Trip #6: Pigeon Swamp State Park...or lack thereof

Yesterday after work, I stopped by Pigeon Swamp State Park, since it was a very short drive from work. I had some difficulty finding information on the park on the internet, however, which had me concerned. Wikipedia told me that it was an undeveloped state park, in the sense that there were no trails, offices, or parking lots. The closest thing to a parking lot was a small dirt area off the side of the road.

I was incredibly apprehensive when I started walking around. With gray clouds creating the scene, I felt like an intruder as I explored the area. It was surprisingly peaceful, with only birds chirping and the rustling of leaves breaking the silence. There were two swampy ponds (for lack of a better word) on both sides of me, with the one of the left being significantly bigger. I walked around the bigger one, and started to worry as I thought I saw something move in the corner of my eye. I kept telling myself it was only bird, maybe a wild turkey at best, but the more I lingered in the area, the more concerned I became that I was alone in the pseudo-wilderness. I spent a good twenty minutes there before I turned back to go to my car. Besides a few flowers here and there, there wasn't much to see anyway. There was only a limited amount of land available for walking. It must have been cleared by people living nearby (since there two houses in the proximity of the area.)

I then decided to keep driving to see if I could find a more appropriate entrance. I found another pull-off area, but it was gated before an entrance to a lake. The gate was fronted with a "No trespassing" sign. I was quite tempted to slip through a narrow vertical space in the gate (since I'm small enough), but I decided not to push my luck, and took a zoomed-in picture instead. The sign made me quite sad, considering that there were no legal entrances to walk along the lake. My first thought was if this was a dumpsite and the water was toxic. Though the verdict is still out on that one, I found out that the area is used by a sand company. In addition to the number of cranes and other heavy equipment, I finally gave up hope that this was a legitimate state park. My conclusion is that it's a state park in the sense that the state owns it, but that it's pointless to make it anything worthwhile since the lake is closed off. I guess that's what happens when a park shares a border with the NJ Turnpike.

What a sad day. The only thing that left me on a slightly more uplifted note was hearing the giddy chatter of tiny birds in trees near the lake. At least birds have a haven here. Though there may not be any pigeons left, their name is left in a place for other birds to flourish.

The pictures begin at number 129 of this album:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.10150201830295260.347029.753450259&l=b5e2af666b

Trip #5: Rutgers Gardens

The first trip to a NJ garden occurred on Thursday as a birthday outing for myself. I was accompanied by a few friends as I walked around Rutgers Gardens. (A full Rutgers education, and it takes until I've graduated before I finally made it out to the gardens.)

Though still early in the blooming season, I'm glad I made it out when I did. The Cherry Blossoms and Magnolias have been blooming along with a few other trees, and they look absolutely gorgeous covered in flowers. Seeing the dark bark brightened by pink and white flowers created a beautiful contrast. Daffodils and forsythia have awakened from their winter slumber, much to my pleasure. It also seemed like robins were soaring left and right around the gardens. I'm sure they enjoyed the aftermath of the rainy weather from Tuesday and Wednesday- what a feast!

As I mentioned, the blooming season is still in its early stages, but I'm looking forward to seeing a vast array of flowers beginning to perk up!

Here's a link to the pictures:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?fbid=10150222782120260&id=753450259&aid=350572&l=f8d87777f5

Trip #4: Cheesequake State Park

Saturday could not have been a more perfect day for a hike. Sunny skies, cool Spring air, and rising temperatures created the perfect scene. 

A group of friends and I drove to Cheesequake State Park and began our hike around 11:30 A.M. There are trails with estimated times of hiking completion, and we decided to go for the 90-minute green trail, followed by the 30-minute yellow trail. 

This hike was much more demanding than my previous hikes, due to the number of inclines and stairways. I must say, though, that I found the walk more enjoyable because of it. As usual, I stopped a number of times to take pictures, but for those who might not be ready for such a hike, there were occasional benches along the way.

Hooks Creek Lake was unusually blue and green, depending on how the sunlight reflected on the water. It seems like a fun place to go swimming in the summer, though it is quite a small lake. I imagine the water temperature would be quite warm.

I apologize that this post is written with such brevity. There just doesn't seem to be enough time in the day. But at the same time, I'm not wasting a moment in my life, and that's something to be very happy about.

If you'd like to see pictures from Saturday, they are the second half of the album:

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=347029&id=753450259&l=b5e2af666b

Trip #3: Parvin State Park

Today was an enjoyable, sunny day at Parvin State Park, located in Pittsgrove in southern New Jersey. My mom accompanied me today and we enjoyed a brisk two-hour walk around the lake. There is one main trail that circles Parvin Lake, and then there are a few other trails that are further in the woods. We walked on the green trail, but our stay could have been extended if we walked the other trails that branched off.

We parked at the main entrance on Almond Road, where the office is located. Among having brochures for Parvin State Park, there were also plenty of brochures for other places in New Jersey and the nearby states. There was a small beach area we could walk around, but I assume once the summer season begins, a fee will be charged to enter.

We commenced our trail walk right outside the office. The leaves haven't bloomed yet, but I did find some purple flowers growing off the side of the path. It also appeared that red buds were sprouting in the dirt. On the animal side of things, I saw a spotted, orange butterfly and purple moth/butterfly. I was startled when I saw (what I assumed to be) a cardinal fly across the trail and hide among a group of trees. Unfortunately, she moved too quickly to snap a picture of her. However, I was able to get a few pictures of a small, round bird up in the trees, as spastic as he was up there. And speaking of trees, a number of them had either fallen down, grown sideways, or fallen sideways. I found this natural art to make the trail more scenic, especially the branch that looked like a duck's head!

We later came across a campground area next to the lake, where we could sit and look out onto the water. There were two geese and a mallard duck nearby, and a group of geese floating off in the distance. As the group started to swim closer to us, the two geese nearby began to fly out and chase the other geese away, as if they were protecting their territory. When the two geese returned, my mom suggested that they were on their honeymoon and simply wanted some privacy.

As we crossed one of several bridges, we saw a man with a fishing net. He was looking for something to add to his pond, and already caught a turtle. I asked if I could take a picture of the little guy, and upon looking at his shell, it appeared that an animal had tried to eat him. I looked in the water to see if I could find anything, and saw his buddy, safely basking in the sun on a rock. (He was too far in the water for the man to pick him up.) 

As a general summary for Parvin State Park, it's a great place to walk your dog, go for an easy hike, go for a trail jog, camp with some friends, or go for a swim. This probably isn't a park I would return to for hiking. A woman told me it gets pretty packed in the summertime, and a crowded trail is no fun. It's nice to hear the trickle of water falling along rocks in a stream, or the birds chirping in trees without the sound of kids yelling and people talking.

Here is the link to the pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=347029&id=753450259&l=b5e2af666b

Two State Parks, One Wildlife Refuge down.

Next weekend: Cheesequake State Park with a group of friends.

What an April Fool's Joke!

Snow falling on April 1.

Oh Mother Nature- I didn't know whether to applaud or call you a cruel prankster.

So I did both.