Charlie Fineran’s Photo of the Week is a slide you don’t want to slip on!  You are looking DOWN, a very steep DOWN the Sambo Slide, a 600 feet Down, at the Delaware River, and off to the left in the River, you will notice, the north end of Sambo Island.  In this photo you are also looking west, out and across into Pennsylvania.  This interesting and different view shed, is within the vast and beautiful Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area!   To get your bearings, this is in the far Northwest corner of Warren County, just south/down-river of the Walpack Bend, better known as the ‘S curves’ on the Delaware.

OBSERVATION: Now we all know, New Jersey is located EAST!!! of Pennsylvania, RIGHT?!  That means, crossing the Delaware River going East, you should be in New Jersey!  Cross the Delaware River within the ‘S curve’ heading EAST and you can go from New Jersey into Pennsylvania!!  If you continue walking East through Pennsylvania, you will come to the Delaware River again and at this crossing you will be back on track and go into New Jersey!!  You should also get a view of the Sambo Slide!!  OBSERVATION, part 2:  the Delaware River is a North to South flowing River, in the ‘S curve’ it also flows North for a short while before bending around and flowing to the South again.

WHAT IS THE SAMBO SLIDE??!!  Take away the photo and ask that question, I bet you might get a few people guessing, “A new dance??”  Kidding aside, the Sambo Slide is where a portion of an entire forest, dirt and ALL, literally slid, 600 feet long/top to river and 60 feet wide, down the glacially polished bedrock rock of the Kittatinny mountains, into the Delaware River!  This occurred in October 1995, after a heavy rain of about 3.3 inches.  Wish I had my camera back then, I took a kayak trip in November 1995 from Milford PA to the Kittatinny Info Center in the Water Gap.   During that trip I remember coming around the Walpack Bend and wondering, ‘what is wrong with this picture??!!’  I am looking at a deep bare area going up the steep side of the mountain with A LOT of debris along the shoreline and into the River!

When you go to my Flickr site you will be looking at two different visits to the Sambo Slide area. The summer photos from along the banks of the Delaware River were from a trip beginning at Sambo Pond, going down along Sambo Brook and ending up along the banks of the Delaware River just south of the Walpack Bend, across from Sambo Island. In this area I came across the Sambo Slide.  FYI – I know this sounds repetitive, in this area are located the Sambo Rapids, three sets of rapids from just south of the S curve ending just below the Sambo Slide and Sambo Island.  Looking up from the River’s bank, you do not get that sense of awe, because you really don’t get the ‘big picture’,  you see the smooth rock but the view to the top is obstructed by the growth of new trees AND, remember it is summer, with leaves!  My photos taken from the top portion of the slide, during the Winter really give you a better concept of the totality of this incident.  Looking at the photos taken from the top, stop and imagine, the chaos and noise, as an entire forest is speedily sliding/falling, down the mountain!!  Everything must have really ‘BEEN MOVING’, seeing how steep the slope is and how smooth the bedrock is!!

The photos will be your tour.  When looking at the map, the Delaware Water Gap and Toll Bridge where I 80 crosses the river is to your left.

Keep in mind, Winter visits mean great views!!

Please visit my Flickr site for the photos – https://www.flickr.com/photos/charliefineran/sets/72157649329963322/

Enjoy Your Open Space, Charlie Fineran