The Lower Forge area revisited

Teegate

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Sep 17, 2002
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All,

Near Lower Forge last week with Ben, we stopped at a dry creek bed along the route we were traveling on, and Jessica wanted to revisit it again this weekend. I was able to drive my car almost all the way there, and we traveled on foot the rest of the way.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3863.jpg

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3844.jpg

Here is the exit and entrance to it.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3868.jpg


We hiked back to my car and headed to our second destination...Mannis Duck Pond. If you have never been there you should check it out.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3869.jpg

The dam there.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3878.jpg

There is a steel plate cemented into the dam that was placed there in 1962 by the builders of the dam. The letters are a bead of weld.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3880.jpg

So the question is what Gun Club has the initial LF in them. Since I do not have that answer I am going to make a guess at it. Tell me what you think?

LF stands for Lower Forge Gun Club. Was there a Lower Forge Gun Club....I have no idea? But, in 1962 maybe the two black dots on the Atsion Topo Map which are shown at Lower Forge, could have been the gun club or clubs that placed that cement dam there. What better way to ensure an abundance of deer and wildlife than to repair or build a dam near your club. Any ideas or comments?

And on our way home in the middle of the road we saw this. Bob can you help me out?

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3886.JPG

Guy
 

Lorun

Explorer
Apr 10, 2004
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Woolwich
How far is Lower Forge from Lower Forge Campground? When looking at topo maps, seems like you could take left turn off the Batsto River and paddle close or into Manis duck pond. Do you know if that is possible?

Ron
 

Teegate

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BEHR655 said:
Lower Forge Gun Club makes sense to me.

Here are the two locations where there were structures. The bottom one seems like too small a hole in the ground to be a gun club. We checked it out again last week.

Lower.jpg




Guy
 

Teegate

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Lorun said:
How far is Lower Forge from Lower Forge Campground? When looking at topo maps, seems like you could take left turn off the Batsto River and paddle close or into Manis duck pond. Do you know if that is possible?

Ron


It is impossible. The best way to get there is by car or on foot. I was able to drive my car right there. It would be better to wait until fall to go there since the vegetation is bad. You can see so much more then. If you like frogs, then go now. There were more than I could catch, and fast too!

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3879.jpg

And we walked very quietly and there were deer all over the place. Jessica also saw her first buck. She now believes....


Guy
 

bobpbx

Piney
Staff member
Oct 25, 2002
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Pines; Bamber area
TeeGate said:
What is this one Bob? I saw others that looked similar, but they were black.

http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/7312004/IMG_3844.jpg

Guy

That is almost certainly "white headed beak rush"......Rhynchospora alba.

I like that savanahh. I'd like to go there someday............bob (bobaloo, bobbo, bobby, little bobby).

PS: the black ones (probably chocolate color) is Rhynchospora Capitellata, or small headed beak rush. I really love that plant. It has vivid green leaves and chocolate flowers.
 

Teegate

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BobM said:
That is almost certainly "white headed beak rush"......Rhynchospora alba.

I like that savanahh. I'd like to go there someday............bob (bobaloo, bobbo, bobby, little bobby).


That savanahh is in transisition. By that I mean it was once all water, but it is slowly drying up. Even after all this rain it stays dry, so I am certain it is done for. There is nothing feeding it because we wallked the complete area. There is a slightly different one nearby that is also dry.


I checked the name of that plant on Mike's site and I don't see it listed.

Guy
 

Teegate

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pinelandpaddler said:
Great info and photos. Hey Guy, could you show me on the topomap where this dried-up creek bed is?


Here is the topo view.

http://topozone.com/map.asp?z=18&am...50&size=m&datum=nad83&layer=DRG25

And here is the aerial view.

http://terraserver-usa.com/image.aspx?t=1&s=11&x=1319&y=10998&z=18&w=1

To get there by car your best bet is to come in from the Quaker Bridge area. The road coming in from the JCRR has a deep spot that Ben dipped his front wheels into and we were heading down deep, so we backed out.

So from 206 cross Quaker Bridge and make the sharp left to Lower Forge. Continue to the right when you come to the sign saying "No Motor Vehicles". Go about a half mile to a small road on your left and take that.

Go to the next intersection and turn left. It is sandy. About 200 feet or so ahead there is a road to the right that takes you to Mannis Duck Pond. Don't take it. Another two tenths of a mile ahead there is a small road to your right, take that. That will intersect another road and you go right to the stream across the road. If you have a car park there, which is what I did. If you have a 4x4 cross the stream and one half mile ahead it the dry stream bed.

Here is my map which is blurry unless you download it to your drive. The lower left green mark is the No vehicle sign at Lower Forge. So using the below map go from A1 to A2 to A3 to A6 to A7 to A8 to A9.


http://www.njpinebarrens.com/~teegate/lowerf2.jpg


Guy
 
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