Dinosaur Trail in Allaire State Park, Wall (Monmouth County)

In Allaire State Park, visitors can find the work of Robin Ruggiero, a New Jersey-based artist who has been using these woods as both her canvas and medium since 2019. Ruggiero's work began with a series of huts and witchy symbols before expanding to include a colony of dinosaurs A tyrannosaurus rex first appeared, later joined by a triceratops, a pterodactyl feeing her offspring, and in October 2020, a stegosaurus. Each dinosaur is meticulously crafted within the park using pieces of downed trees, bones, branches, and leaves. With these pieces being made on location, the artist can often be found hard at work.

High Bridge (Hunterdon County)

High Bridge is named after the wooden railroad trestle. Railroad officials determined that the bridge should be replaced as a precaution against locomotive fires. Between 1859-1865, the bridge was buried with earthen fill and other debris. Two arching stone culverts were built at the base, one for the South Branch of the Raritan River to flow through and the other for vehicle travel along Arch Street

 

Emilio Carranza Memorial, Tabernacle (Burglington County)

Captain Emilio Carranza Rodriguez was a famous early 20th century aviator who became a sort of unofficial peace ambassador just before he died in a tragic plan accident. He flew what was, at the time, the third-longest non-stop flight ever, from San Diego to Mexico City. He was friends with American aviator Charles Lindbergh, which earned Carranza the nickname “Lindbergh of Mexico”. It was on a flight to visit Lindbergh, among others, that Carranza would meet his demise. Carranza flew from Mexico City to Washington D.C. Where he met with president Calvin Coolidge, and then flew to New York. As he was scheduled to leave New York, thunderstorms crowded the sky, and Lindbergh himself warned Carranza not to fly, but he did anyway. He did not make it far as his plane, The Mexico Excelsior, crashed in the Pine Barrens on July 12th, 1928. The site of his crash it today marked by a tall memorial plinth that was paid for by the “Pennies of Mexican Children.” Standing in the middle of a sandy clearing in the Wharton State Forest, the spire is decorated with Aztec-style designs of a falling eagle

 

Washington Valley Park, Bridgewater Township (Somerset County)

Washington Valley Park lies along the First Watchung Ridge in Bridgewater Township. This park consists of approximately 219 acres and is located between the first and second Watchung Mountains at the geographic center of Somerset County. This is Buttermilk Falls.

 

Wreck of the SS Atlantus, Cape May (Cape May County)

The SS Atlantus was a concrete ship launched in 1918. She was built for service between New York and the West Indies. The Atlantus was used to transport American troops back home from Europe and also to transport coal to New England. After 2 years of service, the ship was retired to a salvage yard Virginia in 1920. In 1926, Colonel Jesse Rosenfeld purchased the Atlantus for use in the creation of a ferry dock. On June 8, a storm hit and the ship broke free of her moorings and ran aground 150 feet off the coast of Sunset Beach in Cape May. Several attempts were made to free the ship, but none succeeded.