My friend, Maggie, sat on a bench at Watchung Reservation with her face toward the sun. "I'm like a battery," she said, "I need the sun to recharge." After an endless winter, cold rain two days ago, and a blustery wind yesterday, the weather finally gave us a chance to relax, recharge, rejoice!
The Watchung Reservation is a 2,065 acre preserve in the heart of Union County. To get there, I drove the Garden State Parkway South to Route 22 West: not scenic. Inside the preserve, though, it is scenic. There's an abundance of trails, streams, an abandoned village, a lake, a picnic area and playground. We hiked the Historic Trail, noted on the map with an "H" and a pink line. While part of the trail runs along the road, most of it is in the woods along Lake Surprise, which does emerge through the trees like a surprise! Along the way, historic markers are posted to describe a bygone era of boy scouts, corn fields, a boathouse.
An area such as this in the densely populated state of NJ is a true wonder to me. Check it out as soon as possible! Or, better yet, stay away and let it be quiet there for me!
