It was sunny and bright yesterday in the Garden State, temps in the upper 40's, and T finished with his to-do's:
Sign with the paving contractor do get our driveway re-paved, widened, and have Belgian block curbs installed: CHECK
Pick up daughter's car from Honda service CHECK
Go to Garden Center for Christmas Tree, wreaths, etc and help Mrs T decorate house CHECK
Go to Home Depot to pick up floodlights for the front lawn to illuminate the house CHECK
So, off I went. For once I decided to bring my camera, Although my photographic skills can't match those of others here, and my descriptions may be prosaic, I humbly offer this small token: A late fall Ride to the Jersey Shore: Sandy Hook / Gateway National Recreation Area. I took a quick ride there last weekend but didn't bring my camera along ( I did take one photo of me in front of an old Nike Missile with my cell phone; some of you may have seen that one.) According to the National Park Service website Sandy Hook is "a 2,044 acre barrier beach peninsula at the northern tip of the New Jersey shore. The park includes seven miles of ocean beaches, salt marshes, hiking trails and a maritime holly forest. Historic sites include the Sandy Hook Lighthouse, the oldest surviving lighthouse in the United States." I've been going to Sandy Hook in the summer since I was a little kid. It remains a popular destination in the off season. Yesterday I caught guys flying kites, a bunch of windsurfers, rollerbladers, dogs, people fishing, cyclists, bikers, and picnickers. Bear in mind the temperature never went above 50 F.
Here is a shot from Google Earth:
This ride was not one to challenge the rider or the machine. It was to be an escape back to the summer of 2006 (or maybe 1966 ?) even as I was preparing for the holidays. I hopped on the Garden State Parkway about 2 miles from my house in Cranford. It would only be 20 miles on the Parkway. The GSP is one of New Jersey's two main north-south highways. Where the Turnpike is a truckers' artery, replete with the sights made famous in the Sopranos' opening credits, the Parkway is well maintained, manicured, and in many places quite scenic. Joining with the NY State Thruway in north-central NJ, it turns seaward just south of Raritan Bay, following the coastline a few miles inland. Traffic was light and moving briskly. No sign of any Troopers in their usual hiding spots. The V1 remained silent, but the XM Radio was cranked to Channel 41 (the Boneyard). The ST was humming along in 5th gear. Time to test my newly installed Cee Bailey Euro windscreen. After the Raritan tolls I broke free of the pack and kicked it up to 6th gear. After getting off the GSP, I would have to put up with NJ Route 36 for 12 miles to the ocean. Typical of the NJ local state highways, it's dotted with strip malls, fast food joints, and other retail blight. Thankfully after a few miles I started to notice Tackle shops and boat dealers.....good news; we're nearing the sea. Upon sighting the "Entering Highlands" sign, I knew I was almost there. Highlands is the last town on the mainland before the drawbridge that connects it to the peninsula. The bridge spans the waterway where the Navesink River meets Sandy Hook Bay. In another minute I was heading north towards the end of the peninsula passing the entrance booths to the Park, they were all shrink-wrapped the way you see boats in the off-season.
Entrance to the National Park:
I pulled into one of the parking areas to take a close look at the beach. The Lifeguard station and restaurant at the pavilion were buckled up for the winter:
Some shots at the beach...
Looking north to NYC about 18 miles away:
Ships entering and leaving New York Harbor:
People having fun on the beach in December:
Another family having fun:
Something thing really cool...An old Nike missile battery. Several versions of these weapons were deployed by the US Army from 1954-1974 to take out incoming Soviet aircraft. Sandy Hook's strategic and isolated location made it an ideal site to defend New York. As a matter of fact, the Hook had fortifications on it since the early 1800's.'
Missile on launcher. Note the crew trailer next to it
Looking north from the missile site
And south:
Across the road from the Nike. I don't know if these were crew barracks:
This structure was located at the end of one of the beach access roads, just a few yards from the beach. It looks very substantial, probably an ammo bunker from when pre-WWII artillery batteries were placed here. Note the 1938 date:
It had a very robust facade, but notice the main part of the building. Almost like a Quonset hut:
Across the road from the ammo bunker:
What's left of the tracking radars for the Nike AA missiles:
Further up the road, getting closer to Fort Hancock, an old Army installation that is mostly abandoned but undergoing renovation. many of the older buildings are now occupied by various State and Federal agencies and educational institutions:
Entrance to Fort Hancock at the northern end of the peninsula:
The James J Howard New Jersey State Marine Laboratory:
Further north, and behind the dunes, the old Granger Battery circa 1897:
The Potter Battery used a different technology to move its guns and was obsoleted by Granger Battery:
Some of the old military housing has been restored and is being used as office space by various organizations and institutions. One of these is the offices of the Audobon Society of NJ.
I get to the northern most point in the park, get ready to shoot a pic of the historic lighthouse (oldest in the US) and..........&*%$%#*@!!! battery in my camera is dead.
You'll have to settle for a downloaded pic:
From Cyberlights.com:
It was designed and built in 1764 by Isaac Conro. The light was built to aid mariners entering the southern end of the New York harbor. It was originally called New York Lighthouse because it was funded through a New York Assembly lottery and a tax on all ships entering the Port of New York. Sandy Hook Light has endured the occupancy of British soldiers during the Revolutionary War and exposure to the elements on the end of Sandy Hook. The view of the New York skyline from the bridge crossing into the Hook illustrates the importance this light played in the history of New York harbor.
Glad I got this done early !
and
MERRY CHRISTMAS !
