NJ Pine Barrens

  

      The New Jersey Pines, thats where I live. I am not a native to New Jersey. In fact I spent most of my adult life living in the city of Philadelphia, so things like the Jersey Devil, the pines, Piney power, and down the shore sounded like a foreign language to me. Now after 16 years of living in the Garden State I am beginning to understand the magic of all those titles, and why it is called The Garden State. 

Blueberry plants, in a Cranberry Bog Farm

Island Beach Park

     From  the farthest north to the deepest south this state offers a bounty of beauty. Theres the coast that changes mile after mile from wonderful stone structures to the softest white sand, the farms and farm land can be so magnificent to see, you can even see the Statue Of Liberty from Northern New jersey, and then there are the Pine Barrens. 
 At first glance many people dismiss the pines as just a bunch of pine trees. The NJ Pine Barrens is so much more. There are lakes, creeks, and swamps galore, the wild life includes Snowy Owls, fox, bear, and Eagles just to name a few. And yes there are a lot of pine trees, but not just pines, there are oaks, hollies, and Mountain  Laurel. All extremely beautiful. 

Pakim Pound

Trail around Pakim Pond

   For the most part the rangers let the forrest take care of itself, leaving fallen trees to decay back into the sandy soil, but they do regular burns to control forrest floor debris and the pines also benefit from the fire, the heat pops the pine cones spreading the seeds creating new trees. Ensuring that the pine lands will continue on.
  We have been living in the Pine Barrens now for 3 1/2 years, and exploring every inch we can. There are loads and loads of hiking trails through out the Pine Lands. as well as roads ( if you can call some of them roads). Bill and I do the driving tours, and my friend Jill and I do the hiking trails. I don't think we will ever run out of places to explore considering the Pine Lands occupy 22% of New Jerseys land area, and stretches over 7 counties.
    The Edwin B Forsythe Wildlife Refugee is one of the coolest places we have visited so far. We have gone more than once picking different times of the day, year, and we have yet to be disappointed. I have to say my most favorite visit was with Bill and Madeline. I love taking pictures with Maddie and she was the absolute photographer on this trip. Watching her was as satisfying as the bounty of birds we saw on the 8 mile car tour around the bay.

Ospray

  Some of the roads ( A term I use loosely ) have holes big enough to swallow a car. Most people that use those trails have jeeps, trucks, or SUV's. We have the SUV and it has 4 wheel drive. Never the less you can find me at times holding on for dear life. It is an amazing amount of fun to be driving around in all these different forests. You just never know what you're going to find. 

Pitcher Plant

Carranza Monument

 Abandoned RR tracks, unusual plants, boats with the water in them instead of under them, even a monument in the middle of what seems like nowhere.
  So much more to see and do. I can't wait for a free day to get back out there with my camera to see what I can see.

 Have a wonderful day.  Thanks for visiting my neighborhood. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I do.