Sandy Hook and the Highlands
I shoot a lot of photographs in and around New Jersey. One of my frequent stops is Sandy Hook and the Highlands located on the northeast shore of New Jersey. An incredible mixture of nature and human history just miles from the great metropolis. On the north eastern beaches of Sandy Hook you can clearly see NY City. There is just so much to see and do. Miles of beach, hiking and biking paths, historic sites such as Ft Hancock, the old nike missile base and the Sandy Hook lighthouse, these are just to name few.
View of NY and the Verrazano bridge from Sandy Hook
One of the towers of the Highlands Twin Towers lighthouse
The Highlands overlooks Sandy Hook and it has it's own special attraction. The Navesink Highland Twin Towers lighthouse is an interesting structure overlooking Sandy Hook, lower NY Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. Another favorite stop of mine in the Highlands is Bahrs Landing Seafood restaurant. I always need to drop in for a mug of New England Clam chowder after a day at Sandy Hook
My Stop for Chowda at Bahrs Landing Seafood since 1917
Military history buffs will also appreciate Sandy Hook. First there is Ft. Hancock on the northern end of the peninsula which is rich with history dating back to the 1800's. Many interesting building still stand such as barracks, officer quarters, and the gun batteries which the army began construction on in 1890. One can also still visit the Nike Missile facility that was in operation from 1954 to 1974. Last but not least lets also not forget the Sandy Hook lighthouse which was built in 1764.
Fort Hancock on the northern end of Sandy Hook
Part of the Gateway National Recreation Area, Sandy Hook is a great place to spend the day. Not only for history buffs, nature lovers alike will find plenty to see and do. Bird watchers can enjoy the Nike Pond bird blind. Into exercise? No shortage of opportunities here. Miles of biking and walking paths to keep everyone satisfied. If surf fishing is your thing this certainly seems to be the spot . I constantly see people heading out to the beach with their surf fishing gear. I have only touched on a few of the highlights, click the following link for more info. on Gateway National Recreation Area.
Heading out to the beach for bit of surf fishing
Of course let me not forget the abundance of subject matter for the photo bug. Sandy Hook is one of my regular stops when I need some photographic inspiration. I usually take a Pentax K5IIs digital slr along with my 16-85mm and 55-300mm zoom lenses. I favor those two variable focal length lenses because they cover subject matter anywhere from landscapes to wildlife and are easy to carry around. Though on my last two visits, I decided to take more of a minimalist approach by using a Pentax ME Super film camera on one trip and a K1000 on another. On those outings I used only two set focal length lenses, a Pentax 28mm f/2.8 and 50mm f/1.7. The photos on those two trips were taken on either Kentmere Pan 100, Fomapan 100 or Fomapan 200 black and white film which I develop and scan at home. I really enjoy the whole experience and results of keeping things simple. Either way, digital or film, Sandy Hook is a fun and interesting place to take photos.
Click on any of the photos below to view my Sandy Hook Highlands Gallery.
Thanks for viewing :-)
