Sometimes - and maybe more often then that - I need an escape. Life for me cannot be just bills, concerns, work - anything that challenges and frets the mind. I need to sojourn, relax, look, see, and take in beauty, in its natural state. Enjoy time away from my home and computer, and listen to whatever nature offers, whether it be nearby birds or the soles of my sneakers hitting the dirt and sand. One of my favorite spots to accomplish the above is a day trip to - and that trip could just be a few hours - is the Sandy Hook section of the Gateway National Recreation Area in New Jersey. While at this spot, if it be during the in-season of June through August, I'll venture away from the roar of the surf and those who visit and frolic by it, and instead head to the more peaceful areas by the dunes and bayside. Sandy Hook is unique where, although a rule of respect for nesting shore birds and necessity of inland protection from vicious storms prohibits climbing or walking on dunes, the area offers dune trails where one can walk at leisure, view the beautiful but peaceful wild growth, while not damaging the dunes nor the "inhabitants." While I walk, I'll see prickly pear, heather, cactus, poison ivy ( a good reason alone not to venture off the trail), and an occasional mouse or rabbit scurrying. If visiting in the fall, sometimes goldenrods are prevalent (see below). I'm a Pisces, and I've often read that my sign signifies a person who is fond of areas where a body of water and the peace of nature prevail.
The above, then, is proof positive of this declaration. Steve
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Steve Sears is a New Jersey based freelance writer
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February 2024
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