An Estate

Due to the nature of my job, I have the pleasure of getting to visit a variety of different sites. Some are little residences, some are old nurseries or undeveloped properties, and sometimes I get the rare pleasure of encountering an estate. This house featured here is just a very small portion of a large and awesome property. Unfortunately, I don't really want to breach any sort of professional confidentiality. It's such a shame because I would love to share the amazingness of some of these places I visit with the world. I'd love to share things like the little details in the decaying building or the beautiful view or lush rolling meadow. I can't though, as these places I visit are often being considered for some sort of revitalization. Now, sometimes this means restoring property or adding on to it. Other times this means accepting that the cost of restoration will far outweigh demolition and rebuilding. Take a look at houses down the Jersey Shore. That's a prime example. It didn't pay to deal with the mold and structural damage for many. It was easier just to rebuild.

Rockland Drive-In

Carson City & Indian Village: Abandoned Theme Park

A couple of weekends ago, I drove up to the Catskill, NY with my sister and her boyfriend to explore an abandoned zoo (Catskill Game Farm) and a separate, unrelated theme park, Carson City and Indian Village. Unfortunately, as mentioned in the previous post, exploring the Catskill Game Farm didn't work out as planned, which was a real bummer to me. I had seen some pretty sweet pics of the interior and was really excited to check it out. Carson City, to be honest, was kind of an afterthought. And yet it turned out to be pretty worth it. Funny how life and circumstance works out that way sometimes.

Credit: http://photos.aroundcarson.com/details/1436

Catskill Game Farm

Not much to say about this one. It once was zoo that charmed children and adults alike, but it shut down in 2006. It is now privately owned and the owners are trying to get it back up and running. I spoke to one of them (super friendly dude with a super cute dog) and intend on getting a tour through the abandoned zoo sometime this spring, so you'll have to wait for that. In the mean time, here are two pictures of the entrance.

Two Years and Halsey Pond

I'm proud to say that this little blog has made two years old. There has been a bit of a lull in activity, but lately inspiration has struck. I found myself on two adventures very recently. This first one is my brief stroll around Halsey Pond. The second was a two-part adventure up to the Catskills. More on that one to follow. Unfortunately, I didn't have my real camera on me for this first adventure, just my phone.

Loss of Head in Doodletown

It was Friday afternoon when I happened to ask some coworkers for recommendations of places to visit. I definitely got more than a few, but one spot was recommended more than once was Doodletown in Bear Mountain/Harriman. Officially it seems that the park is located in Stony Point, NY.

Now, hear me out, Doodletown...probably the silliest name, I know. In fact, when I told my hairdresser Saturday morning that I was planning on hiking Doodletown she laughed in my face.

Entrance sign near where we parked off of 9w

Jungle Habitat

Can I just be honest with you? Jungle Habitat...the famed Jungle Habitat...Well, it was vastly underwhelming.

Totally sweet entrance though

Previously Unposted!

I was just looking through my pictures and I realized that I have a whole bunch of images that I never posted on places I've visited. Such places include Ringwood, Long Pond Ironworks, Buttermilk Falls, and more. The following are just a handful of the ones from one of my trips to Long Pond/Ringwood.

The old manager's house when the place was an ironworks

FINALLY. Tunnels.

It wasn't long after I got my driver's license that I learned about some mysterious tunnels hidden in Clausland Mountain. The story goes that Camp Bluefields was located on the mountain and used during WWI for shooting practice. Long concrete tunnels were built to prevent soldiers from getting accidentally shot by friendly fire. Apparently, the tunnels and Camp Bluefields were abandoned when local homeowners were complaining that bullets aimed too high were landing on their properties. I knew I had to find them. Rumors informed me that I have to drive up Tweed Boulevard in Orangeburgh, NY and pull off by a traffic sign with a turning arrow on it. Then hop out of my car, follow the path, and bam, I'd be at the tunnels. Well, I can say I tried more than once, but to no avail. Eventually I gave up and the tunnels receded to the back of my mind.

For the past few weekends I've been itching to get out for a hike, but with the holidays most of my weekends were resigned to Christmas shopping, preparing for the holidays, and seeing friends and family. Not a bad excuse, but still left me wanting some outdoor time. I finally got out last weekend and decided on Blauvelt State Park. 

Cabin in the Woods (aka Return to Kakiat)

Sunday was about as gorgeous as anyone could hope an October weekend to be. The air was crisp and refreshing, without being overly chilly. The sun was shining. It was a perfect day for a stroll in the woods. The goal was to find the abandoned cabin in the woods that we failed at finding last time. I vaguely remembered its location and we set off to it immediately after arriving. It didn't take long, honestly. A short walk from the parking lot, past the dog park, through some deep piles of leaves, along the Mahwah River, and finally up the hill.

Watchung Reservation...Months Later

I've been sitting on quite a few pictures from trips over the past few months. I figure I should attempt to catch up. So, first up, Watchung Reservation. I took the trip to Watchung Reservation back in March. It is the largest park in Union County, NJ and has a lot to offer. There are stables, horse and hiker friendly trails, a golf course, an abandoned village, a museum,  and a large picnic area complete with a playground. One of the most notable things while driving up was the land bridges that allow wildlife to cross over the highway.

Explorations were mostly limited to the abandoned Feltville, the pine plantation, and some other minor trails.

Not abandoned, but pretty sweet

Harriman State Park: Silver Mine Lake

I was really surprised with this one. For a long time I've been meaning to explore Harriman State Park. The thing about Harriman though is that it is huge. The second largest state park in NY to be exact. With over 200 miles of trails, 31 lakes and reservoirs, an array of camping sites, boat launches, scenic lookouts, and more, it's a lot to pick out one spot to check out.

The Lake

Neglect

I know I have been failing to update this blog. Honestly, there is no excuse. True, I haven't been adventuring into the woods as often as I'd like, but I have been sitting on pictures for quite some time now. Granted, these pictures are really low quality. I thought I might be able to make it back with my camera. Yet somehow a month has already passed.

 I had gone for a long drive one day to Devil's Tower in Alpine (NJ) and came across this neat little park in the woods across 9W and the PIP. By the way, if you are unfamiliar with Devil's Tower it's a supposedly haunted site. After following a simultaneously rocky and muddy path with several nice vantage points of the Hudson, we came across the remnants of what looked like a road and a few other structures. The most impressive one was this old manor.