Trip #11: Allaire State Park/Allaire Village

As I'm writing this, I'm listening to Appalachian music on Pandora. My feet are tapping along to the quick, fun beats of the banjo and violin. I have to admit- I never thought I'd be a fan of the banjo, but there's something about the sound that's addictive. I really don't like country music, but I love Bluegrass and Appalachian music. The melodies and instruments feel like they have a dimension that country music doesn't have. A silliness and happiness that lacks in popular country music. Country music feels more like singing about your feelings. Bluegrass and Appalachian music feel more like playing your soul in instrumental form. And for those super-fast melodies, it releases the insanity that lies within, and tells everyone else to join in on the party. (Show me someone who can sit through one of those songs without moving a single part of their body-I'll show you someone who has no spirit.)

Anywho, this tangent on music stems from my visit to the NJ State History Fair on Saturday at Allaire Village, located in Allaire State Park. (I was fortunate to know about this Fair because I saw an advertisement for it when I visited Princeton Battlefield State Park last weekend.) I drove down with a friend, and we explored what life was like in colonial times, and other time periods as well. My favorite part of the day was listening to two groups of people play music. A trio consisting of the banjo, violin and Appalachian Mountain Dulcimer played a few songs, and taught me a little about Appalachian Music. The other group played a song that I've heard before, but I didn't know who played it or what it was called. Though a very plain song, the lyrics were very entertaining: I couldn't help but giggle toward the end of the story.

Cannon demonstrations were carried out during the course of the day. No matter how far in the park you were, you could hear that old thing fire. I was fortunate enough to have a camera that could take multiple pictures in a second, and was able to record the progression of the cannon ball being fired (pictures 13-14, 15-16, and 17-26. For the first two firings, my hand jerked from the sound of the cannon. I was able to keep my finger steady on the camera for the third firing, which gives a nice ten-picture progression).

There were a number of tables set-up to describe various aspects of life back in the day, whether it was old war artifacts, dental hygiene, or the popular vehicles driven in the day. I don't know much about cars and engines, but boy, have vehicles evolved over a century. I can only imagine what another century of technology will advance them to (I'm still hoping for hovercrafts). Seeing a 1903 Oldsmobile was quite a sight. Especially from their idea of a convertible, which I imagine was more of a way to save on materials while being functional in the rain. One thing I'm sad I didn't ask was the gas mileage that these classics achieved.

There are a number of old buildings in Allaire Village, including a blacksmith shop where men were working as if it were the 1800's. There was a bakery were goods were made from scratch over a burning fire, and a house where a woman just finished making two apple pies over hot coals. In the same house was a marriage certificate centered in a hand-woven frame of yarn. I must admit, I think that was a cute idea, to display one's marriage certificate. It seems to imply both a sense of ownership of the house, and a sense of pride between two people. I'm probably completely wrong in looking at the reason for it being there, but I don't care: that's my rationale for its presence. Unfortunately, I found out after a couple pictures that photography is prohibited inside the buildings. I was given two reasons by two different people: (1) The state doesn't want people taking pictures and publicizing the buildings without their consent, and (2) People took pictures, and then came back to steal artifacts. Stupid people for taking advantage of a privilege.

There were a few animals on display, including a horse roaming a fenced-off area, and a demonstration of two horses plowing a field. A well-behaved chicken was perched on a fence, and a couple of sheep were on display to show how people used to cut off their wool. There was even a cute little lamb doing its own thing off to the side.

After seeing how dancing occurred in the 1800s, I must say- I'm glad it died out. It's very appropriate as a socialization mechanism, but doesn't seem very fun. Ballroom dancing looks like it's on a pedestal compared to this stuff. My opinion is that people were too concerned about how they appeared to let the music control their movements. Well, that, and the music they played at these social dances didn't feel fun to dance to. Play me some Appalachian or Bluegrass music and show me some people who aren't concerned about other people laughing at them, and we'll have one fun dance party.

Then there was the old, very slow locomotive doing its rounds around a small track. It was open for riding, but my friend and I didn't get around to that adventure. There was also a miniature-sized train track and electric trains buzzing around in their circles. Though significantly bigger than typical miniature trains, it had the same feel. My brother circa age ten would have loved this thing! What I loved nearby was the band organ right off the side of the locomotive tracks. It was a no-man band! I won't go into the mechanics of how it worked, but for the music-savvy, I suggest looking into it. It's not the kind of music you listen to on a regular basis, but it's worth it to hear it at least once.

Now, since most of the day was spent in Allaire Village, I figured I'd be cheating myself if I didn't take some time to go on a hike. So we went on the yellow trail, followed by the red trail. The yellow trail seemed non-existent at times, as it was a narrow dirt way through the Manasquan Floodplain. But walking deeper into the forest felt like I was transported to another world. It didn't just feel like walking through the woods in NJ, it felt like walking through the woods in another place or another time period. Everything seemed so raw. Though, I imagine the splendor may have stemmed largely in part to the vast amount and sheer size of all the skunk cabbage. It felt like I was either in giant world, or someone shrunk me!

After being able to make our way through the quiet wilderness, we embarked on the red trail. Not as impressive as the yellow trail, but abundant with more visible wildlife. There were three young boys fishing with their father. They were very impressive for being about ages 5-10- they caught "sunnies" left and right! Fortunately they released them back in the water, which was pleasant to know. One of the boys even showed us a bucket of the goodies they found- mostly tadpoles and tiny fish. In about two or three minutes time, he found at least five tadpoles. You could see the legs beginning to develop on one of the tadpoles. Didn't see any frogs, though, but the boys said they saw one or two. The father even offered to let me try to catch a fish, since I told him I had never fished before. Well, I had bad beginner's luck because after three times, no fish were hooked. Oh well. I can officially say I tried fishing. But I'm perfectly okay with the fact that I'm no good at it. Can't be good at everything the first time.

I was incredibly happy to see little goslings along the trail. I've seen so many geese in pairs over the last month or so, but finally, I was able to see their little joys. It's an interesting mechanism- how fuzzy and cute baby birds are. Then they grow up and aren't nearly as cute. Too bad. Such is one of the ways babies make their parents want to take of them: Their cuteness is simply overwhelming.

The final thing to point out on this journey was the spastic caterpillar we came across. It was blue on top, and purple on its underside. Something that shouts- "Don't eat me- you'll be sorry!" It moved like a fish flopping out of water combined with a snake who's too short to slither. He kept moving from a C to a reverse C position, but wasn't really moving anyway. It was very strange.

Yet another beautiful day to write into the books. Though I can tell summer is getting closer- my pale face was quite sun-kissed after spending hours in the sun. It's the time of the year when I need to invest in some sunscreen. I will not be a victim of skin cancer!

Here is a link to the pictures:
http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150241841700260.366972.753450259&l=e4e2f5f3b3