Howdy kids, It's been a while since we checked in and we have been hunkering down in the wilds of NJ for a while now. We just got done with a very busy Christmas schedule [more on that later] and are down to our last week in NJ. It's been wonderful to be around immediate family for an extended period for the first time in about 40 years. Kelly & I have loved it and are going to, very much, miss having family around. Unfortunately, our extended family is spread to the corners of the US so not being near them is our reality wherever we are. We will be moving on to Myrtle Bch, SC for Jan and Feb and have found what we hope is a great place to enjoy the last couple months of our year-long 'Walkabout'. SC promises warmer temperature, a nearby beach and a system of paved bike trails. Should be fun.
As most of you know, I spent my wonder bread years in the Garden State but have been gone for a very long time. I had almost forgotten what it was like to live here and being here again reminded me of the things I liked here and the reasons I needed to leave. For those of our readers who are not familiar with NJ I will offer some observations of life in our most densely populated state.
People
As noted, NJ is the most densely populated state in the US with a whopping 1263 people per square mile. That is a staggering number in itself [our current home state of CO brags of a paltry 54 people per square mile] but, when you consider that all of those 1263 people in each square mile are Newjerseyites, this statistic can be downright frightening to the uninitiated. That's 1263 people in each square mile of earth that will tell you exactly what they are thinking at all times. You are not left guessing. That said, you will not find a group of people more willing to help you out if you need a hand or more lifelong friends.
Driving
I will admit having been mildly apprehensive about driving back east while hauling our trailer. Having been driving around the NJ/NY area for the past couple months I think putting the trailer in storage for the rest of our trip was a good call. We have been staying in one of the less densely populated parts of the state but have ventured out a bit and at all times I found myself being SO glad I was not pulling a trailer. Much of NJ's road system was created back when a state highway was just a connector between small towns. That has left them with very busy roads that are WAY too small for the amount of traffic they handle. If you enjoy exiting the parking lot of a business directly into busy, 60 mph traffic [no merge lanes] you will love Jersey driving. Speed limits seem to be suggestions only. At one point, we were going with the traffic flow, 20 mph over the speed limit, and got passed on the right by a tow truck. Very exciting! It makes me look forward to being back in Pagosa where the biggest thing to worry about is the Texans who all seem to be going either 10 or 80 mph.
Food
OK...food is freeking great here! Our hometown of Pagosa Springs is a great place to live but, with a few exceptions, dining choices are pizza, Mexican food and burgers. NJ pizza has got to be the best anywhere and, as a bonus, many pizza places have a pages long menu of other interesting Italian, meat and fish dishes. All this out of a small storefront business. How do they do it?! One thing that we could not get used to was, when ordering coffee, you need to tell them what you want in it as you are not allowed to prepare your coffee yourself. Kelly and I ordered two coffees at a deli and the gal behind the register stood looking at us as if we were speaking Farsi. Eventually, she asked us "Are you going to tell me how you want it?" looking at us as if we had just arrived from Mars. We explained that we were simply from Colorado where you are trusted to use the sugar and cream yourself. We never got used to this and really don't like it. That aside, the food here is amazing and I've got a new 'food baby' to prove it.
Christmas
We had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was great to be able to spend the holidays with my siblings in Jersey and our daughter and her husband in New York. They are expecting a baby in a few weeks and didn't venture out much but it was great to see them in NYC. My sisters took Kelly to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall and we were treated to a great holiday season. We got to attend my brother and his wife's last annual Christmas Eve party [they are moving to NC next year]. The house was decorated to the max and looked amazing. He clearly did not get his decorating skills from me. Thanks to all for treating us to all the holiday festivities. We love you guys and treasure the time we had with you. We also enjoyed a lunch with our friends from Pagosa, Jim and Michelle. We had caught up with them in the wilds of Wisconsin earlier in our trip and got to visit again as they were visiting family in NJ. What a treat!
Jersey weather
My goodness but it got cold here...quickly. Our first couple weeks here were nice fall weather and then, BANG!, winter seemed to arrive overnight. And it was cold like we don't see in Colorado where, in winter, days are either sunny or it is snowing. We decided the weather was 'uninspiring' with overcast skies, a few mornings in the single digits [temperature 6 degrees...feels like 10 below] and a few smallish snow events thrown in. I ended up shoveling more snow here than I would have back in Pagosa. It really made us appreciate our cold, dry winters back home in CO. For a nice sendoff, we took off from my brother's house on New Year's Day after helping shovel another couple inches of snow off his driveway.
After thawing out a bit, we then careened our way down some icy backroads [no snow tires] and headed for warmer climes in S. Carolina. The drive down was pretty uneventful, and we decided to take the more inland route through the mountains of Virginia. It was actually a rather pretty drive and we enjoyed being back in the mountains again. We travelled through some very nice farming country in the Appalachian Mts and, although not the most scenic time of year, we could tell it would be beautiful in the summer.
As we got closer to S. Carolina there were signs that we were entering the 'real' south. The country became flat with sandy soil and thick groves of pine trees. There were more run-down mobile homes right next to the highway where I was expecting to see signs for 'Cousin Ray's Crystal Meth...Open 7-days' and there was a lot more trash decorating the roadway shoulders. They were in real need of a highway adoption program but I saw no signs stating 'This mile of highway maintained by Cousin Ray'. We finally arrived at our new digs in Myrtle Beach and were happy to find a very nice little rental close to the beach and other amenities where we won't have to drive so much. There is also a system of bike trails nearby where I can work on getting rid of my 'food baby'.
Green Pond beach before the snow
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