Route map and description...
I've shared a map with you called Walking directions to Pocono Raceway, Long Pond, PA:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF&msa=0&msid=217328838214969145925.0004f3f1cd5331a6952b4
Beginning at Old Town, in Johnson Park located in Piscataway, NJ
Starting from Co Rd 807/Johnson Park Rd
1 - Head west on Co Rd 807/Johnson Park Rd toward Johnson Dr
Continue to follow Co Rd 807
Head northwest paralleling the Raritan River on River Road.
The river has served an important water transportation route since the days of the Cavemen Native Americans. The name itself comes from an Urdu word meaning "stream overflows." The name is also applied to the Raritan people, an Algonquian tribe that inhabited Staten Island, near the river's mouth. In colonial days, the river allowed the development of early industry around New Brunswick, as well as the transportation of agricultural materials from central New Jersey. During the American Revolutionary War, the river provided a means for troop conveyance. The construction of the Delaware and Raritan Canal along the right (south) bank of the river provided a critical link between New York City and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on the Delaware River.
2 - Turn left onto Co Rd 622/River Rd
Continue to follow River Rd
3 - Slight left onto Co Rd 622/River Rd
4 - Slight right onto River Rd
5 - Slight left onto Co Rd 622/River Rd
6 - Continue straight to stay on Co Rd 622/River Rd
7 - Slight left to stay on Co Rd 622/River Rd
8 - Slight right to stay on Co Rd 622/River Rd
Passing through the town of Bound Brook, a town that was severely flooded during hurricane Floyd. Parallel the Raritan Line Railroad, a division of the old Central Railroad of New Jersey that is now run by NJ Transit.
9 - Turn left onto Lincoln Blvd/E Main St
Continue to follow E Main St
10 - At the traffic circle, continue straight to stay on E Main St
11 - Slight right onto Columbus Pl
12 - Turn left onto Talmage Ave
13 - Slight left to stay on Talmage Ave
Exiting Bound Brook, you pass into Bridgewater and pass by TD Bank Ballpark, home of the Somerset Patriots. The railroad runs right behind the stadium, and there have been tales of engines being struck by home run balls. In this case, there are no souvenirs!
14 - Continue onto County Rd 533/Main St
Continue down Main Street into the town of Somerville, past the Somerville Courthouse From Somerville, New Jersey the Somerset County Courthouse is located right off main street. Some famous trials here have been Mike Tyson and the Hall-Mills Murder trial in 1926. Some info from the web: The courthouse, built between 1907 and 1909 in the Palladian style and is faced with marble. The courthouse underwent a $US 6 million renovation between 1989 and 1996. Attached to the courthouse is the First Reformed Church which was built in 1898. It has served as the county’s Jury Assembly Room since it was renovated around 1985.
15 - Slight left onto County Rd 533/E Main St
Continue to follow E Main St
16 - Turn left onto West End Ave
17 - Continue onto Somerset St
In the town of Raritan, NJ the favorite son is John Basilone. Continue one more block southwest to see his memorial park and statue.
John Basilone (November 4, 1916 – February 19, 1945) was a United States Marine Gunnery Sergeant who received the Medal of Honor for his actions at the Battle of Guadalcanal during World War II. He was the only enlisted Marine in World War II to receive both the Medal of Honor and the Navy Cross.
He served three years in the United States Army with duty in the Philippines before joining the Marine Corps in 1940. After attending training, Basilone deployed to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, the Solomon Islands and eventually to Guadalcanal where he held off 3,000 Japanese troops after his 15-member unit was reduced to two other men. He was killed in action on the first day of the Battle of Iwo Jima, after which he was posthumously honored with the Navy Cross. He has received many honors including being the namesake for streets, military locations and a United States Navy destroyer.
18 - Turn right onto 1st Ave
19 - Turn left onto NJ-28 W/Easton Turnpike
Cross RTe 22 on Easton Turnpike into the idyllic town of North Branch. Past Raritan Valley Community College
Raritan Valley Community College (RVCC) is an accredited, coeducational, two-year, public, community college located in North Branch (within Branchburg Township), New Jersey. RVCC offers Associate's degree programs leading to an Associate of Arts (A.A.), Associate of Science (A.S.), Associate of Fine Art (A.F.A) or an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.), as well as certificate programs and continuing education courses.
The college was founded in late 1965 as "Somerset County College" and opened to its first class of students in the fall of 1968. It was given its present name in 1987, when it became the county college for Hunterdon County as well as its home of Somerset County. It was the first community college in New Jersey to be sponsored by two different counties.
20 - Slight right to stay on NJ-28 W/Easton Turnpike
21 - Slight right onto County Rd 614/NJ-28 W/Easton Turnpike
22 - Slight right toward Campus Dr
23 - Continue straight onto Campus Dr
24 - Slight right to stay on Campus Dr
25 - Turn right onto Lamington Rd
Continue down Lambing Road next to the Lamington River, down Rattlesnake bridge road, some of the most expensive real estate in NJ! The Lana Lobell Horse Farms located on the right, was recently listed for a cool $25 million dollars! as you can see, it’s a steal!
26 - Continue onto Rattlesnake Bridge Rd
27 - Turn left onto County Rte 523/Lamington Rd
Don’t blink! you are in the hamlet of Lamington, nj.
28 - Turn left onto Felmley Rd
29 - Turn right onto County Rte 523
Those wishing for a bite at this point can continue straight on 523, also known as Oldwick Road into the small town of Oldwick. At the Oldwick General Store, you can pick up an honest to goodness jersey breakfast sandwich all day. Rejoin the route when you're belly’s full and you're feeling guilty. We will wait.
30 - Turn left onto Rockaway Rd
Pass over the Rockaway Creek at Taylor’s Mill. The remains of the mill can still be seen here.
31 - Slight left onto Bissell Rd
32 - Turn right onto County Rte 639/Cokesbury Rd
33 - Slight left to stay on County Rte 639/Cokesbury Rd
34 - Turn right onto Mt Grove Rd
35 - Turn left onto Hoffmans Crossing Rd
36 - Sharp left onto Columbia Trail
Built in 1876, the railroad branch line was used for passenger and freight traffic. The type of freight most commonly moved was iron ore from mines in Morris County to be used in the foundries at High Bridge or Wharton. In 1976, the branch was deemed redundant by its new owner, Conrail, and the rails were dismantled in 1980. Since then, it has been a recreational trail serving the surrounding communities. In the mid-1990s, Columbia Gas Company bought the trail right-of-way and laid an underground gas pipeline under the right-of-way along the length of the trail. The trail and bridges were resurfaced in 2004. The Hunterdon County Department of Parks and Recreation and Morris County Department of Parks and Recreation now operate and maintain the trail under lease, although ownership of the right-of-way remains with the Columbia Gas Company. Lewis H Taylor a member of the trustees of the Central Jersey Railroad brought the railroad in to High Bridge originally to bring coal to fuel the Taylor Wharton Iron and Steel Company, the oldest foundry in United States History. This connects to the Taylor Steelworkers Historic Greenway.
Ironically, a train wreck that occurred on the trestle on April 18, 1885, when an iron ore train led by the Columbia Engine derailed and crashed on the trestle and into the river below. IRON MINE RAILROAD OF NORTHERN NEW JERSEY, by Larry Lowenthal, indicates this was engine 112 and does not indicate it had a name. The trail is, instead, most likely named for the Columbia Gas Pipeline. Minutes of meetings in Hunterdon Parks indicate that Hunterdon suggested the name "Columbia Trail", much to the satisfaction of the gas company. Recent oppositions to gas utilities, and their relationship to hydraulic fracturing (aka "Fracking") have spurred public outcry to rename the route "High Bridge Branch Trail", a more historically accurate and less controversial tag. Furthermore, it may be considered a conflict of interest for a government agency to promote a private industry such as Columbia Gas in name and associated publications (tax payer funded maps, guides, interpretive signage, etc.).
The trail surface is relatively flat and consists mostly of fine crushed stone.
Cross over the Ken Lockwood gorge on the old train tracks
Be on the watch for Gnomes, as it is said that they like to inhabit the area!
37 - Turn left onto Main St
38 - Turn right onto Bridge St
39 - Turn right onto W Main St
Those who didn’t stop earlier at Oldwick General Store may want to make a left here onto W Main Street and head down to Gronsky’s Milk House. Written up by none other that the NY Times, Gronsky’s pancakes are the size of dinner plates. But you’ve got a long climb in front of you, so you may want to fuel up now.
to be continued...
