A Cloudy And Dreary Morning In Chester County And Marsh Creek State Park
It was cloudy and a lot cooler when I awoke Saturday morning in my small apartment in 250 year old farmhouse I was staying in Lyndell, Chester County. The late musician Jim Croce, his wife and their young child lived here for 2 1/2 years in the early 1970’s before Jim’s tragic death in a plane crash on September 20 1973. The apartment is now a Airbnb and I was staying there three nights while I hiked and explored nearby Marsh Creek State Park and rural Chester County. . 
On Saturday I decided to drive to the West launch Boating area and hike the White Trail along the shore of Marsh Creek Lake. The parking lot was only about a mile from the farmhouse and a nice drive on rural Lyndell Road. 
When I arrived I found a lot of fishermen placing their small boats into the lake despite the cool and cloudy conditions.
I began my hike on the White Trail along the lake,
and came to some stone ruins which I learned are the remains of the farming village of Milford Mills which was inundated when the lake was created in the early 1970’s. 
There were some old trees near the ruins, this is one of the largest maple trees I have ever seen, and I believe they were located on the old farms dating back to the early 1700’s. 
The White Trail followed the shore of the lake,
a short distance to another parking lot on Chalfant Road, and then continued along the road a short distance.
Along the road I heard and saw a few birds in the trees, including a house wren , 
a few song sparrows and 
this great crested flycatcher. 
The trail left the road and into the woodlands along the lake. It followed the shore of the lake a short distance,
and then left the lake and traveled along some open fields. 
Here I saw a few yellow warblers fluttering in the shrubs along the trail,
there bright yellow color standing out on the gray overcast morning. 
There were also a few red-winged blackbirds in the fields, 
and this Baltimore oriole sang in the trees above the trail.
There were a few Carolina chickadees fluttering in the brush along the trail. 
The amur honeysuckles were blooming along the trail in the fields. While the fragrance of the flowers is heavenly, they are invasive and displace our native flowers and plants. 
There were also native Philadelphia fleabane blooming along the trail. 
The trail left the fields and entered a older and thicker woodland along the lake.
There were tall tulip and oak trees here, 
and occasionally the trail would cross a small stream,
with many skunk cabbages,
and wetlands as it continued along the shore of the lake. 
At times the trail would approach the lake, and I would see fishermen in small boats,
and flocks of double crested cormorants on the lake. 
Occasionally a great blue heron would fly overhead. 
The lake was considerably narrower here as I neared the inlet of the Marsh Creek which created the lake. The trail again entered some fields here and I saw some more birds including gray catbirds,
mourning doves, 
common yellowthroats,
and a few eastern towhees,
a warbling vireo
and a cheerful Carolina wren,
that was singing loudly along the trail. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos of the birds I saw on my five mile hike. Lyndell. Marsh Creek State Park Chester County birds May 4 2024. 
A light rain began to fall as I approached the end of the White Trail along the Little Conestoga Road.
I followed the highway to the bridge over the Marsh Creek inlet to the lake. There were a lot of fishermen here too on the creek on both sides of the bridge on the highway.
Along the road I noticed these wildflower, the similar looking yellow flowers the five petaled meadow buttercup,
and the four petaled greater celandine.
There were also American dog volets blooming here. 
I started my hike back and the light light rain continued, off and on, on my 2 1/2 mile hike. I didn’t see much wildlife and didn’t take many photos. I did gather some golden oyster and pheasant back mushrooms I found growing along the trail. 
I enjoyed them when I returned back home in Luzerne County. Here is a link to a gallery on my blog website with some more photos from my five mile hike. Lyndell. Marsh Creek State Park Chester County May 4 2024. 
After my hike I drove around the rural roads in Chester County,
where there were still many old farmhouses and large gardens,
Century old trees lined the winding roads. 
It was near noon and I looked for a place to eat. I found the Coffee Cup Restaurant in Downingtown and had a nice breakfast while I watched the local folks. I love finding small places like this on my travels. I think Jim Croce did too. It rained off and on all afternoon and I spent the day listening to Jim’s music and editing my photos. Late in the afternoon I decided to try an Indian restaurant near the Japanese restaurant I ate dinner that night before, the Persis Indian Grill. It was another great choice. I started with a mango lassi, an interesting drink
and had garlic naan and mango curry fish for my main course, 
for dessert, and of course I had to have dessert, I had another interesting dish rasmali, sweet Indian cheese dumplings, served in sweetened milk and garnished with pistachios and almonds. It was interesting and different but good.
I drove back the winding rural roads to the farmhouse and listened to some more of Jim Croce’s songs. It was a nice evening. I awoke the nice day to a steady, heavy and cool rain. I couldn’t take my camera but I put on my rain gear and enjoyed a five mile hike in the Pennsylvania rain. It was a nice ending to my stay at this 250 farmhouse. I joined a lot of other folks who visited here including James Taylor, Don McClean, Jimmy Buffet, Maury Muehleisen , and Randy Newman to name a few. It was a wonderful experience and I hope to return soon to the farmhouse and Chester County. . 
“Hey, tomorrow where are you goin’?
Do you have some room for me?
‘Cause night is fallin’ and the dawn is callin’
I’ll have a new day if she’ll have me
Hey, tomorrow I can’t show you nothin’?
You’ve seen it all pass by your door
So many times I said I been changin’
Then slipped into patterns of what happened before
‘Cause I’ve been wasted and I’ve over-tasted
All the things that life gave to me
And I’ve been trusted, abused and busted
And I’ve been taken by those close to me
Hey, tomorrow you’ve gotta believe
That I’m through wastin’ what’s left of me
‘Cause night is fallin’ and the dawn is callin’
I’ll have a new day if she’ll have me …” Jim Croce
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