This past weekend we stayed at Camp Taylor near the Delaware Water Gap in northwest New Jersey. John invited a friend on this trip. They walked to our house after school where I had everything packed up and ready to go. On our way north we were stuck in stopped traffic for 15 minutes while a road crew poured some fresh concrete. While we were sitting there I noticed all the pretty flowers alongside the entrance ramp to route 202.
After making it through the traffic jam we drove an hour north to Buttzville, NJ where we stopped at the famous Hot Dog Johnny’s hot dog stand. Personally I’m always disappointed that they don’t offer chili or sour kraut for my hot dog at this place. But, it’s a local icon so I feel compelled to stop. And, of course, the kids enjoy it. I don’t have a picture from this place because the boys refused to have their picture taken in front of the big road sign and I just didn’t feel up to the effort of maneuvering the Bambi into a photogenic pose. So, on we went.
We arrived at the campground about 40 minutes later. It was hard to miss what with all the colorful braziers strung across the front lawn.
A group from Sisters on the Fly were spending the weekend at the campground. What a bunch of neat and colorful small trailers they had. I should have taken pictures! They had Scotties and Scouts and all different flavors of trailers. I spoke with one woman who had driven down from Canada. After speaking with her I was convinced that I should sign up to join them on some of their adventures. Unfortunately I was not eligible because I don’t come with my own bra.
We set up camp in a small clearing right across the road from the camp office. Each site was very private. We’ve become used to having sites arranged right next to one another. It was nice to have a little separation from our neighbors this time. We set up the tent for the boys and new trailer awning in no time.
After setting up camp the boys went to the arcade. After eating some burgers from the grill the boys played mini golf. Then we all sat around the camp fire until it was time for bed. The bed in the trailer is so much more comfortable than the Thermarest I used to sleep on while camping.
The next day we drove to the Delaware Water Gap for a hike. Here is a view of the gap from an overlook site just off PA 611.
We hiked part of the way up the Mt Tammany trail. The hike is fairly steep. Sort of like walking up a very long staircase. As I walked up the trail I thought of how good I felt. It’s been a long recovery from the broken leg two years ago. Now that I know the leg is good for hiking, I want to go more often.
After our hike we drove into the town of Delaware Water Gap, PA to the Village Farmer and Bakery. I just had to try the famous hot dog and slice of pie called the “True Love!”. For just $2.49, what’s not to love?! I thought the pie was pretty good, bearing in mind that all pies pale in comparison to Angie’s homemade pies. I liked it well enough to buy a small pie to take back to the campground. The next morning I heated it up on the grill and had it with my morning coffee. What a breakfast!
Then it was time to head back to the campground for a tour of the Lakota Wolf Preserve. The 20 or so wolves are kept in four separate enclosures made of fence about 8′ tall. The fence is buried and extends inward 3′ underground to keep the wolves from digging under. Wolves are apparently not climbers, but they are diggers. Not yet having completely shed their winter coats, the wolves reminded me of long-legged scruffy dogs. The hosts at the preserve explained their process for raising the pups, introducing them to the packs, and feeding the animals. We were told that wolves will accept any puppy into the pack, though they will not accept older wolves. We were also told that wolves are extremely skittish around humans. We were surprised to learn that there has never been a recorded instance of a wolf attacking a human in the United States. Wolves want nothing to do with humans! At the end of the talk the hosts called the wolves together at intersection of the four pens and told the wolves to “howl for their dinner”, which they did. The howls from six or more wolves joined in a single, soulful note. It was quite a memorable experience.
That evening the boys swam in the pond, we had sausages from the grill, sat around the campfire and, being tired from the day’s events, went to bed a little earlier than the night before.
The next morning we ate breakfast and then went for a drive. Warren county NJ really is beautiful. It is very similar to the hilly country in southeastern Ohio or wester Pennsylvania that I am more familiar with. Not what my friends and family from Ohio would imagine when you ask them to picture New Jersey.
On the drive home we stopped by a friend’s house in Port Murray. She gave us a tour of her historic house, built in 1752. And I though my house was old! The property was truly lovely with an excellent spot for drinking coffee, or lemonade, and looking out over the pond.
The drive home was uneventful, except for the screeching and grinding sound of the brakes on our truck. Ugh! I guess it’s time to replace those pads, and probably the rotors as well. It seems I have more work ahead to prepare for our next camping trip. Stay tuned.