Archive for January 2020
A Wintry Walk On The First Full Day Of Winter
The first full day of Winter arrived last Sunday with clear skies and cold temperatures. I decided to enjoy the sunshine and wintry conditions and hike out to the Penrose reservoir near Weatherly in Carbon County. I have seen deer, hawks, otters and bears on previous hikes in the game lands around this old reservoir…
Read MoreFog On The Mountain, And In An Abandoned Cemetery In Upper Lehigh
January is the coldest month of the year here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Most years the ground is covered in snow and the temperatures are well below freezing. Not this year. I awoke today to find an unusual thick fog and a mild 45 degree temperature. I thought about how eerie a walk in an old…
Read MoreA January Walk In The Nescopeck State Park
The weather can change quickly in January here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Although the coldest month, we often get January “thaws” where the temperature is above freezing. Well this year we had a late December and early January “thaw”. I found evidence of the warmer temperatures at the Nescopeck State Park in Luzerne County. Usually Lake…
Read MoreMild Weather Returns: A December Walk At Community Park, Hazle Township
The weather in December here in Northeastern Pennsylvania can vary considerably from year to year, week to week and even day-to-day. We had a cold spell with the arrival of the Winter Solstice but the weather changed and warmed up for Christmas week. It was still mild when I decided to hike close to home…
Read MoreTanzania Day Five: Sea Turtles, Monkeys And Marlins On Zanzibar Island
After my morning walk on my fifth day in Zanzibar, I had a quick breakfast at my resort, and was off on another tour arranged by Cholo Tours and Safaris. I was scheduled to take the Safari Blue tour. This tour included swimming on a beautiful beach, snorkeling and viewing marine life. However, it was located on…
Read MoreChristmas Time At Community Park
Christmas has come and gone, every year now , it seems, it come and go more quickly than the previous year. I’m writing this post in mid January,it has been a busy month, but I wanted to share some photographs from a hike at our local Community Park a few days before Christmas. For me,…
Read MoreTanzania Day Six. Airport Issues But I Made It To Kilimanjaro
It was raining again when I awoke on my last day on the spice island of Zanzibar. I was up early. My group for my safari in the Serengeti was meeting in the city Arusha, Tanzania that evening and my flight left Zanzibar for Kilimanjaro at 10 am. Depending on traffic, it was almost a…
Read MoreFinally, Snow Arrives At The PPL Wetlands.
Snow and January are words usually associated with each other here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Not so this year. The first seventeen days of January were unseasonably mild. There were a few cold days but, for the most part , the weather was mild and there was no snow cover at all on our ground this…
Read MoreA Wintry Walk In The Nescopeck State Park
The snowstorm that was predicted for my area on Saturday never materialized. Only two inches of snow fell. I decided to return to the Nescopeck State Park in Luzerne County for a hike in the snow early Sunday morning. The forecast for Sunday was sunshine, but it was overcast when I awoke. It was my…
Read MoreTanzania Day Six: Exploring Arusha And Its Colorful Markets And Friendly Residents.
After my short flight to the Tanzanian mainland , and, a short wait to obtain my luggage at the quaint Kilimanjaro Airport I stepped outside into the equatorial heat and intense sunshine. Arrangements were made to transport me to the African Tulip Hotel in Arusha. I was going to meet my travel group for my…
Read MoreTanzania Day Seven: The Safari Begins With A Drive To Tarangire National Park
After diner on Thursday evening our small group met in the hotel lobby and discussed our upcoming safari with our guides from the Seven by Far Safari. I was excited to visit the parks of northern Tanzania again. I slept well and awoke early the next day. After a wholesome breakfast our group embarked on…
Read MoreThe Mild Winter Continues At The PPL Wetlands
Mild winter weather returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania this weekend. After a brief cold spell this past week, with seasonably cold temperatures and a few inches of snow, Saturday brought rain and warmer temperatures. Returning to the PPL Wetlands in Salem Township I again found the Susquehanna River completely ice-free. This is not normal for late…
Read MoreTanzania Day Seven: Tarangire National Park
We had arrived. After a short stop at the park entrance, we were soon driving our safari vehicles on the dusty and scenic roads of Tarangire National Park. Our mission was to search for wildlife. The landscape was dominated by mostly acacia and baobab trees. It was the dry season in Tanzania and the grass…
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