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Walking Dunes Trail in Cape Henlopen State Park (Lewes Delaware)

While in Delaware, I wanted to check out Cape Henlopen State Park. It looked beautiful. With the exception of traveling through Delaware, I haven’t spent a lot time in Lewes, Rehobeth Beach, or Bethany Beach. I’ve heard Delaware State Parks are beautiful, so I’ve always wanted too. When the opportunity to visit Cape Henlopen State Park presented itself, I decided to go. Why not?

The Walking Dunes Trail in Cape Henlopen State Park is a natural, flat trail. While there isn’t much elevation change, it’s a great option to walk your dogs, get outside, or relax. You don’t need hiking shoes or hiking boots.

Cape Henlopen State Park has several things to do, including the surf, fishing pier, hiking, cycling, or just relaxing at the beach. There are also campsites and bunkers if you want to spend a few days there. Near the parking lot and trailhead for the Walking Dunes Trail, there is a seaside nature center and park office. Towards the Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, you can find a bait and tackle shop.

When we were down towards the shore, people were looking at horseshoe crabs. Several loop trails are depending on the distance you want to go, but the Walking Dunes Trail was perfect for us. We saw several people out too!

Plus, on the Walking Dune Trail, there is also Fort Miles, which is cool to see some historical sites.

In all, it was a great time.

You can see more hikes here.

Questions for you:

Have you ever been to the Walking Dunes Trail in Cape Henlopen State Park?

Do you prefer hilly hikes or sandy beach hikes?

Diners

Rainbow Diner (Brick)

July 20, 2019September 18, 2019 Hollie

Rainbow Diner (Brick, NJ)

Recently I went to the Rainbow Diner in Brick, NJ, with my good friend Lauren. Lauren and I have been planning to go to the Rainbow Diner in Brick for a couple of years, but the timing never works out. We’ve been to other diners, but the timing never works for the Rainbow Diner.

Rainbow Diner Atmosphere: A
The Rainbow Diner sticks out on the main road. The big rainbow on top of the restaurant makes it hard to miss.

The inside of the Rainbow Diner has plenty of booths, table, and a bar. You walk in and immediately see a dessert case.

Rainbow Diner Coffee: B
The coffee was good, but it wasn’t anything unique or exciting. I could have used more refill.

Rainbow Diner Food: B
The Rainbow Diner menu has everything you need in a diner. There are plenty of breakfast, lunch, and dinner options. Plus there are more specials at the Rainbow Diner than most restaurants. They are well known for their chicken salad, egg platters, burgers, sandwiches, cole slaw, and tuna salad.

I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for and decided to order their pork chop special. The pork chop special had a sweet sauce with sautéed vegetables and came with a salad, potato, and a dessert.

Originally I asked to upgrade to a Greek Salad, but they mentioned I would be charged for a regular portion and I didn’t need two meals. The house salad was good. It had beets with it, which was a fun addition.

The pork chops themselves were excellent. I liked the sweet sauce as well as the sautéed vegetables. I was surprised by how many vegetables there were. The pork chops were dry, but the sauce made it better.

In all, they were good. Lauren ordered a sandwich served with home fries which also looked good.

Rainbow Diner Service: C
The service at the Rainbow Diner was interesting. The hostess at the Rainbow Diner seemed like he had better things to do. It was a very awkward interaction.

The waitress took our order, but two different servers came back to ask specifics about the order. I didn’t know if the waitress was new or what the issue was.

Rainbow Diner Dessert: B
My meal came with a dessert, and I chose bread pudding. I appreciated how much bread crust there was. It was nothing overly special, but it was good.

Rainbow Diner Cost: $
For my pork chops and coffee, it was $20.

Overall Thoughts/Summary of the Rainbow Diner:
The Rainbow Diner in Brick was a good stop, and it was by no means terrible, but it wasn’t my favorite in the Brick area.

Atmosphere: A
Coffee: B
Food: B
Service: C
Dessert: B
Price: $8-15
Overall: B

You can see all 252 Diner Review Here.

Questions for you:

Do you like pork chops?

What is your favorite dessert?

hiking

Exploring Cattus Island Park in Toms River

May 9, 2018September 25, 2019 Hollie

Cattus Island Park (Toms River)

Last week, I took a drive out to Cattus Island Park in Toms River. Initially, I wanted to enjoy the shore while still doing something active. While laying on the beach is fun for some, it isn’t all that fun to me. I get bored after a few minutes. Ocean County Parks have all been beautiful with great views. One of the parks I’ve wanted to get too is Cattus Island in Toms River, so it worked out. There are miles of trails including the red trail, orange trail, blue trail, all through the pine barrens.

Cattus Island State Park is an easy trail suitable for a leisurely walk, small kids, or pets. You hike through the Pinelands, on a boardwalk, and along the beach. There is even a massive Osprey nest! The hike itself at Cattus Island Park is one of the easiest I’ve done, with a mix of sand, boardwalk, dirt, and pine needles. If you combine all of the trails at Cattus Island Park, it ends up being about 6.9 miles.

One thing I appreciated about Cattus Island County Park was the map available at the front and parking lot. Obviously, everything is available online beforehand, but it’s nice to have a paper copy out.

I did hike most of the trails at Cattus Island Park, but it got to be a bit windy along the shore, and I was getting cold. Plus, I also wanted to beat the traffic on route 70.

Starting along the sections of the boardwalk at Cattus Island Park.

You can see the Salt Marsh, Silver Bay, Barnegat Bay, and Scout Island.

You can see the Osprey nest in the background at Cattus Island Park:

Marsh and Wetlands at Cattus Island Park:

Then all of a sudden the trail at Cattus Island Park went through the pines.

And along a small creek at Cattus Island Park:

Then all of a sudden I was along the shore at Cattus Island Park:

This is when things got windy. It got cold quickly at Cattus Island Park. It’s hard to believe because the rest of the week has been so warm!

View this post on Instagram

Windy day down the shore.

A post shared by Hollie (@fueledbylolz) on Apr 30, 2018 at 11:58am PDT

In all, I had an excellent time hiking, and I’m glad I went to Cattus Island Park. Cattus Island Park is a beautiful, leisurely park and I highly suggest it.

Spring 2018 Hikes I’ve Done:

Cattus Island Park (Toms River)
Turkey Swamp Park (Freehold)

You can see all hikes here.

This Spring and Summer, I want to get to as many NJ parks as possible. Now that the weather is nice, it’s been great to be outdoors!

Questions for you:
What was the last park you’ve been too?
Do you have any plans this spring and summer?

Diners

The Princess Maria Diner (Wall)

August 15, 2015September 10, 2019 Hollie

Princess Maria Diner (Wall)

After the Belmar 5, I drove to the Princess Maria Diner. I did a quick scan of local diners and this one only 11 minutes away from the race. It looked like it gas a sizeable menu with some unique and fun foods.

I arrived on the weekend around 11 am. Usually, this is prime diner time but the Princess Maria Diner wasn’t too crowded. I was pleasantly surprised.

Princess Maria Diner Atmosphere: A

The outside of the Princess Maria Diner is metallic and welcoming. It’s easy to spot and directly off the main road. The inside is a typical diner. There are rows of booths, tables and of course a famous bar. I was lucky to get one of the last tables.

Princess Maria Diner Coffee: A

After any road race, coffee tastes ten times better. The coffee at the Princess Maria Diner had plenty of whipped cream and was strong.

Either I was extremely dehydrated, or the coffee pierced my soul within seconds. The waitress was extremely kind and brought plenty of refills. In summary, the coffee was delicious, and the whipped cream was equally as good.

Princess Maria Diner Food: A

The Princess Maria Diner had plenty of options. The Princess Maria had all the usual suspects as well as many different and unique options. The waitress informed me that they are well known for their “salad shells.”

I ordered the Mediterranean salad shell. It came with all of the best toppings: plenty of olives, feta cheese, sun-dried tomatoes as well as chicken. The actual salad came in a tortilla shell. I was partially expecting a clamshell because I was on the shore. This is even better because you could eat the tortilla. Honestly, it was one of the best salads I’ve had in a while, and the shell was the best part.

Princess Maria Diner Price: $

For my coffee and salad, it was only 15 dollars. It was a great deal.

Overall thoughts/Would I come back to the Princess Maria Diner (Wall)?

The Princess Maria Diner (Wall) a great diner. I will be back to try another salad shell. Good thing I’m doing the Belmar Chase 5k in August and will be close to Wall. The service was also extremely great, and the waitress was very friendly and helpful.

Cliff notes:
Atmosphere: A
Coffee: A
Food: A
Price: 10-15
Overall: A

You can see all of the diner reviews here.

Question for you: Have you ever had a salad shell?

Tag: shore