New York Hiking

Sal meets quite a few people when he's shopping for fish... to be honest, he meets people everywhere he goes, but that's not the point. When he was buying fish for his tank he started talking to a man that worked there. They somehow landed on the topic of hiking and nearby trails, and that's when the man mentioned of a trail in NY, which ended up being closer than I thought! Sal told me to dress appropriately - for some odd reason, I have a rather tough time picking out clothes to wear according to the weatherl of course it may look hot outside, but I'm never sure if there's wind, or if it's going to get cloudy later, so I always dress like it's winter, despite the sun beaming down on us. This time, I dressed perfect - for the weather and the hiking. Sal packed a cooler with water bottles, and I brought a few healthy snacks: apples, almonds, and bars.

It took no time at all to get to the first lake, but then I realized there were seven lakes. Did we stop at the first stop? Of course not, because we are two people that love to go wherever the wind blows. Seriously, we just kept driving until we found a spot that looked almost surreal, had it not been for the people that were making their own way into the lake whether it was by kayak or foot. Once we were in the woods though, away from everyone... it was just us and nature, and it was as if we were breathing for the first time. The air was crisp and fresh. I felt like the world had melted away from me, and I could take deep, long breaths without smelling anything other than the fresh water, and the rich oxygen that the trees were giving off. While there were trail markers, we wandered off by the lake. As long as we followed the lake we would not get lost, according to Sal.

When we saw the perfect rock, right by the water's edge, we climbed it, and sat admiring the water and just talking. Isn't it great, just to ponder life and all it's wonders. I'm not sure how long we were on that rock, but long enough to figure out you could scream and make silly noises and you could hear the echo throughout the trees. Our voices were all around us, and it was quite magical - for a few minutes anyways.

We hopped off the rock, and kept walking, until we felt as if we had found another lake entirely. We reconvened and decided that it was best to start walking back, following the trail. We took a break beforehand, having a quick snack to refuel. I was in my own world, quite literally; I never even heard two older hikers walking towards us, which nearly scared me half to death! Thankfully, it wasn't a bear, because I don't know how much help I would have been to Sal.

When we were back at the car, we decided to keep following the lakes to see what else we could find. Before we knew it, we were overlooking the beautiful Hudson River. Sometimes, these adventures lead to difficulties, and I find myself asking... "Now how are we going to take a picture of us with this incredible view behind us?!" Fortunately for us, two individuals saw us struggling, and asked if they might take our picture. Perfect, right!? Uh, is that Luke Bryan!?

We still weren't ready to let this day end just yet; just a little ways down the road, and we began to see signs for a trailside zoo! Of course, Sal, being the animal lover that he is, couldn't say no to a zoo. I was all about walking more, and seeing some animals, until I saw that it was free to get in. It only got worse when I noticed that most of these animals were outside, with the highway being right next to them. It's not that the animals didn't seem well taken care of, it's just that sometimes seeing these animals in cages upsets me. I understand some would be extinct if we didn't keep them in zoos, but it just leads to me to think, "what kind of life is that?" I sure wouldn't want to be locked up in a cage, pacing and pacing. I did notice that some of the animals were being moved to bigger habitats though, which is a great thing.

I don't think we could have walked anymore, even if we wanted to. We decided to splurge on dinner and headed to Steak & Shake (if you've never tried their steak burgers or shakes, you're missing out)! Spending the day outside could not have been more perfect, and inexpensive too! Aside from dinner, we didn't open our wallets once! What more could you ask for?

The Turtleback Zoo

It was gorgeous out, and Sal and I refused to spend the day inside, even though our original plans had been to spend all day in bed watching movies. It was just way too nice out to stay in all day. We wanted to soak up as much sun as we could, especially on my days off, because I don't see the sunlight during my workday, except from a window. Sal suggested we go to the driving range, but even I knew that would only last as long as the bucket of golf balls. It at least gave us a place to be outside and talk about where we could go and what we could do for the rest of the day.

So we swung and hit a few golf balls, but before long Sal had a great idea and suggested we head to The Turtleback Zoo. Now mind I hadn't been to this zoo in YEARS, probably since I was in elementary school on a class trip! I was hesitant because I didn't know how far away it was; however, my reluctance didn't last long! Before I knew it, we were on our way, parking, and walking into the zoo! Anyone looking for an inexpensive date? GO TO THE ZOO, especially a local one!

It was completely transformed, but I guess that's what donations and over ten years does to a place! Immediately, I saw a sign for the penguins, and like a little child, I ran to see them. There were a few, but most of them were hiding from the sun. I swear, if I could have a pet penguin I would. We walked around the zoo, stopping at each animals home, and admiring the way they sat there, the way they interacted with one another, and the way they reacted to our presence. It was incredible to be able to see them, while not exactly in their natural habitat, in a habitat that would help them live longer and healthier, keeping them protected, some of them from extinction. 

Sal and I couldn't get over how new and beautiful everything looked. They even built a new touch tank, and of course, anything that has fish, especially fish you can touch, Sal is all for it. That was when Sal turned into a child, and threw his hands into the tank of stingrays, touching one after another. I'm not sure why, but stingrays still scare me, despite their stingers being taken out. This little girl across the tank showed no fear and almost went as far as jumping in with the stingrays! Thankfully her parents stopped her. The one thing that hasn't changed though, that I can still remember quite well, were the prairie dogs. Yes I know they're most likely not the same ones, but their habitat didn't change at all! We were still able to crawl into tunnels to get a closer look, and while I'm sure I fit a lot better when I was younger, that didn't stop me this time! I made sure to get up close and personal with them! 

When we reached the birds, I have to admit I wasn't excited, nor was I excited when Sal found out we could feed the birds using a stick with bird seed on it, but when I walked through the door, I was in awe. The color surrounding us was beyond incredible, the birds were talking and flying around, and I was speechless. Sal held out the bird seed stick and we watched and waited for a bird to land. When one did, I swear it was one of the coolest things I've ever seen. Eventually Sal bought another feeding stick, so that we could both feed birds, and I soon let go of the fact that we had paid $2 each to feed birds. I'm still not convinced on having birds in our house when were older though. I'd rather see them in zoos and in trees in my backyard. 

The otter was another awesome animal, swimming with strong strokes in the water, putting on a show just for Sal and I! When the zoo was closing, even though I made sure we had seen every animal, I didn't want to leave! We had such a great time walking around, exercising without even realizing it, and seeing such unique animals, especially those known for living in NJ! I would definitely go back again, as I'm sure Sal would agree! It seems like day trips decided on last minute seem to work out well for us!