| Getting out of Jersey
City was a stressful drive with roadworks and masses of traffic. But once on
the interstate system it got easier although very expensive. This lifting
railway bridge is across one of the many inlets. |  |
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At the edge of a huge city there is a container port with thousands of
containers waiting for transport by sea and rail. |
| Arriving at the house of
our friends just north of Philadelphia we walked to a local nature reserve.
This is an American robin which is larger than the English one. |  |
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This is a Carolina chickadee, another common bird in some parts of the
state. |
| Somewhat larger is the
common or purple grackle. This is purely an American bird and not seen in
Europe. |  |
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The colours here are changing. Being further south they are somewhat behind
New York. |
| We had a trip out to the
New Jersey Atlantic coast on Long Beach Island. Here there are hundreds of
holiday homes. This is typical. |  |
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A slightly larger example. This is raised on piles so that when the storms
and hurricanes come it is less likely to be swept away. Current planning
rules now require homes here to be built in this style. |
| But then people box in
the lower sections to provide garages. This is a larger example and is
potentially more vulnerable. |  |
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Looking at the beach one can see why folk come here. But it is a very
vulnerable shoreline in the many storms each year. |
| Barnegat lighthouse is at
the north end of the island. It is 165 feet high and has many warnings at
the bottom about not trying to climb to the top if you have any health
issues. |  |
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It was built in 1859 and in service until 1944. There are 237 steps to get
to the top. |
| There are views over the
island and the surrounding waterways. |  |
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I was testing the zoom on the new camera. This bridge is at Atlantic City
about 35 miles to the south. |
| The fresnel lens around
the light at the top of the lighthouse. |  |
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There were few seabirds. This is a common cormorant. |
| There were more on the
seashore like this juvenile ruddy turnstone. |  |
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