Day 7
Thursday, 3/7/2024
I really wasn't expecting much when I woke up. There was no rain in the forecast, just more gray. Always hopeful for a sunrise, I did head out to the boardwalk.
The original plan was to hit three wildlife and nature preserves along my route to see Mom. The first was the Lizard Tail Swamp Preserve.
With all the rain, it was a roll of the dice over trail conditions. The preserve has two loops. I chose the longer one at two miles. It certainly started out well with plenty of packed sand. But, take note of the lighter green area to the left.
The last half mile or so of the trail was much like this, making for slow going as I looked for the least squishy route around the flooded sections.
Until finally solid footing.
It's a nice loop trail and easy to follow. So, I started going around a second time, turning around when it got swampy. A nice four miles to start the day.
My second stop of the day was the Eldora Nature Preserve. The trails got great reviews and I was looking forward to checking them out. It started out well enough.
Things started getting dicey at that trail juncture. The one I was most curious about included a boardwalk out over the swamp. No surprise, the trail was flooded as far back as I could see. Option two was muddy, but not too bad, at least to the viewing platform. From there, it just looked like a mess. So, that's as far as I went.
There's a state conservation area outside Glassboro. I decided to go there next, which meant cutting through my old college. Some of you have been back to your college numerous times. I had only done it once, when my niece graduated their engineering school. I hardly recognized the place. There were new buildings all over the campus. Some of the older buildings where I had classes, as well as my old dorm just looked gray and dated. They've all been spruced up now and more facilities are still being built.
When I graduated in '87, it was still Glassboro State College. Five years later, Henry Rowan donated $100 million to the college. Glassboro State became Rowan State College and no, I didn't like the change. As it expanded, it eventually became Rowan University.
One of the constants is still Angelo's Diner. It's been in this spot for over seventy years. The owners retired in December and sold the place. The new owners vowed to keep it open and running.
Back then, it was a short walk into town from campus. Now, the campus has expanded to right across the street, with some campus offices further up the street. None of this was here back in my day.
As for exploring the preserve, one site mentioned trails, another just said a dirt road. I drove about a mile and a half in. Between the potholes and sliding on the loose mud, I figured I had gone far enough.
It was late afternoon when I left Glassboro. I wasn't going that far, perhaps a half hour. I was staying at the same motel I always do when visiting Mom, the Sonesta Suites in Mt. Laurel. Since I was coming in from a different direction, the GPS took me in the back way past a gazebo and a small lake.
The first hint of colors...
And just like that, it was over. Not a bad way to end the day though.
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