Hike #234 8/27/6
Burger King in Atlantic Highlands. I had a quad stacker. Amazingly good.
Hike 234; 8/27/6
My next hike would be the next section of the Raritan Bay I had wanted to hike, this time starting in Keanesburg area and walking to Atlantic Highlands and back. We met at the parking area in Keanesburg near the little boardwalk we used on the previous Raritan Bay hike on 6/25. Joining me this time around were Tea Biscuit, Fred Hafale, Joe Tag, and Eric Pace.
On the short in Keanesburg NJ
Keanesburg NJ
Keanesburg NJ
Ocean view in Keanesburg NJ
Keanesburg NJ
Near Point Comfort NJ
Point Comfort NJ
Near Point Comfort
Docks at Point Comfort
Looking out onto the Raritan Bay near Point Comfort
Ideal Beach NJ
Paws Creek outlet
Paws Creek
Raritan Bay restroom stop
Port Monmouth NJ
Near Port Monmouth
Stopping for a break in Belford NJ
Guns in the Belford vicinity
Leonardo Marina, Leonardo NJ
On the beach in Leonardo NJ
Beach, Leonardo NJ
Conover Beach Beacon, Leonardo NJ
Conover Beach Beacon
Along the shore at Conover Beach
Former CNJ Bayshore Branch in Atlantic Highlands NJ
Henry Hudson Trail, Atlantic Highlands NJ
Former CNJ Bayshore Branch right of way in Atlantic Highlands NJ
Abandoned service station, Atlantic Highlands NJ
Abandoned gas station, Atlantic Highlands NJ
Atlantic Highlands NJ
An old caboose, Belford or Port Monmouth
In an old caboose, Belford or Port Monmouth
In an old caboose, Belford or Port Monmouth
In an old caboose, Belford or Port Monmouth
Waackaack Creek
Waackaack Creek
Waackaack Creek
Waackaack Creek Bridge, Henry Hudson Trail
Keyport NJ
Yes I got sick.
When we met in the morning, I noticed that the signs said we could not park there, but they also included the phone number of the Keanesburg Police. I called them up and we got permission to stay parked there! We began walking to the left of the boardwalk, because I wanted to backtrack to where we had turned around at the Waackaack Creek outlet. We walked to that point, now with much higher water, and turned back walking the beach. There was an incredible view once again of the Verrazano Narrows Bridge and NYC.
We walked along the beach out to Point Comfort. It began raining a bit as we walked along the beach. While we were walking in a generally eastern direction in Keanesburg, Eric was not handling the rain well. We headed out to Ideal Beach; on the way Eric decided to turn back to explore more of the Atlantic Highlands area by car. Tea Biscuit and I caught up with Fred and Joe and we walked east. I think we had to go up to the road at the Paws Creek, but I honestly can't remember it all that well as I had already drank a good amount. I'm pretty sure we got back on the beach and headed out toward Belford Harbor. It was here that we went back out to the road again. We walked out one to a deck of some sort of restaurant looking for a way around, be could'nt find one. Either way, we would have had to turn back as we would not have been able to get across the Compton Creek which entered the bay here. We ended up having to turn around and walk back out to Port Monmouth Road. I remember seeing a level grade path heading south, which Fred was famililiar with. After looking at maps later I assumed that might have been the right of way of the Red Bank Branch of the Central Railroad of New Jersey. I will have to go back to explore this later. We turned and the road became Main Street in Belford. I believe we must have turned left on East Road out to Route 36. We turned left and stopped at a convenience store where Tea Biscuit and I got some Pizza and I think I got some chocolate milk again. Tea Biscuit also got a shake as I recall, and the lady filled a container but had some left over, so she gave it to me. We continued walking east from here on 36. We were now in the town of Leonardo, where many of Director Kevin Smith's films took place, so I felt this was significant. We made our way along streets in a residential area trying to get back out to the bay. We passed by the Leonardo Harbor and walked along the dock area where there were some run down looking boats as I recall. We were finally able to get on the beach again at a community park, and we walked east for a bit, but had to head back in when we were faced with private property next to a small light beacon on the shore. We made our way back to the streets and paralleled the bay for just a bit, then decided to head back out to Rt 36. We probably would have had a problem crossing the Wagner Brook anyway. The worst part of walking the shore line on some of this hike was the fact that we were sometimes walking over old toilet paper that had washed up on the rocks...gross. We walked along the road looking for the former Bayshore Branch of the Jersey Central Railroad, which at this point was no longer part of the Henry Hudson Trail. We found that it was behind many businesses along Rt 36. I wanted to follow it out and find a place to park for my next Raritan Bay loop hike. We could not find the right of way after a bit, and found that it turned north briefly before heading out the coast more closely to the shore line. We found the right of way in a grassy area with a sewer or drainage line put under it. It was a wide area that was apparently several tracks wide at one time. This was now the western end of Atlantic Highlands. Once we found a place where there was a lot of parking available along the street, we turned back. Tea Biscuit waited just a little ways back at the Burger King on the corner of Rt 36 and the road parallel with the rail grade. Fred and Joe turned back to go into the Burger King, and I fell behind a bit. I saw an abandoned car wash building on the left, with an open broken window. I waited till no cars were coming, and I jumped in the window. It was an office setting with many drawers. I opened each drawer which was full of all sorts of garbage like free car wash tokens and letters and such. I grabbed as much crap as I could and put it all into my bag before climbing back out. I grabbed a "420" sign to give to Alex (which I put on his car at work one day later). We went inside Burger King for lunch. I had one of the BK Quad Stackers I had been meaning to try, and loved it quite a lot! Tea Biscuit and I put on Burger King crowns for the rest of the trip. We walked along Rt 36 for a bit keeping within sight of the railroad bed. Soon, the Henry Hudson Trail resumed at some sort of Visitor's Center where there was a map and a kioske. We continued on the right of way, which was paved the entire way, back through Leonardo directly parallel to Rt 36 for some time until just before reaching Belford. We continued on back through Port Monmouth and across the creeks we'd crossed earlier. We talked to some kids along the way, all drunk, about the hikes and what we did. Somewhere, I think it must have been in East Keanesburg, there was an old caboose parked on an old side track. There was a walkway up and around the caboose, where we could climb up through a small window inside. We had to go through the window head first to get in. It was rather neat inside. We had a look around and then climbed back out. I suppose had I not been drunk I would not have done this, but we were not at all worried in our state. We continued on, and accidently overshot the road we were supposed to turn back along! Some kids gave us directions to where we should have been. I had kind of gotten the idea we went too far when I recognized the bridge across the Waackaack Creek we had crossed before on the previous hike. Before turning back, I took a dip in the creek, which felt great after sweating so badly. We walked the street back to the beginning where we were parked. Eric was waiting for us there, and Joe pulled up by us as we walked the road to say goodbye. Fred had already left. Tea Biscuit, Eric, and I decided to walk along the boardwalk for a bit before we took off because I thought it would be a nice way to finish the hike. I was feeling perfectly fine until all of a sudden I started feeling sick. I then abruptly vomited all over the boardwalk! Tea Biscuit thought it was hilarious that I became sick all of a sudden after being just fine. He kept taking pictures of me with his phone. I was certainly in no shape to be driving, so Tea Biscuit drove the Oldsmobile back to Washington, fortunitely.
Photos by Mike Helbing and Fred Hafale (FH).
After getting sick on the Keanesburg Boardwalk
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