Sometimes there is just so much history right in your backyard. Located right in between Newton and Andover is Kittatinny Valley Staet Park. This 5,656 acres park can provide everything from group camping to hiking, geocaching to hunting, fishing and running with a mix of a bit of interesting history on the side. One of my all time favorite places to run, this park has trails that range from hilly to flat, perfect for leisurely biking as well as some intense mountain biking! One of the newer State Parks, Kittatinny was even acquired until 1994 but what comes with it is a rather rich history. What is now the office building once was a small little house built in 1825 from the area's limestone for a Sarah Hill. After Hill it feel into the hands of ... read more

If you don't know I've moved from the county park system to the state. It isn't as exciting as my time with the county, I'm not out and about as much or riding on boats but my office looks out over one of the prettiest areas in Northern New Jersey. Just today, after hours of rain, a fox mama and her pups emerged from their den to enjoy the sun that was making it's way through the clouds. Working in one of the hubs for the park's I get a lot of calls regarding other parks. I find at time that I am stumbling over words simply trying to recite their brochure because I myself have never been to the park! I'm a born and raised Jersey girl but when I reflected upon this conundrum I ... read more

Looking for a nice bike path that is well kept, easy to ride, and surrounded by pretty scenery? Look no further than the Sussex Branch Trail in Sussex County, New Jersey. This trail which follows the former Sussex Branch line of the Erie-Lackawanna Railroad leads you 20 miles through Byram Township up to Lafayette Township. The scenery can change as you go, passing through forested landscape, swampy areas, a nice big lake and even some small communities. You can even grab a bite at the Andover Diner which can be seen from the trail! With just a 1 1/2mile gap through the township of Newton you can cruise along the railroad trail which was once used to transport high-grade iron ore from mines in Andover to the Morris Canal in Morris County. When iron was no ... read more

It's not that an 11 hour drive isn't enjoyable, but when the half way point is a place that has never been explored why not make an overnight pit stop? When driving too and fro from Kentucky, Derik and I have found ourselves curled up trying to stay warm in my Honda Civic, we have overnighted at his Grandparents house, and we have powered through and crushed the entire eleven hour ride in the past, but this time we were going BIG. Why not for the beginning of the new year? We reviewed the map and decided on the perfect half way point - Pittsburgh. We had made several plans in the past to make it our stopping point and for one reason or another it has always been pushed to the side but not today! ... read more

My beautiful cousin was getting married and what better way to celebrate than to join them as she became hitched and then following that up with an extremely early morning with the destination being Boston to run a race. This isn't the first time Derik and I have done wedding than race but it might be the only time that he wanted to kill me for it. But I mean when groupon comes out with a deal for the Boston Raid... and you are only an hour away... why not take advantage of it?????? That is the question I posed towards Derik with my puppy dog eyes and he gave in.. because he loves me.. or because I was annoying and he didn't want to hear any more about that race. YAY We headed out later ... read more