Day 58...Liberty State Park

SATURDAY, MAY 26, 2012

     At 9:50 a.m. Gary paddled us to the nearby dinghy dock so we could begin our search for Statue of Liberty postcards and the Skipper Bob book about the NY canals including the Erie Canal.  Since it was such a short distance he didn’t take the time and trouble to put the motor on the dinghy. 

     I couldn’t walk past a fisherman without asking him if he knew what kind of fish we saw out in the ocean on our trip up the coast.  He said that they were bunker fish and even showed us one he was using for bait.  I later googled the bunker fish and found out that they are menhaden.  Remember the menhaden plant at Rockville.  They are plankton-eating fish that play an  important role in clarifying ocean water.  They swim in large schools, some reportedly up to 40 miles long.  See.....  In this case it paid to ask a fisherman since I needed an answer to my question.   

     I took a few pictures of TRAVELLER in the anchorage.  Can you see it way back by the buildings?  Of course the other boats weren’t so much bigger only closer to the camera.

     There were joggers, walkers, bicyclists and even a truck driven by the Geese Police on the Hudson River Waterfront Walkway.

     We walked to Liberty Landing Marina to look for the Skipper Bob book but the girl there had no idea what I was asking for.  She did offer to see if they could order it for me.  That was nice.  The guy did suggest we look at the ferry station. As we were walking there we saw a boat that caught our eye.  Can you guess why?  We liked the name of course.

      Liberty State Park opened in 1976 is 1,212 acres in area.  Most of the park’s area is on landfill created by the defunct Central Railroad of New Jersey (CRRNJ) and the Lehigh Valley Railroad whose lines once terminated at the CRRNJ Terminal.  The terminal was built in 1889.   An estimated 10.5 million people entered the country through the station.  Gary wondered if his Gammie was one of them.   As we explored this terminal, I was lucky enough to find my postcards.  

     Inside this historic building, there was an exhibit about Alcatraz.  I wonder if Gary wanted me to stay locked up?

     The ferries that shuttle passengers to the Statue of Liberty National Monument, Ellis Island and Liberty Island depart from nearby.

     Also nearby is the official state memorial to the September 11 attacks of the World Trade Center called Empty Sky.  Behind beams from the building are parallel walls engraved with the names of the victims.  The silver walls are oriented so that they are facing the former World Trade Center. 

     We took the back way to the anchorage via the diner for lunch.  There were a series of stops along the way with exercise stations.  Needless to say I was already too tired from just the walking to participate.

     There were trees along the way shedding their seeds in the winds.  Look closely and you can see the puffballs flying through the air.  There were so many seeds piled up on the sidewalk I heard one of the bicyclists calling it “summer snow”.  I thought that was very appropriate.

     After we got back to the boat and I had my feet up resting from the hike, Gary saw a mother duck and her many ducklings swimming by.  They were so close it looked like they were afraid she was going to lose them.  See how bunched up behind her they are?