Greg Englesbe Haunts the Capoolong and Barnegat Trails

Greg Englesbe’s delight in the hikes and campout spots of New Jersey has resulted in visits by his family to a number of the most popular natural regions of the state.  Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area, Barnegat Branch Trail and Parkway Trail, which accesses what is known as the Greater Philadelphia trail network, are only a few of the greenway and bikeway trails the Englesbes have explored.  The Capoolong Creek Wildlife Management Area, site of the Capoolong Creek Trail, or part of the Skylands Trail network, is around 4 miles long and is quite linear, featuring a ride through an impressive hardwood forest of some age which features sycamores and red and silver varieties of maples.  The Capoolong Creek Trail sees the Englesbe’s bikers, or hikers, as the case may be, following the route of the defunct Lehigh Valley Railroad, a spur of the line which once ended in Pittstown, known for its luscious peaches which were shipped back to the city.  A double whammy: history and forest beauty on this short ride for a morning.

The Englesbes can view occasional reminders of the railroad bed, especially at the south end of the trail where the old train station awaits restoration.  The Trout Lily and Spring Beauties bloom along the trail in spring and summer, and views of the stream alongside the trail are relaxing.  Birds include the Northern Parula, Yellow, Black-throated Blue, Yellow-rumped and Black-and-white along with Ovenbird and Wood Thrush.  On the outer edges of the trees one might spy Blue-headed, Yellow-throated and Red-eyed varieties.

http://www.njwildlifetrails.org/SkylandsTrails

Greg Englesbe Recalls Ups and Downs of Mortgage Lending

The mortgage industry of Greg Englesbe has estimated that money-lenders created somewhere between 55 and 700 million dollars in property loans in the period between 1820 and 1860, with the proliferation of new banks established in the United States.  National bank charters and the creation of nationalized currency helped to protect the federal treasury, while the universal currency replaced bonds which had been previously issued by states and banks.  Nonetheless, restrictions were placed on national banks regarding investing in mortgages and long-term investments.

Small mortgages of six years or even less were issued by some state banks starting in 1893, and these secured based only on the trust of the debtor.  But they often were not on the property’s whole value.  Unlike today’s mortgage market of institution owners like Greg Englesbe, which is strictly regulated by federal oversight, the mortgage market of the United States at the end of the 19th century was disorganized with unevenly created mortgage loans which favored the Northeastern region of the United States with lower interest rates.  This reflected a desire on the part of lenders to lend investment funds to city projects and residential construction in the Northeast.  Even with this unfair disparity in interest rates on loans, the populations of Western cities doubled, although it is estimated that the growth of new cities may have been stunted between 1880 and 1890, when loans which Western loan institutions sold to Eastern investors went into default, especially for farmers who faced foreclosure due to a drought.  

http://business.cch.com/bankingfinance/focus/news