Bass River

     Tuesday, August 10, 2021: On his day I felt a bit of nostalgia because I visited a place where my parents used to take my brothers and me camping in the 1960s and ‘70s: Bass River State Forest, 762 Stage Road, Bass River Township (Burlington County), New Jersey (609-296-1114). This was NJ’s first state forest, founded in 1905, In 1933, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) built most of the structures here, built the roads, planted many of the trees, and so forth. As a child in the 1960s and a teen in the ‘70s, I would sleep in the tent or a soft-top tent-trailer at the camp ground. Or in colder weather, I also slept in their shelters and cabins. In the summer, I would swim in Lake Absegami, go fishing & crabbing in areas near Bass River State Forest, and hike some of the trails in this park. On some nights, a park ranger near the nature center would present a slideshow about the flora, fauna, and history of this area. Those were my memories of this place! On this day, I stopped into the park office where I saw an exhibit case showing items pictures, and texts about the CCC. This place also offered plenty of free literature about this place, the NJ Pinelands, and other nearby attractions. Afterward, we drove to the main beach area and ate a picnic lunch while looking at the lake and the rest of the local scenery. Later, we drove around the different camp areas, and I noticed some changes, but for the most part, it looked like I remembered it in the late 1960s and early ‘70s.