January 1, 2019 was unseasonably warm here, so Margarita kicked off 2019 with a 6.5 mile hike at Franklin Parker Preserve , a 16 square mile former cranberry farm located in the heart of the New Jersey Pine Barrens.
We had never hiked here before, and were surprised throughout our hike with so many exciting things!
First, we came across a suspension bridge to cross.
The forest trails were gorgeous.
We came across random huge Adirondack chairs to take a rest along our path! Next time we will have to plan to stop and eat lunch here!
There was even an abandoned railroad.
The old cranberry bogs were mesmerizing, especially as the sun began to set.
There was a flooded area and Margarita refused to go through the running water, so I had to carry her.
This is a hike we will definitely be doing again with some of our other pups!
For Whiskey’s first birthday, we kicked-off the weekend by taking her on a solo adventure. Whiskey is not able to do difficult hikes or long walks due to her shoulder issue, so we took her on a mini-hike at Estell Manor Park in South Jersey.
This area was owned by the Estell family and was the site of a glassworks company in the 1800’s.
This land then became the home of a munitions plant during World War I. Click HERE to read more.
Whiskey explored the ruins of Bethlehem Loading Company from 1918 – a WWl Munitions complex.
The park had a nice boardwalk throughout the forrest.
This park really had some beautiful pathways!
Whiskey inspected the river rocks in South River.
What a gorgeous park with wonderful views of South River!
We ended up at Nolde Forest State Park– a gorgeous sate park with more than 665 acres of beautiful woodlands.
What a beautiful place to hike! This area was acquired by Jacob Nolde in the early 1900s. As the story goes, a single white pine grew in a meadow. Inspired by this tree, Jacob Nolde hired an Austrian forester to create a coniferous forest. As the trees grew, they formed a this magnificent forest!
There was a pretty stream running through most of our hike.
Cello and Hooch were excited to be on this adventure!
Throughout the hike, there were many unique stone bridges and lined walkways.
This was Hooch’s first Pennsylvania hike – and first hike in the warmer weather. He was getting tired quickly, and began to stop in the shady areas for a breather!
At one point, in usual Hooch fashion, he decided he was “DONE!”
Belly rubs, anyone?
At the end of the hike, we were rewarded with the beauty of an early 1920’s mansion. In 1926, Hans Nolde, a son of Jacob, began work on the Tudor-style mansion that sits on the property. Today, visitors can tour the grounds as well as the inside of this mansion.
The garden area of the mansion was incredible!
Pennsylvania purchased the property in the late 1960s , and in 1970, Nolde Forest was established as the first environmental education center operated by the Bureau of State Parks. Now operated by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Bureau of State Parks, the park provides a wide variety of programs for students, teachers, and adult groups. Teaching stations offer places for students to work, and benches for those who wish to sit and enjoy nature.
As some of you may have noticed, we now have a TurboPUP badge on the home page of our blog.
Limoncello and Hooch are VERY proud to announce that they have been chosen to be ambassadors for TurboPUP (as seen on Shark Tank!!)
Click HERE to see Shark Tank episode – start at the 21:30 mark.
TurboPUP was founded by Kristina Guerrero (who’s nicknamed “Turbo”). In 2011, Kristina was on a back-country ski trip, and found her self without sufficient food for herself, and her rescued pup, Dunkan. Kristina created a complete meal bar for dogs, packed with nutritious calories from 100% American sourced, grain free, all natural, human grade ingredients. Some ingredients are organic as well! Check out TurboPUP’s products and place your order by clicking HERE or click HERE to see a list of retailers that already carry TurboPUP!
Not only are these meal bars packed with quality ingredients and calories for your pup, but 5% of the profits are donated to causes in support of dogs and Veterans!
Cello and Hooch are now a part of the TurboPup team, representing TurboPUP , and promoting the company’s products during all of their dock diving, camping, and hiking adventures! They will soon be on TurboPUPs website, and will be featured periodically on TurboPUP’s Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter!
…and click HERE to see Cello and Hooch featured in the Sports section of Barking From the Bayou’s Monday news post!
If you like to go on adventures with your four-legged family members like we do, TurboPUP is an easy, compact, and healthy way to fuel your on-the-go pup!
