Let me tell you about the story of New Jersey's "Blue Hole". Located deep in the Pine Barrens of Winslow, NJ "The Blue Hole" is a small but legendary body of water that is said to be bottomless and also a favorite hang out of The Jersey Devil. Although the surface is calm and blue unlike the neighboring flowing rivers that sport a brown undertone, those foolish enough to venture into "The Blue Hole's" waters have told stories of powerful currents that try to suck you under and freezing water tempatures regardless of the time of season. Some believe the hole was made by a meteorite striking the Earth. Others believe its a portal for the supernatural. Whatever the true secret of The Blue Hole is, I was determined to take a look at it and decide for myself.
The road to "The Blue Hole"
My journey to The Blue Hole began by turning down a dirt road that lead me into the heart of New Jersey's infamous Pine Barrens. The road is actually pretty close to the Atlantic Ciy Expressway, which I've been on a million times so I didn't feel that uncomfortable. However, my comfort level soon changed as the foilage of the trees grew thicker and thicker and the image of the main road in my rearview mirror grew smaller and smaller.
The New Jersey Pine Barrens
You see most people that go on these weird travels usually don't go alone. But yet here I was all by myself driving further and further into the Pine Barrens looking for some obscure hole in the ground. Maybe if I was used to hiking and camping this wouldn't seem so unusual but I don't know how to explain it, The New Jersey Pine Barrens has a spirit of its own. Its almost like no matter where you are you feel like someone or something is watching you. Even in the middle of a beautiful summer afternoon I was getting sudden feelings of dread as my Jeep slowly crept down the dirt road.
The Parking Lot for The Blue Hole
Eventually the dirt road led to a circle with a group of trees in the middle of it. This is pretty much as far as you can go by vehicle, so I parked and set out on foot for the rest of the trip.
The dirt road quickly turns to heavy sand.
If you don't have an SUV you probably want to stop before reaching the Tree Circle landmark because the dirt road suddenly turns into sand. Heavy sand that the tires of my Jeep sank into and I could only imagine a normal car gettting stuck in.
The Broken Bridge to The Blue Hole
After parking I noticed I was right by a river and what appeared to be a broken bridge. This bridge once made the "The Blue Hole" easily accessible, but about 40 years ago a violent storm wiped it out. At least that's what they say. Maybe the destroyed bridge is a way of someone saying you don't want to go down this path any further.
The Water Walkway to The Blue Hole
Fortunately to the left of the broken bridge is a shallow area of the river that is passable on foot. You can see in the picture above that the rocks on the floor of the river almost make a clear walkway right to the path on the other side. On the day I went the highest the water got was to my knees, but don't get me wrong, I was just waiting for something to jump out of the water at me. However, I ventured on, knowing that my goal was only a few hundred feet away down the path on the other side of the river.
The Blue Hole
I had made it to "The Blue Hole". At first I wasn't that impressed, but after looking at it for a minute or so the thing I noticed the most was how deathly silent it was around it. No cheerping birds, no wind blowing the branches, it was really strange. Also, its crazy how almost perfectly round the hole is, and how it just seems to appear out of nowhere for no reason. One second your walking on a dirt path and the next there's just this random round body of water to the left of you.
What lies beneath these strange waters?
My pictures don't do "The Blue Hole" justice but there really is a blue tint to the water. I think its because that same heavy sand I experienced earlier is probably what lies beneath the water causing the sun to reflect off of it and make the water look blue, a la the kind of water you see in The Bahamas. Now did I test out the waters? No fucking way! I'm not going to sit here and lie to you, there was no way I was going in that water. Being in the woods alone is one thing, swimming alone in the woods is just fucking crazy. Again, for you nature freaks out there you're probably laughing at me and calling me a noob, but I don't care. I had made my way and found the legendary Blue Hole all by myself, that has to count for something.
BONUS MATERIAL: Check out this short film about "The Blue Hole"
SHORE ATTRACTIONS: SEA ISLE CITY, NJ
Sure everyone who goes to Sea Isle City will tell you about how awesome the bars Ocean Drive and La Costa are, but if you're over the age of 25 they might not exactly be for you. That's why I'm suggesting the following two places the next time you find yourself in one of New Jersey's finest shore towns:
Supposedly the story about this place goes back to the summer of 1980 when the saloon was being built and a dog that was friendly with the construction workers was killed by a car while chasing a cat into the street. After grieving for their fallen friend the bar's owner and the crew decided to bury their construction companion beneath the foundation, hence The Dead Dog Saloon. But besides the final resting place for one of man's best friends this bar offers a great place to grab a drink without the filth and noise of the other clubby establishments in the area.
Braca totally rocks! The food is awesome if you looking to dine but what really sells this place is if you get there after 10pm they have a signature drink called "The 302" which is a frozen drink that consists of two shots of 151 Rum and some strawberry juice. This drink may look girly to hold but it can definitely kick you on your ass if you're not careful. The crowd tends to be more mature but now that the secret about "The 302" is out, the crowd at Braca has become increasingly younger as beach party goers look for that one drink to either kickstart the night or end it in a hardcore fashion.
WELCOME TO THE GATES OF HELL!!!
Clifton, NJ - The Gates of Hell
Somewhere in a sewer tunnel in Clifton, NJ is a possible portal to hell itself. Do you believe it? To tell you the truth I don't know what to think. I was preparing to go exploring myself to this historic local legend landmark, but after reading the messageboard on the Weird NJ website I changed my mind.
Is this the path to Hell? Some say "Yes!"
It seems the Clifton Police Department is really cracking down on the "No Trespassing" law for the area that "The Gates of Hell" resides on due to a series of vandalism and local complaints of outsiders looking for a thrill. It's not that I'm scared, it's just that I'm too old to deal with cops when it comes to shit like this. So I present to you a Weird NJ TV exclusive on "The Gates of Hell", which is basically what I would have done anyways.
HOW THE WESTMONT THEATHER CHANGED THE HISTORY OF MOTION PICTURES
The Westmont Theater Westmont, NJ
Steven Spielberg, yes Steven "E.T." "Close Encounters..and all those other cool movies" Spielberg credits seeing "The Greatest Show on Earth" at the Westmont Theater in 1952 at the age of five as what inspired him to become a director. The young Spielberg lived in Haddonfield while his father worked at the RCA building in Camden, New Jersey. Yeah, Camden actually use to be respectful back in the day.
Steven Spielberg
But just think about it, this small theater in south jersey in some way played a role in the history of motion pictures. What if this theater didn't exist in 1952 and the young Spielberg didn't go to the movies, would the "Summer Blockbuster" or the way films are made today be the same?
The Westmont Theater opened in 1927 and began showing silent films. Back then every Sunday a 120-piece orchestra would perform along with the film playing on the screen. The theater closed during World War II, but reopened in 1949 when it was renovated into a 1,200-seat first-run movie house. But ironically, the movie icon who was destined for greatness because he saw a movie at the Westmont Theater might actually be the cause of the theater's demise. Because with the birth of the "Summer Blockbuster" thanks to a movie called "Jaws" the movie industry and movie theaters began to change. Theaters expanded from just 1 to 2 screens to massive complexes that could hold anywhere between 12 to 24 movie screens. As the times changed The Westmont Theater however did not, and in 1986 the curtain fell and the doors closed on this New Jersey landmark.
YOU KNOW YOU LIVE IN NEW JERSEY WHEN...
You don't understand why there aren't more 24-hour diners elsewhere in the country.
You know what a Wawa is, and know the location of at least 15 of them.
You know what became of the 13th Leeds child, and claim to have seen him one time while peeing in the woods.
You know that you should get the hell out of Camden before dark.
You know how to successfully handle a traffic circle.
You think the Olive Garden is a bunch of crap and should not open restaurants in New Jersey.
You can't believe MTV went to Seaside Heights.
You know that ACME is an actual store, not just a Warner Bros. creation.
The mafia runs half the businesses in your town.
You have mandatory recycling. Enforced by law.
You've made a meal out of Tastycakes and Herr's BBQ potato chips.
You know it can be -10 degrees and 70 degrees in January in the same year.
You will always say "YO", and you'll say it often.
You know that this is the only "New" state that doesn't require "New" to identify it (try . . Mexico York Hampshire-- doesn't work, does it?). You live within 20 minutes of at least three different malls.
You go to another state and sit at a gas station wondering when the people will come out to pump your gas.
You think North Jersey is a different state and South Jersey deserves its own secession.
Every time someone in Hollywood makes fun of Jersey, you're mad and proud at the same time.
BEWARE THE JERSEY DEVIL!!!
RANDOM FACTS ABOUT NEW JERSEY
New Jersey has the highest cost of living.
New Jersey has the highest cost of auto insurance.
New Jersey has the highest property taxes in the nation
New Jersey is the only state where all of its counties are classified as metropolitan areas.
New Jersey has more race horses than Kentucky.
New Jersey has more Cubans in Union City (1 sq mi.) than Havana, Cuba.
New Jersey has the densest system of highways and railroads in the US.
New Jersey has the most diners in the world and is sometimes referred to as the "Diner Capital of the World."
New Jersey is home to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
The Passaic River was the site of the first submarine ride by inventor John P. Holland
New Jersey is a major seaport state with the largest seaport in the US, located in Elizabeth. Nearly 80 percent of what our nation imports comes through Elizabeth Seaport first.
The light bulb, phonograph (record player), and motion picture projector, were invented by Thomas Edison in his Menlo Park, NJ, laboratory.
The first phonograph records were made in Camden,NJ.
The game Monopoly, played all over the world, named the streets on its playing board after the actual streets in Atlantic City. And, Atlantic City has the longest boardwalk in the world.
The first baseball game was played in Hoboken, NJ, which is also the birthplace of Frank Sinatra.
The first drive-in movie theater was opened in Camden, NJ, (but they're all gone now!).
The first radio station and broadcast was in Paterson, NJ.
ALL NEW JERSEY NATIVES:
Jack Nicholson, Bruce Springsteen, Bon Jovi, Jason Alexander, Susan Sarandon, Shaq, Alan Ginsberg, Norman Mailer, Alexander Hamilton, Whitney Houston, Grover Cleveland, Woodrow Wilson, Walt Whitman, Jerry Lewis, Tom Cruise,Bruce Willis, Ice-T, Danny DeVito, Joe Pesci, Meryl Streep, Paul Simon, Kevin Spacey, John Travolta, Ray Liotta, and "Uncle Floyd" Vivino.
