The Long Path, New Jersey

Rockefeller Lookout to State Park Headquarters...5 miles one way....
Use NY-NJ Trail Conference Map #108: Hudson Palisades Trail
This trek is not the most exciting but it does feature three amazing viewpoints. I started out by parking in the Rockefeller Lookout turnoff on the Palisades Parkway in Englewood New Jersey. The aqua blazes head north and continue through wetlands, grassy knolls and rocky terrain. Be sure to stop at the lookouts along the way which afford you views of the Hudson River, the George Washington Bridge and the beautiful Bronx. There were many deer sleeping in the grassy areas along the way. End at the Palisades Interstate Parkway Police headquarters where they are informative brochures (I've noticed that hikers love free brochures!) and of course, bathrooms. On the way back I opted to take the white blazed shore trail, which is truly beautiful to the red blazed Huyler's Landing Trail which brings you up back up to the Long Path approximately .5 miles north of the Greenwood Sanctuary. I did discover one particular thing on this hike: I run faster from strange looking men holding rocks in their hands then snakes........Remember to always be cautious and aware of your surroundings when hiking alone.

The Dunderberg Spiral Railroad/1777 Trail

Consult the NY-NJ Trail Conference map #119 for this trek. What a beautiful day for hiking! My companion and I decided to celebrate my 41st birthday with a hike. I've trekked this trail before, but I wanted to show Desiree the very cool and very unfinished Dunderberg Spiral Railroad. We began on the Blue Blazed Trail off the Hiker's Turnoff Parking on Route 9W North, just past the Anchor Monument. The railway was the brainchild of Henry J. Mumford, an entrepreneur from Pennsylvania. When Mumford discovered beautiful Dunderberg Mountain and it's tremendous views of the Hudson River in 1870, he decided to build a scenic railway. Work on the railway began in 1890. One of the first parts of the railway that was actually completed is the lower tunnel. Unfortunately, after a recession and a one million dollar loss, work ended on the railway in 1891. But not without a riot by the workers who had worked so hard to blast rocks out of the mountain to lay down train tracks. We proceeded up to the first tunnel and stopped to take some pictures and a rest. Be sure to notice the exquisite stone work on the tunnel. We continued up the blue trail and came upon a second unfinished tunnel. It is literally a large tunnel in the mountainside. Continue past that to three spectacular lookouts on top of the mountain. I'll admit, the view is better in the winter, but we did spot some beautiful hawks up top. Now the fun part, as I was happily turning a corner on the trail, I narrowly missed stepping on a seven foot long black rat snake who was in the middle of the trail. After much hysteria on my part, my companion ran past the snake and we continued on until we hit the 1777 Trail. This was a pleasant trail since it led us downhill after much uphill hiking. We encountered some bullfrogs and a very pretty Eastern Box Turtle on the way down. I highly recommend this hike; there is a lot to explore and the views of the Hudson River are amazing.

Zugibe All Stars v. M.R.I.-Orangetown Recreational Softball

Game 3 of the season and victory was ours in the first match up between the All Stars and M.R.I......The Zugibe All Stars won our first game of the season by playing strong offensively and defensively. The first inning looked bleak....M.R.I. displayed excellent defensive fielding and their pitching was strong, if not strange. It didn't take long for the All Stars bats to catch fire and we tied it up in the fifth. A special shout out to this game's M.V.P., Michelle. We witnessed some stellar offensive playing from Michelle, who went four for four. Special kudos to Dave who pitched a superb game and to Drew for spectacular fielding. Although no one will forget nor forgive the bases loaded strike out by Dunlap, the All Stars scored in the bottom of the sixth and prevailed with the final score 11-9.