[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

Wait!! Where is the post?!? Dammit, I love Rick's posts...wtf happened?

DK,

Patience, Grasshopper!

Jason usually posts my new trip reports on the BimmerPost home page a week or so after I put them up on the general E90/E91/Etc. discussion board. That would explain the confusion, if that's where you usually find them.

I'm glad you enjoy the reports so much. This one was a lot of fun to research and write up, and it goes without saying that the trip itself was colossally interesting.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Tiago@VRSF

These are awesome man, I love em. Great job.

Tiago,

Thanks so much! Yeah, the trips are great, and I really enjoy writing them up to share with you all. And what better way to go around exploring anything and everything than in a super-fast, super-handling, great-looking BMW??

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by alpineN55

Wow, that was an incredible write up. I can't wait for part 2.

alpineN55,

Thanks! Part II is in the works. More ghost towns, more ruins, more unbelievable Pine Barrens stories (mostly true, I believe), and the most hopeless roads I've ever driven through! On occasion, I had to stop, get out of the car, and find a branch to use to measure how deep the mud holes were before trying to drive through them!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by yipronny

I had a blast reading this! Great job on the pictures and description. Can't wait to see more

yipronny,

Hey, I'm really glad you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for Part II.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Hyper_545i

Awesome read and pics! Thank you for posting. Ever check out WeirdNJ? That would be great site to post this.

Hyper,

I've enjoyed looking at the Weird NJ books and website, and the similar ones for Maryland and Pennsylvania. The editors really manage to find some incredible places and stories.

My trip reports might be a little too normal for these guys, but I'll look into it!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by NickBlaine

Wow.

I think Rick needs his own subforum so we can make sure not to miss any of these!

Nick,

If you ever want to check out the entire list of my trip reports, see rsftripreporter.net. It's a guaranteed cure for insomnia!

Rick

[sudo4re]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

sudo4re,

Thanks! I use a Canon SX40 HS "super zoom" digital camera. It's fairly compact, has an incredibly useful 24-840 mm (equivalent) zoom lens, and all the manual controls and features I need. And they're not too expensive.

A lot of the photo magic is courtesy of Photomatix Pro software, which you can check out at hdrsoft.com. Lots of fun to use, and a lot of creative control.

Rick

Thanks for the info Rick. I was pretty sure the saturated colors were done in post production but I just wanted to double check. Regardless, your photos are mesmerizing and I am looking forward to part 2.

[relentlessone]

This is really interesting. Thanks for all of the information and great photos. I particularly liked the comparison photos from then and now. I'm about 30 minutes from Medford and never knew how many ghost towns were in the area. I was just told about Centralia this year by a coworker, and plan to visit someday.

[glomb23]

Wonderful post! I grew up in the area before moving out west. Fond memories.

[JeM9]

Very eerie pictures to say the least, creepy. Thanks for sharing.

[moosebrew]

Neat stuff, OP. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed learning something new today.

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

DK,

Patience, Grasshopper!

Jason usually posts my new trip reports on the BimmerPost home page a week or so after I put them up on the general E90/E91/Etc. discussion board. That would explain the confusion, if that's where you usually find them.

I'm glad you enjoy the reports so much. This one was a lot of fun to research and write up, and it goes without saying that the trip itself was colossally interesting.

Rick

Hey Rick!

Actually couldn't view it on my mobile app, which sucks. Saw the whole post on my laptop just now. Top notch stuff, as always. You're amazing Rick.

[markus037]

ive always wanted to go to the pine barrens. thanks for the pics and stories!

[alpineN55]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

alpineN55,

Thanks! Part II is in the works. More ghost towns, more ruins, more unbelievable Pine Barrens stories (mostly true, I believe), and the most hopeless roads I've ever driven through! On occasion, I had to stop, get out of the car, and find a branch to use to measure how deep the mud holes were before trying to drive through them!

Rick

I've lived in south/central Jersey my whole life and never knew about those amazing places in the pinelands. Now the mud on the other hand, I do know about. Mudding in the pines is a great time, but I wouldn't recomend a 335.

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by relentlessone

This is really interesting. Thanks for all of the information and great photos. I particularly liked the comparison photos from then and now. I'm about 30 minutes from Medford and never knew how many ghost towns were in the area. I was just told about Centralia this year by a coworker, and plan to visit someday.

relentlessone,

I'm glad you enjoyed the trip report. I've always been fascinated by how particular places change over time, so I can't resist the old/new comparison photos.

I haven't been to Centralia, but I know it's interesting because of the underground fires that have been burning there uncontrollably for years and which forced the closure of the town. I have been to Frick's Lock in Pennsylvania, and the neat thing about this abandoned town is that it's all still there. Check out Trespassing Treasure (PA Ghost Towns) for my trip there a few years back.

Unfortunately, I think it's now fenced off and only available for visits on specified occasions.

Happy touring!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by glomb23

Wonderful post! I grew up in the area before moving out west. Fond memories.

glomb23,

I'm glad I could help generate a few good memories for you! Did you ever go looking for Joe Mulliner's treasure? I also read that Edward Teach (a.k.a. Blackbeard the pirate) buried a huge treasure somewhere in the Pine Barrens, and no one has found it yet.

If they can find King Richard III's remains under a parking lot in England after 527 years, you'd think we could find one or more of these treasures in a simple swamp!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by JeM9

Very eerie pictures to say the least, creepy. Thanks for sharing.

JeM9,

My pleasure--I'm glad I creeped you out!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by moosebrew

Neat stuff, OP. Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed learning something new today.

moosebrew,

I always enjoy contributing to the education of my readers! Seriously, I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by Dark_Knight_335

Hey Rick!

Actually couldn't view it on my mobile app, which sucks. Saw the whole post on my laptop just now. Top notch stuff, as always. You're amazing Rick.

DK,

Actually, it's all quite easy. You just (i) read some Internet articles; (ii) relay these in shorter form and leaving out anything you don't understand; and (iii) make up whatever you need to fill in the gaps and give the results some flash. Nothing to it!

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by markus037

ive always wanted to go to the pine barrens. thanks for the pics and stories!

markus,

I hope the trip report will encourage you to go and do some exploring--I suspect you would enjoy it every bit as much as I did. If you'd like a .gpx file of my route, just let me know.

Rick

[Rick F.]

Originally Posted by alpineN55

I've lived in south/central Jersey my whole life and never knew about those amazing places in the pinelands. Now the mud on the other hand, I do know about. Mudding in the pines is a great time, but I wouldn't recomend a 335.

alpineN55,

Yeah, I know what you mean. I did pretty well with my RWD 335i (as you'll see in Part II), but I had to forgo visiting three places that I really wanted to see. I might rent a Wrangler and go back one of these days (but don't tell anyone on the forum!)

Rick

[Dark_Knight_335]

Originally Posted by Rick F.

DK,

Actually, it's all quite easy. You just (i) read some Internet articles; (ii) relay these in shorter form and leaving out anything you don't understand; and (iii) make up whatever you need to fill in the gaps and give the results some flash. Nothing to it!

Rick

The very fact that you take the time to share these experiences with the community is what makes it so very nice- we appreciate every single one of your posts.

Thanks again bud!