On Sunday, Anna and I went for a drive. We put the top down and headed up to her Cousin Kim’s house in Orange Co., NY. After a brief visit with Kim, her Husband. Pumpkin the Cat, and their new puppy Rusty, we drove west into the green woods of Pennsylvania, where we promptly got a little lost. Eventually, we returned to the Delaware River area where we discovered the town of Walpack, NJ.
Of course, discovering the town wasn’t enough. I saw a small road leading away into the hills and decided we should follow it. This road quickly degraded into a shell-pocked dirt track, which necessitated a drop into second gear for the better part of two miles. After soliciting directions from a passing pickup truck, we found our way (so slowly) to a little waterfall. At the base of the waterfall is a map of the area, complete with a “You are Here” marker. The map didn’t make us feel hopeful about pressing on: we were only a tenth of the way down the road.
We turned around and headed back (slowly, very slowly) to the main road. From there we drove south to Blairstown, NJ for dinner. We stopped at a pizza joint run by Lou, who claims to make the best pizza in the world. His claims weren’t entirely unfounded: the pizzas are made with fresh crushed tomatoes, soft mozzarella, and a thin, tasty crust. Along with a fine pizza, Lou served up a lot of local information. From his perspective, Blairstown makes an excellent location to raise a family; but a poor place to run a business.
For more information about the Delaware River area and how our Federal Government destroyed the way of life of countless residents, see The Legacy of Tocks Island Dam.