2009-12-15 40 -74

Tue 15 Dec 2009 in 40,-74: 40.7097810, -74.6405124 geohashing.info google osm bing/os kml crox

_{Don't say it, don't say it}

The Blair Drive Project

_{damn he said it}

“	I am so scared!	”
—from The Blair Witch Project

“	You are so corny!	”
—Evan

Location

Blair Drive, near the Matheny Center, in Peapack and Gladstone, Somerset County.

Participants

• Jevanyn
• Gwynnath
• Kyukket
• Evan
• Charlie the Velociraptor (not pictured)

Plans

After going Christmas tree shopping, we'll drive up US 202/206 a few miles into P&G (not that P&G), and follow Blair Road all the way past the Matheny Center. At some point it intersects with, or the name changes to, Blair Drive.

Expedition

I expected Blair Road to go past and around the Matheny Center, a complex of buildings just north of the geohash. What I hadn't expected was that all of Blair Road and Blair Drive was gated/signed as a private roads. The intersection at Main Street in Peapack was blocked by a motorized electric gate, a stark contrast to the vine-covered stone archway at the entrace. At an intersection on Highland Ave., another "Private Road" sign denied us from turning onto Blair Road. At the end of Highland Avenue, the road turned left, and a large, verbose signboard informed us that the Matheny Medical and Educational Center was private property surveilled (is that even a real word?) by security cameras.

We were all disappointed, with the geohash being so close to home and yet unreachable. Evan said, "Can we go around another way to get there?" But it was not to be.

On the trip back, along Highland Avenue, a local resident got into the spirit of the season by decorating a pine tree at the edge of the road with old compact disks. Kyukket got a better picture of it, throwing off rainbows in the headlights as we approached and passed. We didn't identify the contents of the (presumably unreadable) disks, but all the adults immediately flashed back to the late America Online era, when they regularly mailed CDs of their dial-up software to everyone with a mailbox. These CDs quickly became a kitchy collector's item, repurposed as coasters, flying disk toys, and shiny decorations like those on the tree.

Photos

These pictures are from my phone's puny non-flash camera. I will update later when I have shots from Kyukket's camera.

• 

  The intersection at Main Street in Peapack was blocked by a motorized electric gate.

• 

  Another "Private Road" sign denied us from turning onto Blair Road.

• 

  Matheny Medical and Educational Center

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  This signboard faces outgoing traffic, as a warning that you are leaving private property.

• 

  Someone decorated a pine tree at the edge of the road with old CDs.

• 

  Signage on US206: Left for Somerville, Right for Netcong