Hey everyone. I'm working right now :jeffd: but I should be down in Colliers Mills around 2:00 or so. I'll be exploring the area between Reed Road and Veteran's Highway. There are a couple of interesting looking abandoned bogs that I want to check out. Anyone been in that area before?
Head out to Colliers Mills this afternoon / Colliers Mills North 5-12-07
- Thread starter Badfish740
- Start date
Colliers Mills North 5-12-07
I set out from work today to explore the area north of Route 528 which is another massive expanse of Colliers Mills. It was a little cloudy as I was coming south on Route 539 but as I left Wawa the sun came out and "In the Pines" by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys (Gotta love Sirius Bluegrass) came on, so I took it as a good omen.
I didn't see nearly as much as I had hoped due to the fact that I basically looked at Google earth and tried to map out a route. I went in with written directions, no map, no compass, and no GPS. I really really really need one! I entered off of a main road heading towards some abandoned bogs, some which are relatively large. At first I was amazed at the LACK of trash as I passed through some of the areas of the WMA with residences nearby, but I eventually realized that people are simply going deeper in the woods to dump.
Of course as soon as I got back far enough I encountered a father and son riding quads who both gave me a look as if to say "What are you doing here?" I just waved and drove on. The road I took eventually led to this gem:
Abandoned Bog
Beautiful View
Flood Control?
I continued on down some "roads" which weren't maintained well at all. Some even had large berms going around curves-I should have snapped some pictures. Anyway, I eventually came to this interesting clearing:
Sugar Sand
Does anyone know what causes a clearing to occur like this in the middle of dense forest? Could this have been a old charcoal making site? It is called "Colliers" Mills for something. Of course I found two ugly dumped piles in this otherwise lovely place. Finally, I figured it was a good photo op for the new truck:
Pines Explorer
This neat little swamp was right next to the road so I stopped and snapped a pic. I think it's part of a larger abandoned bog, but being navigationally impaired I couldn't really tell without bushwhacking:
Swamp
The trouble started when I got totally disoriented and ended up out on Reed Road. Frustrated, I turned around and decided I'd take one of the "roads less traveled" thinking that maybe I'd find something interesting. Well I couldn't have been more wrong.
Way Too Narrow
As a got further and further and the scraping noises got more and more grotesque I thought "I really need to get out of here," but I couldn't. Eventually I tried fitting between two trees that God never meant an F-350 to fit between. A sickening thud/scrape, a gasp, and much cursing later, I saw this:
Ugly
Good thing I have a buddy that does auto body work. Anyway, I eventually found absolutely nothing of interest besides a rickety homemade bridge over a stream that I didn't have time to really check out since I had spent so much time driving a 1/2 mile per hour down the trail and back again. Next time I'll leave my truck on the main road and check out the trail on foot. WITH A HANDHELD GPS!!!
I headed out west on Reed Road to Route 539 and called it a day. The interesting thing I noticed especially in the area of Reed Road is that it's an area where the pines and the "rest" of New Jersey really meet. It's almost a hybrid when you look at the composition of the soil (gravely and somewhat dark yet sandy) and the flora of the area. Just something I found worth noticing. All in all it was a good day, despite the fact that I put a dent in the truck after having owned it a mere 3 months. Anyway, since I've got all this other "important" stuff like a house to save for :rofl: would anyone WITH a GPS like to do a Colliers Mills North hike one of these days?
I set out from work today to explore the area north of Route 528 which is another massive expanse of Colliers Mills. It was a little cloudy as I was coming south on Route 539 but as I left Wawa the sun came out and "In the Pines" by Bill Monroe and the Bluegrass Boys (Gotta love Sirius Bluegrass) came on, so I took it as a good omen.
I didn't see nearly as much as I had hoped due to the fact that I basically looked at Google earth and tried to map out a route. I went in with written directions, no map, no compass, and no GPS. I really really really need one! I entered off of a main road heading towards some abandoned bogs, some which are relatively large. At first I was amazed at the LACK of trash as I passed through some of the areas of the WMA with residences nearby, but I eventually realized that people are simply going deeper in the woods to dump.
Of course as soon as I got back far enough I encountered a father and son riding quads who both gave me a look as if to say "What are you doing here?" I just waved and drove on. The road I took eventually led to this gem:
Abandoned Bog
Beautiful View
Flood Control?
I continued on down some "roads" which weren't maintained well at all. Some even had large berms going around curves-I should have snapped some pictures. Anyway, I eventually came to this interesting clearing:
Sugar Sand
Does anyone know what causes a clearing to occur like this in the middle of dense forest? Could this have been a old charcoal making site? It is called "Colliers" Mills for something. Of course I found two ugly dumped piles in this otherwise lovely place. Finally, I figured it was a good photo op for the new truck:
Pines Explorer
This neat little swamp was right next to the road so I stopped and snapped a pic. I think it's part of a larger abandoned bog, but being navigationally impaired I couldn't really tell without bushwhacking:
Swamp
The trouble started when I got totally disoriented and ended up out on Reed Road. Frustrated, I turned around and decided I'd take one of the "roads less traveled" thinking that maybe I'd find something interesting. Well I couldn't have been more wrong.
Way Too Narrow
As a got further and further and the scraping noises got more and more grotesque I thought "I really need to get out of here," but I couldn't. Eventually I tried fitting between two trees that God never meant an F-350 to fit between. A sickening thud/scrape, a gasp, and much cursing later, I saw this:
Ugly
Good thing I have a buddy that does auto body work. Anyway, I eventually found absolutely nothing of interest besides a rickety homemade bridge over a stream that I didn't have time to really check out since I had spent so much time driving a 1/2 mile per hour down the trail and back again. Next time I'll leave my truck on the main road and check out the trail on foot. WITH A HANDHELD GPS!!!
I headed out west on Reed Road to Route 539 and called it a day. The interesting thing I noticed especially in the area of Reed Road is that it's an area where the pines and the "rest" of New Jersey really meet. It's almost a hybrid when you look at the composition of the soil (gravely and somewhat dark yet sandy) and the flora of the area. Just something I found worth noticing. All in all it was a good day, despite the fact that I put a dent in the truck after having owned it a mere 3 months. Anyway, since I've got all this other "important" stuff like a house to save for :rofl: would anyone WITH a GPS like to do a Colliers Mills North hike one of these days?
Nice trip report! Sorry about the dent. Your idea to walk from now on is a good thought. You see so much more anyway.
You don’t have to worry about it in the truck, but those roads with the berms on the side have dented my car just below the drivers door twice.
A nice day for your adventure! Thanks for sharing it.
Guy
You don’t have to worry about it in the truck, but those roads with the berms on the side have dented my car just below the drivers door twice.
A nice day for your adventure! Thanks for sharing it.
Guy
Although it doesn't hide dents, the white paint does the best job of any color at hiding the woods stripes.
Did you experiment with your low range at all?
As you know, I have the 6 speed manual with the creeper in mine and in low range/creeper you have all 550 ftlbs of torque available at a speed of about 1.5 miles per hour.
Pretty handy for dragging buildings.
Two years ago I pulled a stuck pickup and his attached 24' boat on a trailer up the boat ramp at Port Norris Marina in low range creeper with my foot just resting on the go pedal.
You gotta love Rudolf Diesel.
Did you experiment with your low range at all?
As you know, I have the 6 speed manual with the creeper in mine and in low range/creeper you have all 550 ftlbs of torque available at a speed of about 1.5 miles per hour.
Pretty handy for dragging buildings.
Two years ago I pulled a stuck pickup and his attached 24' boat on a trailer up the boat ramp at Port Norris Marina in low range creeper with my foot just resting on the go pedal.
You gotta love Rudolf Diesel.
Nice report. It sounds like you had a great time, except for the minor damage. I do give you credit for taking that thing down those trails. I know how those trails have "beaten" my little Ford Ranger, so I can only imagine what you were feeling in the F350. I've resolved myself to the fact that I will get dings, dents and scratches.
I love Colliers Mills. Here's a trip report that I posted back in 2005.
Here are the pics from that day.
Edit: I merged your two threads.
Here are the pics from that day.
Edit: I merged your two threads.
Thanks for the sympathy fellas. The dent isn't too bad-the biggest one is in my pride :rofl: Anyway to answer Scott's question I haven't really had the chance to use low range other than to make sure it worked correctly after I bought the truck. There is a stump in the back yard that needs go though 
The one thing I will say is I am 110% happy with my purchase. I come from a big GM family (I even had 3 relatives who worked at the old Ewing plant) and despite the fact that I had owned foreign cars before my Dad teased me most about buying a Ford. From the Chevelle he raced in high school to the S10 pickup he drives now he's never had anything other than a Chevrolet save for his old FJ-40. The friendly rivalry is fun though. I still love Corvettes and Camaros and don't care for Mustangs, but when it comes to trucks I'll never buy anything other than a Ford again!
The one thing I will say is I am 110% happy with my purchase. I come from a big GM family (I even had 3 relatives who worked at the old Ewing plant) and despite the fact that I had owned foreign cars before my Dad teased me most about buying a Ford. From the Chevelle he raced in high school to the S10 pickup he drives now he's never had anything other than a Chevrolet save for his old FJ-40. The friendly rivalry is fun though. I still love Corvettes and Camaros and don't care for Mustangs, but when it comes to trucks I'll never buy anything other than a Ford again!