By Charlie Fineran

Hi Everyone:

Today’s Photo of the Week is serving two purposes, giving you a heads up about the First Day of Winter (SEE BELOW) and to remind you that with the advent of Winter comes the possibility of some interesting ICE PHOTOS along the Delaware River which are shown above.  Usually, it needs to be cold for quite a while before the Delaware River begins to freeze over or experience ice jams!!  When this occurs it does create interesting visits watching the ice flows and listening to the various grinding noises made by the moving ice masses.  NOTE:  Please stay off the ice. For your information the above photos were taken in the late afternoon 5:40PM on January 12, 2014, on visit to the Water Gap Area along the Delaware.  Looking at the photos and amount of ice that must have been a pretty cold December into early January.

It is quite amazing just how far our sun travels along any given horizon from its southern most position, the Winter Solstice, December 21, shortest day of the year, to the Summer Solstice, June 20, the longest day.  Several times over the years I have sent emails showing the various positions of the sun using sunrise or a sunset, all you need is a nice wide panorama and some co-operation from the weather!  Remember, this coming Thursday, December 21, 2023 is known as the Winter Solstice.  The day the sun reaches its furthest point south AND The First Day of Winter!!!  Thursday is also the longest night of the year!!  There is a GOOD NEWS / BAD NEWS section to this article.  The good news is that every day after the sun begins to move back north, each day is a little longer – UNFORTUNATELY, our temperatures are going to be getting colder for the next two months.

Some other neat places for charting the Sun’s Movement:

Great Meadows Hope Road Scenic Overlook – Summer Solstice the sun sets in the Delaware Water Gap – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157667330650493/ then begins to work its way south or to the left getting almost out of sight behind the tree line.

Eagle Rock Reservation in West Orange, NJ just off I 280.  This is Essex County’s 9/11 Memorial.  The Winter Solstice has sunrise just over the southern tip of NYC – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157662514518871/ and then the sun heads north or to the left out of sight almost parallel to the cliffs!!  This is a fun visit, covering a vast area from Staten Island across the Verrazano Bridge up through NYC up beyond the George Washington Bridge!!  There is also a lot to see in between Eagle Rock and NYC twelve miles east, Newark Airport, NJ Turnpike and on and on!!

Overlooks along Skyline Drive atop the mountain in Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area. – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157646979242693/ Skyline Drive is the road between Blue Mountain Lakes and Crater Lake!!  Another vast horizon with some impressive downward views!!  **NOTE:  Winter time you must hike in from Blue Mtn Lakes parking area or hike up Fiddlers Elbow Road**

Appalachian Trail Overlooks – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/albums/72157693035131731/

Enjoy Your Open Space

Charlie Fineran 
Director Open Space 
Allamuchy Township Environmental Commission – Chairman 
Allamuchy Historical Society – President