High Point

We have reached the halfway point of our trip, and after one slight day in NYC, we're currently enjoying the Hudson River valley at the home of Jeff Bark and family. We had a wonderful side trip to the roots country of Genie's mom in Colesville, New Jersey, the highest part of the state. The old Campbell property borders High Point State Park, where we camped for the night. Natural settings don't come to mind when most of us think of New Jersey, but these highlands are beautiful, covered with mature forests and small lakes surrounded by sharp ridges and plenty of bedrock, and threaded by the Appalachian Trail.

After a peaceful night's sleep in the tent, our second campout of the trip (the first ended soddenly with a morning deluge on Lake Michigan in an Illinois state park), we drove a few miles to visit Genie's first cousin Jim and family, folks she had never met. They showed us around the farmstead, complete with old stone walls and an ancient barn--the core of the farmhouse itself dates to the mid-eighteenth century. Best of all, they directed us up the brook that Monnie always recalls so fondly, to a waterfall with the family reputation as the highest in New Jersey. It was the highlight of the property until they recently sold 35 of their 40 acres to the state as an addition to the state park. Among other mysteries, we saw via an old baby picture of Jim's sister Edie that Jasper does indeed favor the Campbell side of his provenance.

We have put a wonderful day in Chicago behind us, and a very comfortable weekend stay with Brian Nordskog and family in Pittsburgh, where their new pool mitigated the last of the big heat wave. From here we bear northeast to Cape Cod, new ground to everyone but Genie, followed by stays on the coast and in the mountains of Maine. Strangely, this morning's New York Times travel page examined both of these destinations along with Minnesota's Arrowhead!

© 2006 Michael Nordskog