Archive for October 2021
Birds, Bugs And Blooms: A Late September Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands
It’s hard to believe it is the last week in September already. Spring and Summer passed so quickly. So , appropriately, I hiked in the Susquehanna Wetlands on the last weekend in September. It was here I spent so much time this Spring and Summer. It seems like only yesterday the skunk cabbage was pushing…
Read MoreA Reflective October Hike In The Susquehanna Wetlands
October 2 will always be a sad day for me and my family. It was the day we lost my beloved sister Linda and her husband Charles in a tragic motor vehicle accident. It was four years on Saturday. It is still so hard to believe. I spent the day hiking alone in the beautiful…
Read MoreA Few Birds, A Bear And Some Hints Of Fall On The Greater Hazleton Rails To Trails
It was a cool Fall morning when I awoke Sunday. I decided to stay close to home and hike on the Greater Hazleton Rails to Trails again. Last Saturday I hiked on this trail , but I started at the trail head on W. Broad Street. On Sunday I began my hike on the other…
Read MoreClouds And Sunshine: A Tale Of Two Autumn Walks At Community Park
Although it hasn’t felt like it, Fall began here in the Northern Hemisphere over two weeks ago. I took a couple of Autumn walks at the Community Park near my home in Hazle Township in this unusually mild weather we have been experiencing. The first hike, on the first day of Fall was on an…
Read MoreA Cloudy And Dreary Autumn Hike On The Bear Walk Trail In Ricketts Glen State Park
It’s been a few years since I visited Ricketts Glen State Park in Luzerne County, Sullivan and Columbia Counties. This large, scenic, park , over 13,ooo acres, almost became a National park in the 1930’s . Although it is only an hour from my home I’ve only visited it once since my college days. On…
Read MoreHints Of Fall Color, And The Return Of Birds, Temporarily, At The Susquehanna Wetlands And River Lands
It was another cloudy, and unseasonably mild, morning when I decided to drive to the Susquehanna Wetlands and River Lands in Salem Township, Luzerne County last Sunday. As usual, before beginning my five mile hike in the wetlands area of the nature preserve I walked down to the banks of the Susquehanna River. The river…
Read MoreMushrooms, Ducks, A Grebe, A Bald Eagle And Autumn Colors At Community Park
We had five days of cloudy skies last week here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. It was cloudy all weekend. And it was cloudy when I began a hike at the Community Park near my home here in Hazle Township Luzerne County on Monday afternoon. I had forgotten what the sun looked like. It was over a…
Read MoreMigrating Birds And More Autumn Colors, Again, At The Susquehanna Wetlands
After seeing the large flocks of migrating birds at the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County last week I was looking forward to hiking there again this weekend. I wanted to see if any of the birds remained or if new birds showed up. It is late in the season but I think the…
Read MoreDominican Republic Day 1: A Late Afternoon Walk In The Santo Domingo Zona Colonial
The Billini Hotel , where I am staying my first three nights here in the Dominican Republic is located in the middle of the historic Zona Colonial in Santo Domingo, the first European city in the Western Hemisphere. After a quick check in at my hotel late Wednesday afternoon , which included a delicious non-alcoholic…
Read MoreBack On The Road Again. Newark To Santo Domingo: Dominican Republic Day 1.
It’s been two years since I have traveled abroad. So I am excited typing this blog post in Terminal C of the Newark Airport. Excited, and a bit stressed and frustrated. The Covid-19 pandemic kept me from my travels and Covid-19 travel restrictions complicated this trip to the Dominican Republic. At first I was advised…
Read MoreDominican Republic Day Two: Santo Domingo A Morning Walk On The Malecon
I awoke early, and still a little tired, my first morning in Santo Domingo. After some coffee, and a cup of excellent expresso, I was soon walking the cobblestone streets of the old city. I wanted to watch the sunrise, which I knew was around 6;40 a.m. , I knew watching it from the Malecon…
Read MoreDominican Republic Day Two: Santo Domingo: Cathedrals, Forts And National Heroes.
On my second day in Santo Domingo , after a late breakfast, and an hour editing photos, I left my hotel to explore some more of the Zona Colonial. This section of the city was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO. I love visiting these sites that preserve the history and culture of this…
Read MoreDominican Republic Day Three: Santo Domingo. Another Walk in The Colonial Zone
I awoke in Santo Domingo early on Friday with plans of continuing my exploration of the historic Colonial Zone . However nature wasn’t co-operating and my walk was delayed by a torrential rainstorm. It is the rainy season here and it pretty much could rain just about any time of the day. The rain stopped…
Read MoreDominican Republic Day Three: Santo Domingo: A Short Visit To The Jardin Botanico
Finding a taxi in the Colonial Zone in Santo Domingo was a lot harder than you would think. I needed a ride to the Jardin Botanico, the National Botanical Gardens. The staff at the Billini hotel said their driver wasn’t available. They said they couldn’t call a taxi. I left the hotel and there wasn’t…
Read MoreDominican Republic: Day Four: Farewell To Santo Domingo And A Long Ride to Los Haitises National Park
I awoke early again on my last day in Santo Domingo. After a double expresso I was walking the deserted, cobblestone streets down to the Malecon. It was partly cloudy with temperatures in the low 70’s with a refreshing breeze blowing in from the ocean. The traffic was much lighter on Saturday morning and I…
Read MoreDominican Republic Day Five: A Morning Walk With A New Friend In The Los Haitises National Park
I slept well my first night at the remote Altos de Cano Hondo resort adjacent to Los Haitises National Park in the Dominican Republic. The night was filled with the sounds of crickets and frogs. I heard them throughout the night and they were so calming. I awoke early, as I always do on my…
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