In 1984 we did not yet live here, outside of Egg Harbor City. We were still living up in western Morris County, near Warren, Hunterdon and Sussex Counties.
I came down to my grandparents' house in Barnegat for a weekend, by myself that year. I had been somewhat familiar with the Pine Barrens from visiting my grandparets all the time when I was a kid and from the trips there via the Parkway. Well one of the first things I did was to take a drive. I went out 554 and onto 72, into the Plains, which I thought were very cool. I drove down a dirt road (sand, but I didn't know it). About a mile in, I stopped at a "T" intersection and then started to go again, but my car immediately dug itself down to the frame in the soft sand. There were no tire tracks or ruts in the sand, so I didn't know it was sand. I walked back to 72 and saw a sign, which I had missed when I went in, which said "Forest Fire Service air attack base". That scared the crap out of me. I walked about a mile up 72 to a Gulf station I remembered seeing and had a tow truck pull me out of the sand.
My second experience was the next day. I headed down to Sweetwater to visit my cousins. I had some vague recollection of how to get there. I remember heading west on 542. I came to a sign which said "Bridge out 3.0 miles ahead". I thought it said 30 miles, not 3.0, so I continued on, but got to the bridge quickly. This is the Wading River Bridge. Actually I think I was on the opposite side of the bridge than what I thought I should have been. So I turned up what I now know to be Ridge Road, which is a dirt road, but I gave up on that and came back down it. I don't remember how, but somehow I got to a general store. I went in and said I was looking for Sweetwater. The man said "You're in it!". I don't know how I got there. I told him who I was going to visit and told him I was spending the weekend with my grandparents in Barnegat, and told him who they were. I mentioned my grandmother having been an elementary school teacher for 47 years, 30 of those years being in Barnegat. He said he had had my grandmother as his teacher one year in elementary school.
I got to my cousins' and we eventually did a little canoing on the Mullica. We got to see Pitcher Plants and Pink Lady's Slippers. So I had an interesting weekend. The following March we moved here.
Just thought you might find it a little interesting.
Barry
I came down to my grandparents' house in Barnegat for a weekend, by myself that year. I had been somewhat familiar with the Pine Barrens from visiting my grandparets all the time when I was a kid and from the trips there via the Parkway. Well one of the first things I did was to take a drive. I went out 554 and onto 72, into the Plains, which I thought were very cool. I drove down a dirt road (sand, but I didn't know it). About a mile in, I stopped at a "T" intersection and then started to go again, but my car immediately dug itself down to the frame in the soft sand. There were no tire tracks or ruts in the sand, so I didn't know it was sand. I walked back to 72 and saw a sign, which I had missed when I went in, which said "Forest Fire Service air attack base". That scared the crap out of me. I walked about a mile up 72 to a Gulf station I remembered seeing and had a tow truck pull me out of the sand.
My second experience was the next day. I headed down to Sweetwater to visit my cousins. I had some vague recollection of how to get there. I remember heading west on 542. I came to a sign which said "Bridge out 3.0 miles ahead". I thought it said 30 miles, not 3.0, so I continued on, but got to the bridge quickly. This is the Wading River Bridge. Actually I think I was on the opposite side of the bridge than what I thought I should have been. So I turned up what I now know to be Ridge Road, which is a dirt road, but I gave up on that and came back down it. I don't remember how, but somehow I got to a general store. I went in and said I was looking for Sweetwater. The man said "You're in it!". I don't know how I got there. I told him who I was going to visit and told him I was spending the weekend with my grandparents in Barnegat, and told him who they were. I mentioned my grandmother having been an elementary school teacher for 47 years, 30 of those years being in Barnegat. He said he had had my grandmother as his teacher one year in elementary school.
I got to my cousins' and we eventually did a little canoing on the Mullica. We got to see Pitcher Plants and Pink Lady's Slippers. So I had an interesting weekend. The following March we moved here.
Just thought you might find it a little interesting.
Barry