New Jersey

The pose.

 In the dunes, between the boardwalk

 and beach, just south of Atlantic City.

Gateway National Recreation Area-Sandy Hook Unit.

http://www.nps.gov/gate/index.htm

Climbing the last 9 steps up the ladder to the light.

The Sandy Hood Light has been in

 continuous use for over 250 years.

After a picnic lunch, a short stroll on the beach, 

NYC in background.

Just down the shore from Gateway NRA is a location used by

 seven presidents to escape the summer DC heat.

 (Grant, Garfield, Arthur, B. Harrison, McKinley, Hayes, and Wilson)

Garfield recovered from an assassin's bullet here.

We also visited the "Church of the Presidents" in Long Branch.

To our surprise and good luck, friends Margie and Dean Loveland 

were in our Thousand Trails RV park when we arrived. 

 They are native to and very knowledgeable of the area. 

 They were a great help with our broken fridge, 

supplying ice, freezer space, and info. 

 Dean is a great pickleball player and took

 Dennis with him several days to challenge matches in Ocean City.

THANKS!

After a morning on the boardwalk and on the pickleball courts,

 we enjoyed a local joint for a seafood feast.  

There are always chores to do--but alas,

 I had to take the motor home to a 

dealer to get the fridge fixed. 

 Fortunately, it was under warranty!

A great display of the wildlife in the area of the

Great Egg Harbor River National Wild and Scenic River.

http://www.nps.gov/greg/index.htm

A wild and Scenic National River.

http://www.rivers.gov/rivers/maurice.php

On a lake created by damming the 

Great Egg Harbor River near Mays Landing.

The above rivers are inside the Pinelands National Reserve.

http://www.nps.gov/pine/index.htm

We took a short hike around a lake in the Pinelands 

to view carnivorous plants.

Here is the Round-leaved Sundew.  

This Pitcher Plant and the Sundew were not doing enough,

 because Judy's legs were more bug-bitten 

than the bugs were plant-bitten!

After the fridge was fixed promptly 

(in at 8 and back on the road at 10.  

thanks, http://www.scottmotorcoach.com/)

 we  drove to Morristown and 

visited the first National Historical Park.

This beautiful building was built in 1935 as a museum 

and monument to the winter of 1779 encampment.

http://www.nps.gov/morr/index.htm

Washington wintered here, with Martha, in the 

worst winter (1779-80) on record.  

The troops stayed about 5 miles from this mansion.

Another presidential and National Park site.   

With the fridge fixed, a good night's sleep,

and icewater in tow, we headed from a parking spot

 to visit a couple of National Park sites.

Patterson Great Falls NHP is the place where 

Alexander Hamilton envisioned an independent America.  

That America must manufacture its own goods. 

 This place of water power provided that 

beginning well before the Revolutionary War. 

The Patterson Great Falls.

Between the two National Park sites (in Caldwell, NJ) above and

below sits the birthplace of Grover Cleveland.

We had a great tour of the building and 

grounds by a very knowledgeable historian. 

Cleveland was our 22nd and 24th president.  

We also visited the re-constructed church of his father.

West Orange was our next stop, and a visit to Thomas Edison NHP.

 What an amazing and enlightening tour! 

 We also enjoyed a phonograph demonstration, 

a walk through the plants, 

and a visit to the Edison ground and mansion.

In one of the plants.

  Although nearly deaf, Edison chose all of the music to be recorded! 

 His machines, although better than the competition's, eventually failed.

  Two reasons--Edison did not like jazz (very popular at the time)

 and his recordings were played at 80 RPM's.  

Victrola and others standardized.

  

Visiting the Edison mansion.

We could live here!