Park 8: Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area: New Jersey

6/14/12. We had a whole day to devote to visiting parks so we chose Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area since it would take about an hour and a half to get there. We had a lovely drive and found the Kittatiny Point Visitor Center with no problem.

One of the harder parts of the trail

We picked up a map of the park and got our cancellation stamp, then asked the ranger for advice on visiting the park since there is so much to do. He suggested that we might like to hike to the top of Mount Tammany, which consisted of a difficult trail of one mile up and an easy trail of three miles back down. He said there were the best views of the park from the top. It sounded like a great idea so we headed back to the car to get our water. We couldn't find the start of the trail so we asked another ranger who was walking by. It turned out it was across the highway and we had to drive to it.

We finally found the entrance to the trail and headed up. Within a short while we realized how hard this trail really was! We had to stop every few minutes to catch our breath, and the path was very rocky. Catherine had on Vibram five finger shoes and Muriel had on brand-new thin-soled sneakers. These were very comfortable to wear because they were light-weight, but horrible shoes for hiking because of the rocks. You can tell we are novices!!

View of the park from close to the top of the mountain trail

It took us about an hour or so to reach the part of the mountain with spectacular views of the valley and mountain range. We stopped to take photos and a quick break, then kept moving up. It seemed like we hiked and hiked and hiked forever. Every time we thought we were at the top, we encountered another steep trek up higher. By the time we got to the top, we were tired, but very happy we made it!

We started the "easy" trail down the mountain, which we both thought was actually as hard as the trail going up because it was solid rocks that shifted under our feet. By this point, our muscles were so tired we were a bit shaky and had trouble keeping our balance. Along the way, we passed a few small groups of people looking very perky - we smiled thinking that they didn't know what they were in for!

We finally made it almost to the end of the trail, where it joined Dunnfield Creek. This area was incredibly beautiful - just like a view in the movies, with the creek alongside the trail, tall trees overhead and a feeling of being completely removed from the rest of the world.

We reached the end and stumbled to the car to relax for a while. We had tremendous satisfaction that we made it the whole way. After a rest, we got out the map and decided to drive up to Millbrook Village.

The park road wound around the peaks, and at times it was only one lane. We went for miles and miles - and were suprised at how huge the park is and we were only in a small part of it so far! We finally reached Millbrook Village, but it was closed. We toured the area and peeked in the buildings, then drove farther north int the park. It started getting late, so we decided we'd have to save the rest of the park for other days. There is enough to see here for at least a couple more days of visits!

Park 2 (b): Gateway National Recreation Area Marathon, New York

6/7/12. Today we set out to see how many park areas we could visit in one day. We had the whole day set aside and left early in the morning for Staten Island to visit their part of Gateway National Recreation Area.

We arrived at Ford Wadsworth Vistor Center, excited that we found it easily. We parked and walked up to the Center to find it was closed. We had never even checked the operating hours - a rookie mistake for visiting National Parks!

Great Kills Park

Great Kills Beach

We were not deterred, however, and quickly found a map of the rest of the Staten Island unit online. We headed off for Great Kills Park and found a parking spot. We walked down along a path toward the water and discovered a beautiful beach - much like Sandy Hook, unsurprisingly. You can tell the geography of the Gateway areas is all similar. We spent a little time enjoying the beautiful spring day and then headed over to find the ranger station to get our cancellation stamp.

The ranger was in a meeting and there was a volunteer at the desk. He didn't know anything about the stamps so we explained them to him and asked him to check the desk drawers. He was delighted when he found the stamp and ink pad. This gave us a great opportunity to chat for a while.

Miller Field

Hangers at Miller Field

Miller Field Recreation Area

We headed north to Miller Field, another section of Gateway on Staten Island. Miller Field was an army airfield during 1919-1921. There were still some airfield buildings and runways so you could feel a bit of the history. Mostly, it has been converted into a lovely recreation area.

We stopped at the ranger station to find a volunteer at the desk who happily helped us with stamps. She recommended that we visit the quilt exhibit at Fort Wadsworth and that lead to a wonderful discussion about quilting, crafts, and craft materials. We must have stayed there chatting for at least 20 minutes - the highlight of our time at Miller Field! The best park of our park travels so far has been the people we've met.

Building at Fort Tilden

Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse

We left Staten Island and headed east over the Verrazano Bridge to Fort Tilden. We expected this to be similar to the fort at Sandy Hook, but there was very little to actual visit - just a few buildings. While we were driving around the fort, we ran into a ranger who offered to help us - turns out it was the same ranger who helped us last week at Floyd Bennett Field! He directed us to Riis Park.

Riis Park - Breezy Point

Satellite Photo of Riis Park and the Gateway Area in Brooklyn

We arrived at Riis Park, paid to park (a rarity in this area) and went to visit the Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse. We were fascinated with the construction of the building and imagining what it was like when it was built in the 1930's. We ran into some crazy ladies doing art projects for kids, and a wonderful ranger who spent a great deal of time explaining the history of the park and showing us the geographic changes over the years on a huge satellite image. Once again, our chat with the ranger was the best part of the visit! We also realized that we had already gotten this stamp for Breezy Point when we visited Floyd Bennett Field.

Catherine at the Boardwalk in front of Riis Park Bathhouse

Clock at Riis Park

Muriel at Riis Park Beach

We sat outside on the boardwalk in front of the bathhouse, enjoying the beach and perfect weather, eating some snacks, and studying the fascinating exterior of the building.

Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Since there was still some time in the day, we headed northeast to Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge. After getting a special "permit" to visit the park, we studied the map and headed out for one of the trails. We walked and walked and walked, and finally noticed that we were still close to the highway, and not curving around the bay. We got out one of our dying phones and quickly checked Google maps to find that we were walking on the fire break and not one of the trails! We walked and walked and walked back, exhausted, and found the proper trail.

View of Salt Marshes at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

We walked out to the edge of the reserve and were treated to a beautiful view of Jamaica Bay. We were suprised by all the cacti growing along the trail. The birds were plentiful and the salt marsh was quite a unique habitat. We were glad our stamina held out long enough for us to experience this park.

We finally left the park and by this point we were starving. We stopped for something to eat along the highway and watched an MTA bus driver get in trouble for parking his bus on the street to grab a coffee at Dunkin Donuts! As the sun was setting, we headed back to New Jersey, thrilled to have experienced so much in one day!

Cacti along Path at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge

Park 7: Edison National Historic Site, New Jersey

6/2/12. What a special day this turned out to be! We had planned on various other days to visit the Edison site since it is the closest National Park unit to our home, but it's got limited hours, especially for tours. We knew it would be open today since it was a Saturday, but when we arrived, there were streams of people, a park ranger in the parking lot guiding people and various special signs up. It turns out it was Edison Day - a once-a-year celebration that we just stumbled upon!

Organ inside Glenmont Estate

We chatted with the park ranger who convinced us to tour Edison's home, Glenmont Estate, first. A shuttle bus took us up the hill to the property entrance. We got a ticket for the next tour and quickly jogged over to the house as the tour was starting. The house was fantastic! Lots of crazy artifacts, but the architecture really captivated us. It was easy to imagine living in the home during that time period, and we learned a lot about Edison as a person and family-man.

After the tour, we walked around the outside of the house and discovered a guided walking tour that you could do by calling a number on your cellphone and entering the corresponding number code for that particular site. We learned a lot more about the architecture and grounds. Then we headed over to the greenhouse where there was a little gift shop. We got our cancellation stamps and bought some Victorian books and patterns before walking through the greenhouse.

Movie Projector in the living room of Glenmont Estate

Next we caught the shuttle back to the main site where Edison's laboratory was located. This is preserved as if all the workers just left for the day! We spent a great deal of time looking at all the rooms and details and imagining the operations at work. The feel of the place not only takes you back in time, but it gives you a deeper understanding of how Edison thought and must have worked. It's one of the best historical preservations we've seen so far.

Outside Glenmont Estate

Because it was a special celebration, there was a band playing, which was being recorded on one of Edison's wax cylinders. There were other activities for children, like dressing up in period costume. We stopped at the visitor center and watched a film about Edison, and visited the archives. The whole site is quite large, with many of the "factory" buildings that are adjacent to the laboratory still standing, but in dilapidated condition.

The National Park Service website has a marvelous collection of photos and sound recordings from Edison's time period. Here are a few examples:

Instructor teaching worker at Edison Plant,1919

This was a wonderful trip and we were so impressed we will be recommending this to others!!