Rusting cars on the Columbia Trail

I was biking on the Columbia trail thru califon and came across these cars. they’re definitely on someone property so I kept a respectful distance.

 

 

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1937 Yellowstone Park Bus

I saw this car in Readington, NJ, off to the side of Route 22. I was headed south, not doing anything but driving along, when I saw this 4 row open air … Frankencar. I couldn’t think of another word to describe it. It looked like some really old car had been stretched and customized into something totally new.

Turns out, it wasn’t new at all. It was in fact, very old. The car is owned by the Tewksbury Balloon company and it is used as their chase vehicle. When you fly in a hot air balloon, you gain lift through the use of hot air jets, but despite that you are still at the mercy of the wind. The pilot has to watch the winds very carefully and at the same time be watching the terrain for suitable landing spots. Most of the time, balloon pilots set down in a large open space such as a baseball field, parking lot or a farm. On rare occasions it’s someones backyard. A chase vehicle follows on the ground and when the balloon lands they pick up the pilot and passengers. The basket goes on or in the vehicle along with the balloon itself.

This chase vehicle is a 1937 White Model 614 Yellowstone Tour bus. Yellowstone National Park was the first National Park established in the United States by President Grant on March 1, 1872. Covering over 3,400 square miles, the Park was a popular destination for Americans eager to explore thanks to the recent introduction of the automobile. As visitor levels soared, increasing traffic volumes created problems for Park management so in 1917, multi-passenger bus tours were introduced. The model pictured above was first introduced in 1931. These 14-passenger units featured glass side windows and an opening top cover so that guests could stand up to enjoy the scenery. These buses also had a more powerful 75hp engine than their predecessors, to facilitate climbing the mountain passes, and new hydraulic brakes provided increased safety.

Many of the Yellowstone buses are prized by collectors and are often used in tourism related businesses. More information on the history and models of Yellowstone buses can be found at Geyser Bob’s detailed website here.

The Tewksbury Balloon company flies passengers over the hills of northern and central NJ out of White House Station, so if you fly with them you can ride in their Yellowstone bus on trip back to their launch site. There are lots of pictures on their facebook page.

You can also see pics of another restored 1937 yellowstone bus here

the Glen Gardner tank

Lambertville High School

The school was built in 1854, remodeled in 1926, and then closed in 1955. A fire gutted the center portion of the building and the roof in 1992. (arson of course) The central part of the school burned completely, and in the past few years the floor collapsed in one section, eliminating the infamous “children on the blackboard”. This was a series of eerie faces carved into a blackboard on the second floor.

THE LEGEND OF BUCKEYE

The legend begins in 1935 as Lambertville HS plays an annual football game against the Buckeyes from New Hope. Unfortunately this annual Thanksgiving event is marred by the death of a wide receiver on the opposing team. The parents protest that football is too dangerous, and the New Hope school closes it’s football program.

After the school closed in 1955, it became a hangout for the rowdy kids. One night some kids got drunk and the subject of the dead wide receiver comes up. One of them yells out a challenge to the dead football player, a 100 yard dash. A pair of eyes appear across the field, and orders them to race the field or die. One boy runs and collapses. The remaining boys reluctantly run the field, but once to the other side, they realize one of the boys isn’t with the group any more. They run home, their parents call the cops, and eventually the bodies of the two boys are found, their heads turned almost backwards. Ever since then it is said then anyone challenging Buckeye will not live thru the night….don’t even say the word, lest you die on the spot….

Photos come courtesy of a reader who wishes to remain anonymous.

The abandoned school is on private property, and entering it would involve trespassing. The school is structurally questionable and going inside is very risky. We do not encourage you to trespass or to take unnecessary risks.

Abandoned house in Hunterdon County

The house sits maybe 150 yards off the road, and the “driveway” (a pair of depressions in the weeds) sits behind a large thicket of bushes so it is concealed from traffic on that side of the road.. The stairs to the porch ere gone so I hoisted myself up and almost went directly into the doorway but caught myself before pitching headlong into one of the biggest spiderwebs I have ever seen. There was just enough room to squeeze under it without touching it.

The living room seemed bare and unassuming. I headed towards the back, where it seemed as if the 2nd floor either collapsed or was taken down for some reason, as I could see into the upstairs bedrooms. I headed up a spiral stairway, going carefully because I could see it was not aligned well. The upstairs bathroom was destroyed, and I could see thru some holes in the roof. There was a basement but I decided against going in there for safety.

stone ruins

old stone building

the greatest pumpkin chucker comes from Bergen County

Punkin Chunkin is a contest where people design trebuchets and catapults to launch pumpkins 250-400 MPH more then half a mile. The competitions is fierce but fun and drives people to outdesign the next guy. The designers typically come from rural areas because to test the design you have to be able to launch it a half mile and not hit anybody or anything. Surprisingly the world champ pumpkin chucker comes from one of the most densely populated counties of the most densely populated state in the country.

Team chucky trains at a farm in Hunterdon County.

If I can, I’m going to try to get to see Chucky up close.

Pattenburg Tunnel

I know a little bit about the Pattenburg tunnel, but would appreciate any info anyone can provide me.

Mary’s Tower the victim of arson

According to this post and this one Mary’s Tower was the victim of arson in early 2007.