New Jersey bike ride

Biked a part of  New Jersey's Delaware and Raritan Canal State Park bike path over the weekend. A perfect day for outdoor anything, probably, but the biking was superb.

The canal parallels the Delaware River on the New Jersey side, and there's another trail on the Pennsylvania side that buzzes through New Hope, a little town that its chamber of commerce calls "sophisticated yet country-casual town". There are plenty of elegant, trendy shops, a tourist train and scenic beauty along the river.  Bring your credit cards or a thick wallet.

On June 2, the New Hope Historical Society Garden Tour kicks off, with tours of six private gardens from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Cost is $30.  New Hope is about 120 miles from York, and a 2.5 hour drive

Arrive early in New Hope and Lambertville, because tourist season is here, and parking is tough to find already. Unfortunately, last year's storm ripped the area, and the bike trail in Pennsylvania is still not fully repaired. Check locally for more updates.

In New Jersey, the flat trail is packed well and shaded, so even in mid summer, the ride would be a pleasant one. Like York County's Heritage Rail Trail, small towns along the trail offer a place for relief of sore bottoms and dry throats, or a place to spend the night and make the return trip the next day.

Stopped at Frenchtown for lunch, and while it wasn't nearly as crowded as New Hope and Lambertville, we paid $12 for a hamburger and fries. For anything more, I'd have to leave my bike as collateral. Lambertville is famous for its many antique shops.

On the way back, we stopped at a couple iris flower farms and bought a few to decorate the houses. Don't know why, but there are plenty of area farms that specialize in irises at which to pick your favorite color.

Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge

Common terns

Glossy ibis

 Osprey

        Always liked the name of a particular bird-- the
 Hudsonian Godwit. It just sounds a little strange, maybe cerebral, almost regal.  Maybe I've seen one already and just didn't realize it. It's a chubby shorebird with a long bill like we've all seen by the thousands, and to me, they all look alike. Kind of like warblers. There are a million of  'em. So I'm still looking.

Instead of spending the day losing money in Atlantic City, take a left a few miles north of  AC, and discover some of the 47,000 acres of Brigantine National Wildlife Refuge., a division of Forsythe Wildlife Refuge.  Eighty percent of the refuge is tidal salt marsh and meadows, giving feathered creatures room to wander.


A large section of Brigantine is enclosed by dikes, and many water birds, especially in spring and fall, find the refuge a perfect stop-off during migration.

Dikes control water levels, but also provide an eight-mile

car or bike trail.

For us two-legged visitors, an eight-mile bike or car trail on the dikes winds through the refuge, giving us great opportunities to see the wildlife.

Now, I like to photograph birds because of their color, free spirit, and the challenge. But I'm not a wildlife photographer. Because I have all the patience of a cocker spaniel puppy,  I'm gone within minutes if the picture doesn't present itself. These photos were all taken on a quick drive-through of the area. Imagine what you can capture taking your time.

And, I know the names of a few birds, but am not a birder. I know the difference between an osprey and a bald eagle (we saw both). Through pictures and books, I know we saw herons, egrets, warblers, terns, seagulls (?), and hundreds of miscellaneous water birds (plovers, ducks, etc.), all unnamed. Maybe a Hudsonian Godwit. I just don't know.