Breathtakingly lovely Scenic Overlook - Morristown Highway New Jersey

The weather's been lovely since the weekend.Its predicted to be the same the entire week fluctuating between fifties and sixties Fahrenheit.I want to get in a lot of outdoor fun before the winter begins to set in.I have been wanting for a long time to head off somewhere peaceful away from the crowds and the city.

Having lived in the UAE for so long amidst skyscrapers,date palms and the vast desert along the highways, I simply love living in New Jersey with so much nature around me.In Abudhabi, everytime we needed to relax away from the  hustle bustle of the city, we would head off to the Corniche.The sight of the calm waters and the soothing sound of the sea would fill us with serenity.There is seating arrangement with round tables and benches in a dome like structure constructed at a distance from each other.Usually, armored with roller blades,bicycle,badminton rackets and KFC/South Indian snacks, we would head off to the Corniche for a lovely family time together on most weekends.

I miss the Corniche/the beach in New Jersey.However, the lovely parks with breautiful lakes and greenery gives me the same pleasure I used to feel at the Corniche.

The first thing I noticed on my way from the airport was the license plates on which New Jersey was nicknames as the Garden State.I thought it was due to the lovely greenery all over New Jersey.Apparently, it isn't so.Its so called because it was nicknamed by some mayor who thought NJ was a great place to enjoy with Pennsylvania on one end and NY on the other.History can be funny yeah especially on retrospect.I'm not a big fan of history so no more history lessons for the day :P

I usually do not realize when I'm feeling restless or moody for a while that all I need is lovely nature to enjoy and just totally relax.I have had enough of shopping malls and NY and restaurants for a while.I had been bugging my husband all weekend for something different.He took me to the mall thinking I needed some retail therapy (wink wink ) LOL But I came back totally unsatisfied with the experience.

On a random totally spur of the moment thought we headed to the highway.My hubby recalled seeing a sign somewhere on the highway for the scenic overlook.And here we are :D

This place on the Morristown/ Somerville highway is called the Scenic Overlook.Its basically a rest area and trespassing after sunrise is not allowed.We drove up on the mountain.WHOA !!

It was breathtaking.We were on the mountain top sometime before sunset.The air felt slightly chilly.But it felt so good to be on a mountain and breathing the fresh air.

You can see the highway down there.

There were thousands of trees in sight.Now I know why its known as the Garden State ;)

We walked towards the fence looked down straight at the highway.By the way,it read  "trespassing not allowed"  :~ It was just meant as a rest area.There were 2/3 cars in the parking lot.Both the drivers were "resting" in the rest area.They were actually reading.Another guy was just sitting and looking around.We were the only ones who were walking around and taking pictures like this was one of the seven wonders of the world :P LOL

This was the end where there was no fence.My husband was scared I was gonna slip and fall.I still managed to take one quick picture.

WHOA !!!

We were so high up there.We looked straight down at the highway.

Later on, another couple drove in.They also took pictures along the fence overlooking the highway.The lady was super sweet and offered to take our pictures.She said we looked lovely together and wanted to take more pictures.She made my day.Its so hard to come by such friendly people.

That was a lovely view of the sunset.

There's only 2/3 pictures more, I promise.

That was after the sun had set in and my last picture.

On the way down.

It was a weekend spent wonderfully.A refreshing start for the week ahead :)

Shopping in NJ

Hi all,

Its been raining for about a week now.Seriously !!!And it rains all day and night.Wonder where that is ???hmmmm……New Jersey.Its beginning to get really cold here.We’ve started with our thermal wear and the long coats.I wonder when the gloves will be out of the closet and be put to use.The last I recall using them was on our trip to Lake Placid in Albany,NY.Boy was it freezing or what !!!This is in such a contrast to the weather in the UAE where winter doesn’t set in until late november.The winter in the UAE is actually quite pleasant during the day.It does get a little colder at night.But a single sweater/blanket is enough to carry you through the night.In fact, every time I complain to my mom about the dull gloomy weather due to the constant drizzling, she goes like wow…sounds real nice.I wish we had some in the UAE.Its still quite hot in the UAE.My family actually keeps the central air conditioner turned on .

We’ve also started the central heating since last week which leads to another major problem.Due to the harsh winter, we need to keep the central heating turned on which sucks out the humidity/moisture from air and leads to dryness of the skin as well as the inner lining of the nose.As a result, we tend to suffer from nose bleeds and extremely taut,itchy skin.So been planning for a while and finally headed off to the mall for winter shopping …yayyyyy
I’ll be updating soon about the visit to Bridgewater Commons, NJ.

Until then,
Toodles