Nature's Rest Resort and Buckingham Bogs and Ruins

Ben Ruset

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Stu's recent thread about the "Nudist Colony" in Whiting - the Nature's Rest Resort - got me really excited at the thought of finding some ruins. So, I packed up in the new Jeep (what's that, another new Jeep?) and went to explore.

First, the new Jeep. After being stranded too many times with my somewhat recently purchased Grand Cherokee, I bit the bullet and bought a 2008 Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon. Those who have known me for a while may remember my 2004 Rubicon, also in yellow.

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Anyway, the directions in the blog post that Stu linked to got me right to the ruins. You can take 539 to Harry Wright Blvd, and make a left onto Newark Ave. Follow that to the end, park, and walk in. There are runs all over the place.

According to the article, the hotel burned down in the 1960's. Judging from the materials scattered around, that seems about right. It's mostly cinder block, with a bit of sandstone here and there.

There were a number of these small foundations. They might have been for outhouses:

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The area seems closed to vehicles, but it seems like ATV's ride around the area. Sorry, Russ.

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I think this is one of the walls of the hotel:

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One of the walls leads off into this swamp:

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Doctor's Pond:

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Maybe this was part of the pump house?

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Non-Native Trees:

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The "orchard:"

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Like I said, just about everywhere you go there are ruins to be found. You can see my entire gallery here.

Next I decided to take a trip up around Buckingham to look at an abandoned bog. It's really small but it shows up on the topo map. It's been long abandoned, and isn't too wet. I was wearing sneakers, though, and didn't want to ruin them so I didn't venture too far in. It seems like the bog has been taken over by other plants -- maybe blueberry bushes?

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Then I drove up the road a bit more to check out some ruins that I saw a few years ago. Along the way I passed several stands of pines that clearly had been cut and then replanted in a straight row. The aerial photos in USAPhotoMaps shows those areas to be fields, so it was somewhat recently. I wonder if there's a sawmill base around there? It was most evident around here.

Here's the ruins, farther up the road. This may have been a sawmill at one time too:

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And then right nearby is the ruins of what most likely was a gun club. It looks like it was a large building that burnt down. I explored here a few years ago but the flies were so bad I had to run back to my Jeep. Today was nice -- no flies, chiggers, or ticks.

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They had a "shed" or trailer at one point in time too:

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ICANOE2

Explorer
Sep 30, 2007
141
1
52
Browns Mills
Very nice pics and report! You waste no time. LOL
I may end up doing the same thing with my recently purchased Chevy S-10 if it keeps dieing.......Mike
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Wow, Ben. Nice looking Rubicon! I'm suprised I didn't see you because I was exploring other abandoned bogs right near there. I tried to upload pic's last night, failing twice. I'll try again later. I've been to all these areas and that shed or trailer is actually a box from a Heinekin beer truck. :
SH100786.JPG
 

MuckSavage

Explorer
Apr 1, 2005
597
218
56
Turnersville
Nice!

Nice Jeep! -best of luck with it. (you know I'm a sucker for any Jeep)

And, as always.....great report & pictures! Thank You for sharing.
 

Ben Ruset

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Wow, Ben. Nice looking Rubicon! I'm suprised I didn't see you because I was exploring other abandoned bogs right near there. I tried to upload pic's last night, failing twice. I'll try again later. I've been to all these areas and that shed or trailer is actually a box from a Heinekin beer truck.

Is the large bog system West of Buckingham abandoned?

http://www.topozone.com/map.asp?lat=39.922&lon=-74.46873&size=l&u=4&datum=nad83&layer=DRG

I was meaning to check it out but it was starting to get late.
 

Ben Ruset

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See my post. I wish I would have known you were going! I sure don't think you wanna scratch that pretty yellow thing just yet. Thats why I love my 81 GMC. No worrys.
Tom

It's going to happen anyway so why hold off the inevitable?

That's why I got it in yellow. The scratches don't really show. Plus the Rubicon gets thicker paint. The only thing that really takes a beating are the plastic windows in the back. They've got some scratches in them now.
 

whitingrider

Explorer
Jun 28, 2007
193
0
Whiting
Ben, I know, but I remember the first time I scratched the crap out of my black 2006 Duramax Silverado. The sound goes right through you. The worst part was I startesd out on a nice wide trail and it gradually funneled down to a goat trail and there was nowhere to turn around. I was pissed!
Tom
 

LARGO

Piney
Sep 7, 2005
1,552
132
53
Pestletown
Very nice purchase Ben, best of luck. Jeeps is fun! You do have the proper car seat for your little one right?
Scratches are something I don't sweat too much on my S10, although I don't go out of my way to get into really tight spaces. Besides, Rust does wonders to detract the eye from scratches.
(On the whole, the king of scratched vehicles must be Bob)

Ben,
I ask, in looking at your photoes, which features best gave you an indicator that the one location may have been a sawmill? Did I miss something?


g.
 

Ben Ruset

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Very nice purchase Ben, best of luck. Jeeps is fun! You do have the proper car seat for your little one right?
Scratches are something I don't sweat too much on my S10, although I don't go out of my way to get into really tight spaces. Besides, Rust does wonders to detract the eye from scratches.
(On the whole, the king of scratched vehicles must be Bob)

Ben,
I ask, in looking at your photoes, which features best gave you an indicator that the one location may have been a sawmill? Did I miss something?


g.

I have a nice Eddie Baurer forward facing carseat in the back.

What led me to think that there might have been a sawmill there were rows and rows of pines planted in straight lines. I was thinking that they might have clearcut the area and then replanted trees to replace the ones they cut.
 

MarkBNJ

Piney
Jun 17, 2007
1,875
73
Long Valley, NJ
www.markbetz.net
I remember the first time I scratched the crap out of my black 2006 Duramax Silverado. The sound goes right through you.

Buying black is like saying "I like to beat myself with a chain for fun." ;)

Anyway, anything that won't catch a fingernail will rub out with enough work (or money!) if you decide to sell and want to clean it up. Most brush scratches aren't permanent.

Good advice on the lighter colors, though, if you want it to look as good as possible between compoundings.

Sweet-looking Rubi, Ben. Jeep Wrangler is one of the few mid-sized 4x4s that really look good in yellow. The FJ yellow screams too much, and the XTerra yellow is just a little... blah. But then it is painted on the XTerra body, so it had a handicap from the get-go.
 

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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Glad to see you have the vehicle you seem to really want to own. I can tell the others were just "transportation" in your mind. I wish you well with it.

Guy
 

Ben Ruset

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Glad to see you have the vehicle you seem to really want to own. I can tell the others were just "transportation" in your mind. I wish you well with it.

Guy

Well, truth be told, the Grand Cherokee was okay, but it left me stranded a few times, and there were all sorts of crazy electrical issues. I would have rather been in a stronger financial position when I went to buy the Rubicon. But I need to be able to get to work every day...
 

woodjin

Piney
Nov 8, 2004
4,338
326
Near Mt. Misery
Nice ride Ben!! Nice report also. Wow, you really wasted no time in getting out there huh? I will have to check this area out. Looks very interesting from the pics. This doctor's pond looks very enticing as well. From the pics the water looks very clear. Much like cedar creek or the coopers branch. Very nice.

Jeff
 
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