A Day at the Lake

Greg, Jolene, Melinda, Peter, Amy and I took the New Jersey Transit to Tuxedo, New York this morning, then hiked three miles on small mountains (or hills?) to a lake, which had a rope swing that Greg and Jolene discovered last year during a three-day excursion into the wilderness. Prepping myself to jump or swing in the first few times reminded me of jumping off of 15- and 30-foot bluffs on the Current River in Missouri...only this was much lower.

We spent almost all afternoon there. It was a beautiful day in beautiful country. The trees on the hike were tall, grass and ferns covered the ground beneath them, and we passed wetlands and walked through tall flowered bushes as we made our way to the lake. On our hike out we saw many chipmunks and a few deer as well. This was my first official trip "upstate" since my move here and I couldn't have been more pleased with the experience.

I enjoy living in a place where train travel is normal. We took the subway to Penn Station, then a short train ride to the Secaucus transfer, followed by another 30 to 45 minute train ride up to Tuxedo. The train makes stops at small, picturesque depots with outdoor platforms as it passes through small towns in New Jersey and New York state. All one has to do as a passenger is find a seat and wait for one's stop. It's convenient and easy. Tuxedo was one of those small towns with a deli and convenience store across from the depot, a post office next door and a tavern/restaurant down the street. We enjoyed cold drinks and french fries there as we waited for our train to arrive. The train fare was only $16 roundtrip and we were home right before dark.

Here's one last video of Greg...