Friday we decided to take a little drive and do a little exploring, so we pointed the car towards the north west corner of NJ. Just a few miles from the border (with NY and PA) is Highpoint State Park, which not only has a high point in it, but in fact as the highest point in NJ at about 1800 feet. It’s about an hour’s drive (yes, NJ is a small state!), and I was hoping we might have some nice scenic terrain to go through on the way there. There were some nice bits, but it was a quick reminder that when you live in the most densely populated state, there’re pretty much people everywhere. The park and surrounding areas were nice. They’ve even built a monument at the peak:
We parked at the top and explored.
The monument is about 220 feet high with stairs to the top. Mal was interested in going up. I played along, though I knew I’d be carrying her all the way. We made it about half way when Mal chickened out and wanted to go back down. I was already feeling it, so I agreed. It was a bit scarier than other stair climbing efforts we’ve done, because the stairs were very open. The monument is about 30 feet at its base and 19 at the tip.
The view from the base was still nice. (click on picture to embiggen it!)
Then we went on a bit of a hike down to the lake. Selfies were captured.
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Then it was time to get lunch, so we drove on to Port Jervis, NY and ate at Tom and Arlene’s Diner. I’d recommend it (as much for the atmosphere and experience as for the food), but I’m not sure I’d order the meatloaf sandwich again. From there we took a lazy drive back through the beautiful Delaware Water Gap and home via I-80 and Cliff’s Dairy Maid – check out their flavors! A nice day out.