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

Kennedy Dells

Happy one year anniversary to this blog. Time flies. Let's celebrate by recounting my most recent experience at Kennedy Dells County Park.

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. 

GWB & Little Red Lighthouse

Simplicity a la Mount Ivy Environmental County Park

Mount Ivy Environmental County Park (hereafter, MIECP) is one of the most straight-forward parks I've been to in the NY area. The story goes that there used to be a rail line that rain through NY and NJ, but has since been abandoned and the rail bed is now a hiking trail. On a difficulty scale from 1-10, it was maybe a 2. The path was solid, generally wide enough to walk side-by-side with another person and was fairly flat.

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