“The gull sees farthest who flies
highest.”
~ from “Jonathan Livingston Seagull”
~ 1970
~ by Richard Bach
~ born 1936
Seagulls
take flight over the Delaware River on a beautiful & mild mid-December afternoon
facing the historic town of Phillipsburg, New Jersey.
The
historic Northampton Street Bridge, commonly called the Free Bridge, can be
seen from my vantage point across the river at Delaware Canal State Park,
Easton, Pennsylvania near the Forks of the Delaware Trailhead of the Delaware
and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail). The iconic Jimmy’s Doggie
Stand can be seen to the right of the bridge and a portion of the Delaware
River Toll Bridge at left.
The
Free Bridge that spans the two states was completed in 1896 and survived
massive flooding
from Hurricane Diane in 1955. It underwent a thorough restoration in 1990 and
is one of my very favorite places to photograph.
Phillipsburg
and Easton are both historic Delaware River Towns. Phillipsburg was established
March 8, 1861 and was named for William Phillips, an early settler of the area.
Easton was founded in 1752.
The Forks of the Delaware is the
confluence of the Delaware and Lehigh Rivers where Phillipsburg and Easton
meet; it is where the Lehigh River merges into the Delaware River.
The
trail is positioned between the Delaware River and Delaware Canal, which was
designated a National Historic Landmark in 1978. The site possesses national
significance in commemorating the history of the United States of America.
Running
from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and
Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.
