BTW, the Pinelands are historically known for Jersey Devil sightings, correct?
Yes, the Jersey Devil! One of the great Garden State legends of the Pinelands. A guy named McPherson wrote a book about these legends, includig the “Pineys,” an allegedly murderous and incestuous group who added to the fear of this mysterious land. I’ll tell you something that’s true and also added to this sense of drama. When I was a kid, people from Philadelphia or the Camden County area of New Jersey used to take Route 70 on their way to the great Jersey shore. Often when they had car trouble they would venture into the woods seeking some help or a phone which (being urbanites/suburbanites) they were certain couldn’t be too far away. They were NEVER seen again. I needn’t tell you how easy it is to become hopelessly lost when you start roaming around in a wilderness. This wasn’t anything unusual and we kids were sure that the “Devil” or the “Pineys” got them. Anyway, I’d rather be here in FL than back there - especially since so many tell me things are really going from bad to worse there. Besides, as I said before, there are so many of us here in the Sunshine State I sometimes feel I never left!