My best friend and I often enjoy going on little adventures off campus during the sunny, final days of the semester as a way to take a break from our busy schedules. We recently visited Washington Lake Park in Washington Township, Gloucester County, a municipal park only 15 minutes away that we discovered last year. For our off-campus adventure we challenged ourselves on a difficult jungle gym, took pictures of the animal wildlife, and explored nature trails that crossed over waterfalls.
When we first arrived there were two jungle gyms, one for preschoolers and one that was more challenging. We, being the sophisticated college students that we are, couldn’t resist taking on the more challenging one. My best friend, Kelli McKeown, a biology major, is much more athletic than I am and succeeded at every challenging piece of equipment, while I stuck to the simpler, yet fun, challenges on the jungle gym.
Next, we ventured over to the Koi fish pond where every brightly colored fish greeted us by the water’s edge. We captured some great pictures of the animal life there, such as Koi fish, turtles, and even sleeping ducks. Did you know that ducks snore? Because I didn’t until I heard them at the park.
Then we explored the trails that led us deep into the woods. Each trail we took made us feel like we were in a book or a movie, like Lord of the Rings or Jurassic World (without the dangers). One trail led to a wobbly bridge that crossed over a waterfall while another led us to a beam that crossed over a brook.
“I liked the challenge of the waterfall bridge, it makes it more adventurous,” Kelli said as she recalled her favorite part of the visit.
As we were leaving we began planning our next visit to the park. Next time we’ll bring even more friends to see if they can handle the challenges and adventures we had. And since there were so many trails we didn’t get to explore this trip, we might even discover a whole other adventure waiting for us next time.
An added bonus – you don’t even need to have a car on campus to get to this off-campus adventure! Rowan has Zipcar, which is a short-term car borrowing service. For a $15 fee, students can travel up to 180 miles. (The fee covers gas and insurance, too.)
What fun, off campus activities have you discovered within a 20 minute radius of Rowan?
By: Brianna Lund, Millville, NJ (Cumberland County)
Sophomore public relations major
