Yesterday, Lisa, Dolly and I went to Double Trouble State Park. Dolly saw two dogs that were smaller than she is.
We walked a nature trail backwards. It wasn't until we finished that trail that I found a trail map, at the beginning of the trail. And it wasn't until we got back to the car that I found a park map. I don't think it showed the nature trail, mainly historic building.
We just parked and walked towards the historic buildings from the company town and just followed an unpaved road/trail that seemed like it would be interesting. At the beginning of the route we picked, we walked along a platform around some large logs that were set in the center. That must have been the lumber mill, or whatever.
Shortly after we started walking the trail, we saw numbered markers. The numbers went down as we hiked along. We came to a bridge over Cedar Creek, where the water opened up into sort of a small lake. The trail was mostly dry as we walked slighly higher than the nearby cedar swamp. When we came to junctions -- there were a few of them -- we followed the arrows (which had to be for a nature trail route) backwards. After turning left and following the dirt/sand road about 1/2 mile, the nature trail turned left into the woods, much narrower than the road we were on. We were enveloped by cedars, and the trail was a little wet here, even some small puddles in spots. We passed a sign for the carnivorous pitcher plant. I didn't notice any nor take the time to wait around to see some bug being eaten. It would be good if the park had more pitcher plants, as I had left the OFF (with DEET) in the car and had forgotten to spray (Lisa found one tick when we were in car after we left). A bridge crossed over the creek again.
At times, I could hear the sound of a loud motorcycle or truck. I later heard the constant sound of high-speed traffic. It must have been from the Garden State Parkway.
After a short while, the cranberry bogs, quite large, were on our right. We sat at one of the park benches and hung around the area for awhile.
We got up and soon the historic company town appeared ahead of us, which we again walked through to get to the car.
Double Trouble looks like a good place for canoeing. In fact, up the road from the main entrance where we parked, there is an entrance that leads to a canoe launch.
I had considered visiting Bullock that day, but I had not been to Double Trouble in awhile. Lisa said she thought it was a nice place. Dolly didn't say anthing about, but she's happy anywhere she can walk and sniff.
The last time I visited Bullock, I followed a trail I had started to follow the last time I was there to where it came to a T with an unpaved road. This was in the area I had found by serrindipity (sp?) when I was looking for Old Halfway/Hidden Lakes. I entered the Pasadena Wildlife Managment area off of Savoy Road, across from the roadroad crossing, took the sand road furtheres to the left, and started heading towards the lake. Only I turned right at the first interestion instead of turning right at the blue cooler. This headed back towards the Railroad tracks and another lake, close to the tracks. I drove along a sand road that bordered the lake, towards Savoy Road, and turned left to park by the lake at the first opening where the berm wasn't too high. There was a land bridge that crossed the lake, and once across, I turned right, walked for about 1/4 mile, and turned left where a narrow sand road, which was thick sugar sand near the junction, and followed it. The road gradually climbed up a hill. After following it more than a mile, I came to the T, where it met a wider sand road that ran in both directions. Shortly before I came to the T, I had to walk on one edge of the road to avoid walking through a large puddle.
Sometime after this trip, I looked at the area on the Woodmansie topo map. I found the land bridge across the lake, but the sand road that climbed the hill wasn't on it. I noticed on the topo map the end of a stream near the T in the road in the area where I was walking. I believe the bigger sand road was on the topo map but not the one I walked. I guess that that road then is off limits to motorized vehicles. :wink:
The trail I followed from the land bridge to that road was on the topo map. I don't know how to put those red markers on maps or mark my route like you do, Guy. Otherwise, I would post a topo map showing that.
BTW, I found the one lake, where a car lies underwater, and an abandoned car sits atop a hill. You're right, Guy, you need a topo map and a GPU or something to find the second lake. I started looking for it a little, but was afraid I'd get lost. Some of the trails I followed were soggy, so my choices were limited. Only 1/2 mile away, but with all those roads and no landmark to reference, finding the second lake is tough! As you know, I'm not for roadless areas, but in parts of the Pine Barrens, we could use less of them! :jaw:
