quite a few folks are walking out there. —-Paul Goldfinger