I found a new place to go Outlanding! It’s a bit of a drive from where I am (about an hour and 45 minutes), but it’s BIG and has all sorts of trails of all different types and best of all… it’s legal to go there!
Of course, I’m talking about the Pine Barrens here in New Jersey. I went down there to explore it, and found out that the area is literally criss-crossed with dirt roads and assorted trails that can be navigated by various types of off-road and soft-road vehicles. So of course, I dove in and went exploring!
I’ve added a set of photos to my Flickr page with pictures from the trip, but here are a few choice samples.
This is the first road I went down. I think it must’ve been a fire road, because along the left there were many ditches dug in the ground – probably to contain a forest fire.
As you can see, the ground had been previously scorched by fire. But I’ve read that this is a natural part of the growth of the forest, so I guess it’s not too bad. Still, it was weird to see.
The Keithmobile was really in its element out here. The roads were rough, but not too rough. Perfect for a soft-roader like the Outlander.
At one point, I did come across some rather tricky bits – some sand that had been shaped into very steep hills and bumps and ditches. But the Keithmobile powered through it just fine, although I’m sure I scraped some sand into the front grille. After a while, the trail became too technical for me – which is just another way of saying that it suddenly became very hard! I fully admit and realize that the Keithmobile isn’t built for serious hard-core off-roading, but that’s OK. I just turned around and tried a different trail. I was just glad that the soft sand didn’t bog me down – I was worried for a minute there! Soft sand can be dangerous – it’s easy to get stuck, and I don’t have the right tires for driving in soft sand (big tires with bead-locks so you can let out the air to make them soft so they drive better on soft sand).
This stretch of road reminded me very strongly of the dirt roads in the Australian Outback. I’d actually driven on such roads on a place called Kangaroo Island years back – although on Kangaroo Island, the road was full of holes! Still, it was fun.
The pine barrens are surprisingly… flat. Seriously, go look at a topographical map of the area. It’s very, very flat. So I couldn’t get a good picture of the area – I tried holding the camera up over my head, but all you could see was more pine trees. But I guess that’s the point, isn’t it?
Anyway, those are just some of the better pictures from my collection. I didn’t take that many, because I went alone – next time I’ll have to bring Amanda so she can be my co-pilot.
I should mention, if you don’t have a good head on your shoulders, it’s very easy to get lost out there – there are literally miles and miles of trails, and no signs. And since it’s so flat, you can’t get above the trees to get your bearings. If you have a GPS unit, I recommend bringing it. If you don’t (like me), bring someone who can take notes of the turns you make so you can find your way back. Or, just trust in your own sense of direction (as I did).
Rest assured, I’ll go back there again! It was a blast!!
