26.2 Miles in Navesink: A Rare Combination of Natural Beauty

Bernie Daus – Middletown BOE Candidate

My Community Run through Navesink took me past Hartshorne Woods, Huber Woods, the Navesink Library, the Red Store, Navesink School, the firehouse, Stone Church, Hillside Park, and a few waterfront spots along the Navesink River. In between were the residential side streets that connect it all, with plenty of hills to make me earn the views.

This place has a rare combination: a historic village, varied waterfronts, and hundreds of acres of hilly forests, all close enough to experience on the same run. 

I have always been equal parts a “beach person” and a “woods/mountain person.” I love swimming in the ocean and relaxing on the beach, but I am just as happy camping in the mountains or hiking a rocky, wooded trail. Navesink is a wonderful place for me to live because I don’t have to choose. In stretches of Hartshorne Woods, you can smell the salt air and see the colorful autumn woods at the same time. That is an extraordinary combination! Hartshorne and Huber Woods are a big part of what makes this area special. We are fortunate to have so much wooded open space here.

The historic village gives Navesink another kind of character. As I passed the library, the Red Store, the school, the firehouse, Stone Church, and the historic homes in between, I thought about how much of a community’s identity lives in these familiar places. Some are part of our daily routines, and we pass them without giving them much thought. On this run, I slowed down, looked, and appreciated it all. People know their neighbors here, and the sense of community is very strong.  

Then the route brought me back toward the river at sunset, with a nor’easter approaching, and the view changed dramatically. From a pier at Brushwood Point, I looked west at a vivid sunset over Claypit Creek. At the same time, a rainbow appeared to the east above Historic Portland Place, toward the Shrewsbury River. A blazing sunset in one direction and a rainbow against a cool blue sky in the other. Wow!

That spontaneous burst of beauty stayed with me. On a normal training run, I probably would have kept moving and missed much of that brief gorgeous spectacle. These community runs give me a reason to slow down, stop, look, and appreciate things.

I started these runs to better understand Middletown beyond what I see driving through on the main roads. Even here, close to home, taking extra time to look around made me appreciate my own neighborhood. This run also reminded me why I enjoy living here: salt air, autumn woods, steep hills, waterfront views, and a historic village along the way. I’m fortunate to call it home.