Gov. Christie Enjoys Island Beach State Park With Family Despite Closure, Photos Spark Outrage

A picture speaks a thousand words.

Gov. Chris Christie, his immediate family and his son's friends enjoyed a beautiful Sunday day at Island Beach State Park, basking under a cloudless sky on a totally empty beach in front of the governor's house, photos first published by nj.com depict.

Meanwhile, local businesses no doubt suffered from decreased business and visitors were barred from the park on the second day after Christie ordered all non-essential services, including all state parks closed during the budget impasse.

Christie is using a state helicopter to travel back and forth from Island Beach to Trenton during talks to resolve the impasse.

The Christie administration remains locked in a stalemate over school funding and the governor's desire to use state lottery revenue for the pension system, as well as extract $300 million from the reserve fund from the state's largest health insurance company, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, to pay for drug addiction treatment.

New Jersey state government remained shutdown on Monday, except for emergency services. Gov. Chris Christie called lawmakers back into session at 10 a.m. to try to come to some kind of a deal. Click here for the latest on the budget stalemate.

The photos sparked outrage, with nj.com's original article being shared more than 243,000 times on Facebook, and garnering a thousand comments, most of them opposed to the Governor's choice to go the very park he closed.

Christie, however, defended his use of the governor's house at Island Beach and claimed that his family will not be using any of the park's services.

"That's just the way it goes," he told reporters this weekend. "Run for governor and you can have a residence."

When asked if he had gotten any sun on Sunday at a news conference, Christie said he had not, according to nj.com.

When Brian Murray, the governor's spokesman, was told of the photos, he replied "Yes, the governor was on the beach briefly today talking to his wife and family before heading into the office."

"He did not get any sun," Murray added, according to the report. "He had a baseball hat on."

Watch: New Jersey Gets Budget Deal, Beaches To Reopen

Images: Twitter and nj.com