Another in the 'Backroads, New Jersey' series
For 54 miles, Route 539 goes almost straight.
And flat.
There were no hills to curve around or sedimentary rock to blast though when one of New Jersey's longest inter-county roads was paved.
From Tuckerton to just outside Cranbury, Route 539 is a trip through New Jersey's Coastal Plain of sand, silt and clay.
It is a road of clam shacks and bayside shanties in Tuckerton, of 1800s farmhouses and barns in Plumstead and the picturesque villages of Allentown and Hightstown, draped in American flags.
In places like Warren Grove, the head of a tall man or woman peeking over the scrub pines, can be the highest point around. When taller pines emerge, a fire tower deck becomes the place where you can see for miles and miles.
But as Ocean County gives way to western Monmouth, the landscape changes abruptly and the Pine Barrens yield to the lush hay and corn fields and horse farms of Central Jersey. Thoroughbreds graze, penned in by miles of fences.
In little more than an hour, the road journeys through four distinct cultures -- bay, pines, rural and suburbs -- of our compact state.
Mark Di Ionno may be reached at mdiionno@starledger.com. Follow The Star-Ledger on Twitter @StarLedger and find us on Facebook.