All,
I spent the day Saturday in the pines with BobM and we explored the pines in the Forked River Mountain and surrounding area, and visited quite a few interesting places. The first area we explored was the Union Clay and Greenwich Forest area where we searched out the highest places in South Jersey using maps and my GPS.
My GPS has proven to read 5 feet short of Ben's GPS and the maps of the area, so the highest reading we had was 209 feet. The maps claim SJ reaches 218 feet, and we certainly walked over it even though my GPS said differently.
On he way back to our vehicle we walked through a trashed out party area where we found and retrieved a knife that would have made Rambo jealous. It has a ruler on the blade.
From there we crossed over 539 and after riding for a short while, and walking through the woods, we arrived at one of Bob's favorite remote small lakes. I have to say it was a really nice area, one that I would like to visit again.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/6.jpg
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/4.jpg
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/3.jpg
A short distance down the road we stopped at an area in the woods where Bob mentioned a bulldozer while fighting a fire had filled in a stream to be able to cross it. Nature had found a route around the road but it is not the same. Portions of the original stream has dried up.
Notice the route of the water in this photo.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/1.jpg
While there we heard the call of the Pine Barrens Tree frog and we set out to photograph one. Bob has a quite good imitating call that actually was getting response from the elusive frogs. We were able to close in on one in a very small particular area but unfortunately we could not find it. We left the immediate area a few times and Bob repeated the call with good results, but we returned time and time again without finding it.
From there we traveled to my camp at Forked River Mountains. We parked on the road where we turned around on our first outing out that way, and Bob ran into one of the puddles try to catch a massive frog. They are fast! We then walked up to camp and we explored the woods around it. Bob had noticed on the way up the mountain a small clearing and we visited it on the way back. Hunters had been feeding corn to deer and had two really nice stands in the trees. Bob climbed one and I the other, and we each photographed one another in them. Sorry... I won't post the ones of him.
From there we traveled to the sand company along the the road that originally was the Tuckerton Railroad.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/5.jpg
Returning on this road we stopped and searched through the woods for foundations of buildings that may have been part of a bombing range in that area.
Next we again crossed over 539 and visited a recently planted rye field. The deer were there when we arrived but abruptly left.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/2.jpg
Our second from last stop was again in another field made for deer where we visited a small lake on the perimeter. Roaming through the woods we found evidence of previous human habitation, and more terra cotta pipe than I have viewed anywhere in the pines. There was evidence of a long ago road that possibly may have been used to transport this pipe from either Pasadena or Union Clay Works. Certainly just a guess!
Bob then found what he believes to be a plant that he and others that he knows have never found and photographed before. Through out the day our batteries had been slowly deteriorating. Even though between us we had about 16 batteries, as I took my photo of the plant my camera shut down without us having a good battery between us. So I can't post one for you to see.
Our last stop was the USGS gaging station at the Webbs Mill Branch near 539.
I must have left something out because we did so much, but all in all a great day!
Guy
I spent the day Saturday in the pines with BobM and we explored the pines in the Forked River Mountain and surrounding area, and visited quite a few interesting places. The first area we explored was the Union Clay and Greenwich Forest area where we searched out the highest places in South Jersey using maps and my GPS.
My GPS has proven to read 5 feet short of Ben's GPS and the maps of the area, so the highest reading we had was 209 feet. The maps claim SJ reaches 218 feet, and we certainly walked over it even though my GPS said differently.
On he way back to our vehicle we walked through a trashed out party area where we found and retrieved a knife that would have made Rambo jealous. It has a ruler on the blade.
From there we crossed over 539 and after riding for a short while, and walking through the woods, we arrived at one of Bob's favorite remote small lakes. I have to say it was a really nice area, one that I would like to visit again.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/6.jpg
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/4.jpg
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/3.jpg
A short distance down the road we stopped at an area in the woods where Bob mentioned a bulldozer while fighting a fire had filled in a stream to be able to cross it. Nature had found a route around the road but it is not the same. Portions of the original stream has dried up.
Notice the route of the water in this photo.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/1.jpg
While there we heard the call of the Pine Barrens Tree frog and we set out to photograph one. Bob has a quite good imitating call that actually was getting response from the elusive frogs. We were able to close in on one in a very small particular area but unfortunately we could not find it. We left the immediate area a few times and Bob repeated the call with good results, but we returned time and time again without finding it.
From there we traveled to my camp at Forked River Mountains. We parked on the road where we turned around on our first outing out that way, and Bob ran into one of the puddles try to catch a massive frog. They are fast! We then walked up to camp and we explored the woods around it. Bob had noticed on the way up the mountain a small clearing and we visited it on the way back. Hunters had been feeding corn to deer and had two really nice stands in the trees. Bob climbed one and I the other, and we each photographed one another in them. Sorry... I won't post the ones of him.
From there we traveled to the sand company along the the road that originally was the Tuckerton Railroad.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/5.jpg
Returning on this road we stopped and searched through the woods for foundations of buildings that may have been part of a bombing range in that area.
Next we again crossed over 539 and visited a recently planted rye field. The deer were there when we arrived but abruptly left.
http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/outing/2.jpg
Our second from last stop was again in another field made for deer where we visited a small lake on the perimeter. Roaming through the woods we found evidence of previous human habitation, and more terra cotta pipe than I have viewed anywhere in the pines. There was evidence of a long ago road that possibly may have been used to transport this pipe from either Pasadena or Union Clay Works. Certainly just a guess!
Bob then found what he believes to be a plant that he and others that he knows have never found and photographed before. Through out the day our batteries had been slowly deteriorating. Even though between us we had about 16 batteries, as I took my photo of the plant my camera shut down without us having a good battery between us. So I can't post one for you to see.
Our last stop was the USGS gaging station at the Webbs Mill Branch near 539.
I must have left something out because we did so much, but all in all a great day!
Guy
