For those of you who think New Jersey is all toll booths and rail yards, here are some photos I took today on the Sourland Mountain Preserve near my apartment. This is just one tiny section of the park. We didn’t make it to the ancient glacial deposit at the top of the mountain this time (lunch was calling), but next time I’m up there, I’ll grab some snap shots and post them.
In a zombie apocalypse, we’ll never want for something to eat in NJ. Geese are everywhere. Like, watch-your-step everywhere, if you know what I mean.
At the park’s lowest elevation:
At Sourland, you can explore in the shade:
Or in the sun:
In addition to this dude below, we also saw a huge beetle and a big bee writhing on the ground, locked in mortal combat, but they were too well camouflaged for a decent photo. Last week we shared part of a trail with a snake.
It’s hard to tell from the photo, but this trail is steep. Trust me, it’s a lot easier coming down.
The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy is evident throughout the park, especially at the top (to which we hiked last week). It had been a few years since I was up there, and half the trails were rerouted because of all the crisscrossing tree trunks.
The Sourland Ghost?
But in case you forget you are in New Jersey…
There’s the Manhattan skyline. The tall dude in the middle of the circle is the new Freedom Tower at Ground Zero.
Eric the Gray 