Sandy Hook National Seashore Preserves My Wife’s Old Home
©Bert Gildart: Here in Great Meadows, New Jersey, where we are visiting family, we are not far from a relatively new national park which combines natural history with military history. Sandy Hook National Historic Park includes old Fort Hancock, which in turn preserves a row of homes that served as the quarters for army officers.
Between 1958 and 1959, Janie’s dad was a military doctor who served at the old post and lived there with his family, which means Janie lived in a house that is now part of the history of Sandy Hook National Seashore.
Janie standing in front of her old home
We toured the old fort and national seashore with Janie’s son and his family and, of course, our explorations brought back many memories. Janie remembers driving the old peninsula flanked by a bay on one side and by the Atlantic Ocean on the other. Today, the park is also renowned for its beauty, which includes several sweeping vistas of the New York skyline. As part of the skyline view one can see the new Freedom Tower, which has replaced the two Twin Towers. (You can see it if you click the image and look closely.)
L to R: Nike Missiles located but a short walk from Janie’s old home at Fort Hancock. Parade grounds formed her backyard. Fort Hancock Lighthouse, nation’s oldest. Seashore is a biker’s mecca.
From the park’s broad sandy seashore, which one encounters after driving or biking through the park entrance, the park road soon progresses on to old Fort Hancock and, of course, we had to stop by Janie’s old home and hike the parade grounds which formed part of her back yard. (Two of the images show the officer’s row of homes and her’s was number 13.)
From the porch on her old home, she could see Raritan Bay, but when she ventured from her home she knew that a short walk would take her to several Nike Missiles, used to protect New York City. A short walk in another direction offered her the opportunity to examine old bunkers used to house canons. And in yet another direction a short hike would place her at the base of a light house, said to be the nation’s oldest.
Jane Gildart back dropped by New York skyline and the new Freedom Tower -- as seen from Sandy Hook National Seashore..
The day could not have been more beautiful providing the deep blue skies which backdrop several of the images I’ve included here.
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THIS TIME THREE YEARS AGO:
4th ed. Autographed by the Authors
Hiking Shenandoah National Park
Hiking Shenandoah National Park is the 4th edition of a favorite guide book, created by Bert & Janie, a professional husband-wife journalism team. Lots of updates including more waterfall trails, updated descriptions of confusing trail junctions, and new color photographs. New text describes more of the park’s compelling natural history. Often the descriptions are personal as the Gildarts have hiked virtually every single park trail, sometimes repeatedly.
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Montana Icons: 50 Classic Symbols of the Treasure State
Montana Icons is a book for lovers of the western vista. Features photographs of fifty famous landmarks from what many call the “Last Best Place.” The book will make you feel homesick for Montana even if you already live here. Bert Gildart’s varied careers in Montana (Bus driver on an Indian reservation, a teacher, backcountry ranger, as well as a newspaper reporter, and photographer) have given him a special view of Montana, which he shares in this book. Share the view; click here.
$16.95 + Autographed Copy
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Glacier Icons: 50 Classic Views of the Crown of the Continent
Glacier Icons: What makes Glacier Park so special? In this book you can discover the story behind fifty of this park’s most amazing features. With this entertaining collection of photos, anecdotes and little known facts, Bert Gildart will be your backcountry guide. A former Glacier backcountry ranger turned writer/photographer, his hundreds of stories and images have appeared in literally dozens of periodicals including Time/Life, Smithsonian, and Field & Stream. Take a look at Glacier Icons
$16.95 + Autographed Copy
