Archive for May 2021
The Month of May Arrives, Along With Some Goslings, At The Susquehanna Wetlands
The month of May has always been one of my favorite months. The first signs of Spring appear in March here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, but we still have cold and, sometimes, even blizzard. April is a beautiful month with the appearance of the first wildflowers and the return of the first migratory birds, however, we…
Read MoreMy First Hike In French Creek State Park: It Won’t Be My Last
I have been seeing a lot of posts on the Facebook nature pages about ramps, morel mushrooms and the cicada chimneys or turrets. I have never found any of them here in the woods near my home near Hazleton Northeastern Pennsylvania. I think the weather is too cool up here in the mountains. So I…
Read MoreAn Unexpected Visit To Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
Last Sunday I decided to explore the French Creek State Park situated on the border of Berks and Chester Counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania. I made no plans and just parked along a trail on the park entrance road. It was a warm and sunny Spring day. I was enjoying my hike on what I learned…
Read MoreThe Migratory Song Birds Are Back And Singing In Northeastern Pennsylvania!!
May is one of my favorite months. The trees and flowers seem to burst forth in buds and blooms overnight. And, into this magical world of fresh green leaves and flowers, we await the arrival of the migratory song birds. And they arrived, and were singing, in the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County…
Read MoreNo Bears, But A Lot More Birds In State Game Lands 119 In Dennison Township.
I haven’t seen any bears visit my backyard in Hazle Township, Luzerne County this year. So, on Sunday, I decided to hike in State Game Lands 119 in Dennison Township to try and find one. I have seen a lot of bears out here since I started hiking here about five years ago. It was …
Read MoreApril Visitors In My Backyard
April usually brings the return of the first migratory birds, and bears. to my backyard here in Hazle Township Luzerne County. This past year about 20 acres of land adjoining my property were clear cut. It broke my heart to see this woodlands disappear. And I think it may have affected the bears that have…
Read MoreFinally, I Got To See The World Famous Horseshoe Curve.
I first read about the Horseshoe Curve, located near Altoona, Blair County, Pennsylvania, in one of those factoid features in a newspaper when I was in grade school. I was curious about it then, and pretty much everything else , and told myself I would visit it someday. Well a half century later I finally…
Read MoreAn Afternoon Walk In The Steel City
I arrived in Pittsburgh mid-afternoon last Saturday. It was only my third visit to the Steel City. I was there to celebrate my niece Cassidy’s graduation from Duquesne Law School. I am so proud of her. While in the city, I was staying at the historic Omni William Penn Hotel on Grant Street. After quickly …
Read MoreSpring Arrives Slowly At Lake Irena And Community Park.
It was a sunny day in May, many, many years ago, when I first visited Lake Irena and the surrounding woods of Community Park in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. I know I wasn’t in grade school yet when my dad first took me and my siblings there. I believe it was in 1963 or 1964, a…
Read MoreA Strenuous Hike, But The “Grandview” Of Pittsburgh Was Worth It
It was overcast and threatening rain when I awoke in Pittsburgh early Sunday morning. As I mentioned in my previous blog post, I was in the city to celebrate my niece Cassidy’s graduation from Duquesne Law School. I decided to combine a nature hike with a view of the city. Looking at the maps of…
Read MoreAnother Trail With A View, This One In Tuscarora State Park.
I was in Schuylkill County early last Saturday morning, so I decided to hike in another one of our many parks here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Tuscarora State Park is located near Barnesville, about 15 miles from my home in Luzerne County. The Park opened in 1971 and featured the new lake formed by the damming…
Read MoreA Morning Hike Along The Allegheny River.
I was up early again on my last day in Pittsburgh. I was in the Steel City for my niece Cassidy’s graduation from law school. I wanted to get in one more walk before I left and decided to hike on the trail along the Allegheny River. I left the Omni William Penn Hotel around…
Read MoreThe Lush, Green Splendor Of Spring At The Susquehanna Wetlands
I returned last Sunday morning, to the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne. I usually hike there at least once every weekend. The previous weekend I was in Pittsburgh. So, two weeks passed since my last visit. And what a difference those two weeks made. The wetlands had transformed to a lush, green almost magical…
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