The Reservation

Because people rarely get off the Parkway
Jersey is one of the best kept secrets
Behind the malls and the fast food joints
is land and land and land
they don't call it the Garden State for nothin now...

I was fortunate to grow up in one of the more beautiful areas
just a stones throw from the city
people pay through the nose to live here
Now that I've been here for a while as an adult
and not a bitter angst ridden rebelling teenager
I have a better understanding of why

The Ramapo Reservation is a 2,145 acre county park that was my playground in High School and Grade School. For most of my time here this was just down the street from where we lived, and I spent many days when I supposed to be in school or ballet practice being here. This was my school. The smells, the land, feel ancient in me. We used to hike and get lost here for hours and hours, sometimes days.

It has been so warm out here, scary warm (Thanks Global Warming!)
and we went for a gorgeous hike yesterday with the dogs
This wild, this huge mountain that I used to climb when I was little was more like a mild stroll yesterday. Granted I have been walking a lot so I am in good shape, but it's weird how our perceptions change. It was beautiful, and hard being there again. Brought back all sorts of memories for me, good and bad, that I am still sorting through.

It is truly a beautiful place and I plan on spending a lot more time here. It is a dog heaven for sure, and Presley and Aurora (Noelle's dog who is a gorgeous husky wolf mix) had a blast mixing it up with all of them.