Tuesday, May 12, 2020

Photo of the Day: State Line Lookout, Alpine, NJ, Spring 2015


I took the photo here came during what seems like a long-ago time in my life now. Sadly, it does for many others, too.

When my father, by then in his nineties, could no longer drive, I used to take him, on a fine Sunday, up to this scenic overlook on the Palisades. Only half a mile south of the New Jersey-New York state line, State Line Lookout offered magnificent views of the Hudson River, since, at a 520-foot elevation, it was at the highest point on the Palisades Cliffs.

My dad—who, at that point, was not only still alive, but also ambulatory and even comparatively vigorous at nearly age 99—used to love the fresh air and magnificent vistas in this spot. So, as you can see here, did many other people. So had their parents and even grandparents.

For one reason or another, I haven’t been up there in quite some time. But the scene would have to be drastically different now in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Most obviously, everyone here would be wearing masks. And, for the life of them, they’d better stay a safe distance apart.

It just goes to show: Don’t assume that everything you once enjoyed will remain the same. And enjoy the beauty in the world with those who matter to you, while both are still around.

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