Yesterday and this morning we explored a very small segment of this amazing national recreation area. At the Dingman’s Visitors Center we learned that the history of the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area is closely tied to the beginnings of the environmental movement in the 1960’s and 70’s and a proposed federally funded dam that was never built. What was once a vast swath of privately held land is now a public park. Hiking, camping, cultural history. We visited the Dingman’s Visitors Center to get an orientation to the park then climbed to the top of the falls that was once home to the Dingman family who would charge ten cents to view the falls. This morning we checked out Raymondskill Falls but because of construction couldn’t visit the lower falls viewing platform. Then we hiked the George Childs Park. Wow! Fabulous falls, a historic CCC picnic pavilion, and the ruins of a textile mill!
It was an incredible experience to actually walk the streets of Pompeii, once a bustling resort town in the Roman Empire until 79 AD when an apocalyptic explosion buried it under 20 feet of volcanic ash. Archeological excavations since the 19th Century continue to reveal evidence of a thriving community.
Once the largest cruise ship in the world, Allure of the Seas will be our home for the next seven nights as we cruise the Western Mediterranean and explore the eighteen decks of this behemoth.
Our recent travel misadventures seriously curtailed our time in Rome pre-cruise but we did get to visit the Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel before making the trip to Civitavecchi for an overnight in the port city of Rome preparatory to departing on Allure of the Seas tomorrow.
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