Lighthouse hunting at the Jersey Shore

Navesink Twin Lighthouses

New Jersey has 11 lighthouses. We have visited nine of them. Today we crossed the last 2 off our list. They are both in northeastern New Jersey.

High above the Sandy Hook Lighthouse on the highlands of New Jersey there is an impressive stone structure with a lighthouse at either end. These are the Navesink Twin lights established in 1928.

New York Harbor needed an additional aide to navigation once the Erie Canal was completed and traffic in the harbor increased. The lights are historically significant for many reasons.

1841-The Navesink lights were the first in the United States to have Fresnel lenses installed.

1893-The Pledge of Allegience was first head here accompanied by a grand Naval Flotilla anchored off the coast of Sandy Hook.

1899-Guglielmo Marconi set up his wireless telegraph at the Navesink lights and conducted experiment in transmitting ships in the harbor. Those experiments helped to establish wireless communication as a viable technology.

The lighthouse is located in an winding neighborhood of beautiful homes and pretty gardens. To reach it you must drive a steep one way road to the top and hope that no one is coming down the narrow passage because unless both vehicles are Smart Cars someone will be backing up.  

The lights were closed on the Tuesday that we visited. We spent an hour walking around the structures and enjoying the view before heading out to Sandy Hook. It was dissapointing not to see the museum or climb the tower but will will leave that for another trip.

Fred at Sandy Hook Lighthouse

Sandy Hook is a 4 mile long spit of land that reaches from the base of New Jersey’s  Atlantic Highlands out into New York Harbor. In the late 1700’s it was a serious hazard to navigation for boats using the harbor. Several shipwrecks in early 1761 caused merchants in New York to band together and petition the local government to provide a lighthouse at the tip of the Hook.

The lighthouse, funded by a series of lotteries, was first lit June 11, 1764 making it the oldest lighthouse on US soil that is still standing.

There was an attempt to destroy it during the Revolutionary War but the 10 foot thick stone walls withstood the attack of cannons.

Sandy Hook Lighthouse stands today in what has become the Gateway National Recreation Area, part of the National Park Service. It remains in it’s original position but as prevailing current constantly adds  sand to the Atlantic side of the hook is now located 150 yards from the water.

It has been in continuous service since 1764 except for intentional darkening during the Revolutionary War, Civil War, Spanish American War and World Wars I and II.

We enjoyed our visit to Sandy Hook Lighthouse. Pete, the Park Ranger on duty is a former history teacher and his enthusiasm for the lighthouse and the area were apparent. Turns out that he was raised in New York not far from our home town. We had a lot in common and spent 30 minutes or so chatting with him.  

The climb was 95 steps. I skipped the last 8 which were a ladder straight up into the lantern room. Fred went up and really enjoyed the view of the Atlantic and New York Harbor.

Fortifications at Fort Hancock

I did take a walk around Fort Hancock admiring the fortifications and the Waterfront Victorian homes that were once Officer’s Quarters. Built in the 1890’s, the Fort protected NY Harbor from invasion by sea until after the end of WW II. In the years following the second world war the Fort was armed with anti-aircraft guns and then Nike Missiles. Fort Hancock was decommissioned in 1974. It is now administered by the National Park Service.

Sandy Hook Beach

Garden of beach garbage.

We left the Lighthouse and made a stop at the beach to enjoy the sound of surf and the smell of salt air. Sandy Hook Beach is a a long stretch of shoreline that is part of the Gateway National Recreation Area. We found it peaceful on a warm and sunny September afternoon. We were impressed with the Garden of Garbage leftover from a Summer Education program.

Navesink Twin Lighthouse

2 Lighthouse Road

Highlands, NJ

07732

Open: Wednesday to Sunday 10-4:30

Sandy Hook Lighthouse

85 Mercer Rd

Highlands, NJ

07732

Open for climbing daily 1-4:30

On the Road Again

April was a long time ago. We were in Nashville when my brother David called and told us the our strong and independent mother who lives with him was “not doing good” and he thought she needed to go to the hospital. Thank goodness he recognized her difficulty because she needed immediate help. Two weeks later he was able to take her home again.

We left Nashville that morning and headed back to NY and straight to the hospital. She had been diagnosed with a brain mass of questionable origin. We still don’t know what the mass was but follow up scans have shown that after treatment with steroids and blood pressure medications, it is gone.

Mom is much improved but having difficulty losing some of her independence due to not being able to drive. Our wonderful 84 year old Mom has spent her life taking care of other people and doesn’t like asking others for help.

Mom is stable and well cared for so we are hitting the road again. We will worry and have to adjust to not being a short drive away, which is something that we did not consider when adopting this lifestyle.

Mom with 2 of her Mease Grandchildren at Jess's wedding this Summer

Monday morning we started up the Behemoth grabbed the animals and climbed aboard for a meandering journey South. Meandering because after almost 5 months sitting still we need a little time to get our travel routines set agin.

We are heading to Bradenton Florida to attend John and Kathy Huggin's gathering in October. John and Kathy host a website and a weekly podcast both called Living the RV dream. Their generous sharing of their own full time RV lifestyle were great encouragement for us when we started considering our choices in retirement. We had the pleasure of meeting them in person this Summer.

Colt’s Neck New Jersey was our first stop.

You probably know this already from prior posts but Fred and I love to visit lighthouses. New Jersey has 11 of them and we have visited 9. This trip we will catch up with the last 2.

Tuesday we took a drive to Atlantic Highlands to sample a local brewery.

Atlantic Highlands New Jersey has beautiful  water views. The high vantage point across the Lower Bay allow you to see New York City and Long Island.

View of New York from Atlantic Highlands

Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook is one of those vantage points. At 266 feet above sea level it is the highest natural elevation on the Atlantic Coastal Plain.

Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook is a County Park. In addition to the great views we found  gardens and a picnic area, a playground and a hauntingly beautiful 9/11 Memorial.

The Memorial is located at the highest point in the park. To reach it you walk a shaded path where brass markers serve as a timeline marking the events of that dreadful day.

When you reach the top of the path you see a sculpture of an eagle in flight clutching a twisted steel beam that was once part of the Twin Towers. Looking beyond the eagle you see the skyline of New York. The sculpture is mounted on a large square granite base.

9/11 Memorial at Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook

Monmoth County lost 147 residents when the towers fell. Their names are inscribed on the base.

We visited on September 13th. The base of the statue was covered with flowers and photographs left from a memorial ceremony 2 days before.

I felt awful for the friends and family members who had no other place  to honor those they had sent off to work that day.  Perhaps they were comforted in the presence of others who had suffered the same wrenching loss. Who else could understand that kind of grief?

Never forget.

Mount Mitchill Scenic Overlook

460 Ocean Blvd.

Atlantic Highlands, New Jersey

07716

www.monmouthcountyparks.com

Open daily 7am to dusk

No entry fee