Hike at Ralph Stover State Park

On Sunday, Frank and I decided it was a great day for a hike! We love hikes for a number of reasons including that they are good for exercise, but also we enjoy the fresh air, element of adventure, and the absolute beauty of nature. We've been on this particular hike several times, but in the past we have only gone as far as a small cave we found and enjoyed sitting in. This time, we decided to find the cave again, but we then continued our hike in the opposite direction and ended up climbing over a barrier to create our own path down a very steep hillside to get to the river at the bottom in the valley at the end of the trails. As we were venturing down this steep hill, we found gorgeous cliffs and rock climbers. I would not recommened jumping over the rail as we did (apparently we were tresspassing! oops!) but I would recommend this hike to anyone!

Ralph Stover January 2010

Ralph Stover November 2010

Castle Hike

So, Frank and I love to go for hikes. We haven't been on a good hike in a long time and a couple weeks ago he brought me to this really cool place in Ramapo, NJ. At the top of a really steep hike up a small mountain (yes, it's pretty steep) there are ruins of a stone mansion that appeared to be burned down at some point. There are 3 fireplaces in the house, beautiful brick detailing above the huge windows, and a guest house in the front. We also found an inground pool and a tower they used for energy further up the mountain. I would encourage anyone to do this hike! It also has a breathtaking view from the top and a very clear view of the New York City  skyline. Enjoy the pictures!