Adventure
January Sunshine At The PPL Wetlands
Many days this month were dreary here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Cloudy, windy and cold they were. It was nice to see clear blue skies when I awoke last Saturday morning. It was a cold 18 degrees here in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. But I knew that the clear skies meant there would be abundant January…
Read MoreA Wintery Hike On The Broad Mountain In Carbon County
The weather forecast called for clear skies and cold temperatures last Sunday. I decided to drive to the Broad Mountain in Carbon County and hike out to the overlook atop the Lehigh River Gorge. It was partly cloudy and a cold 25 degrees when I arrived early in the morning at the State Game Lands…
Read MoreA Last Minute Decision To Visit Our Nation’s Capitol
As a citizen of the United States, I watched with horror and sadness at the insurrection that resulted in the loss of life and desecration of our Nation’s Capitol in Washington DC two weeks ago. And for the past year I watched my Nation suffer from the Covid-19 virus which caused over 400,00 deaths. Difficult…
Read MoreWinter Returns To The PPL Wetlands And Riverlands
The mild weather we’ve had this Winter continued this past week, until a cold front moved though our area on Friday . I awoke Saturday morning with a temperature of 18 degrees and a strong northwesterly wind at my home here in Hazle Township. Skies were mostly clear. There was a dusting to a half…
Read MoreSunshine, And Some Ice At The Lehigh River Gorge
The cold air that started to filter in Northeastern Pennsylvania on Friday, settled in Saturday night. I awoke on Sunday morning to clear blue skies, a strong wind a frigid, but average in these parts, 18 degrees. I decided to return to the Lehigh River Gorge in Rockport to see how much ice had formed…
Read MoreInauguration Day In Washington DC: A Morning Walk Amid Heavy Security
I awoke early Wednesday morning, the third time I was in Washington DC on Inauguration Day. I was in law school in Washington when President Regan was inaugurated for his first term in 1980. And I was in the city for President Trump’s inauguration four years ago. Being near, and observing, this peaceful transition of…
Read MoreSome Winter Visitors To My Backyard
After a couple of mild weeks in December, colder weather, and snow, returned to our area here in Northeastern Pennsylvania in January. But, at my home in Hazle Township, Luzerne County, the weather really doesn’t matter to the Winter visitors to my backyard. They show up at my feeders regardless of the weather. I thought…
Read MoreInauguration Day Observations In Our Nation’s Capital, And A Unexpected Tour Of St. Matthew’s
It was overcast and cold when I arrived near the Capitol after my two mile morning walk on Inauguration Day. This was the closest you could approach the Capitol, at New Jersey Avenue and D Street NW . The security fence was about five blocks from the Capitol building. (Here is a link to my…
Read MoreInauguration Day Three: An Early Morning Walk To The Lincoln Memorial
I awoke early in Washington DC on January 21, the day after the Presidential Inauguration. I hoped to be able to walk to the Lincoln Memorial. I wasn’t sure if I could get there because of the security measures put in place for the Inauguration. It was partly cloudy and a colder 36 degrees when…
Read MoreA Snowy Green Ridge And West Hazleton Walk
The snow pack was still deep here in Hazle Township last Sunday. And it was snowing again! So, instead of my usual hikes in one of the nearby parks, I decided to hike on the streets of Green Ridge and West Hazleton, and to again share some of my memories on my walk. It was…
Read MoreNo Anhinga And Only One Alligator At The Anhinga Trail In The Everglades , Florida Day Two.
Of course I was up early Thursday morning, my first full day in Florida in over a year. The sun rose at 6: 54 a.m. and I planned to be on the Anhinga Trail in the Royal Palm Visitor Center in the Everglades National Park to watch it. Located about 15 miles from my hotel…
Read MoreFlorida Day Three: An Afternoon Hike On The Southern Glades Trail
Although I was a little tired from my five mile hike on the Coastal Prairie In Flamingo in the morning, I was in Florida and wanted to explore some more of this natural paradise. I saw some folks biking along one of the water channels on my drive back from Flamingo , so I returned…
Read MoreA Hike On The Anhinga, Gumbo-Limbo and Old Ingraham Road Trails
My fourth day of exploration of South Florida continued last Saturday when I drove to Royal Palm in the Everglades to watch the sunrise and hike the Gumbo-Limbo and Anhinga trails. A cold front passed through overnight bringing strong winds and dropping temperatures into the low 60’s. That is as cold as it gets in …
Read MoreFlorida Day Five: Another Hike On The Old Ingraham Highway
On Sunday morning, my last day in the Everglades, I returned to Gate 15 access to the Old Ingraham Highway trail. I wanted to further explore this abandoned highway that cut through the middle of the Everglades. The trail can be accessed on the first right turn off before the Royal Palm Visitor Center. It…
Read MoreFlorida Day Six: Key Largo: Nice To Hike In Dagny Johnson Park Again
I left Florida City and the Everglades on Sunday afternoon and drove the scenic 30 miles south on U.S. Route 1 to Key Largo. After settling in my room at the beautiful Bar Harbor & Coconut Bay Resort I edited some photographs relaxed in their lovely gardens and visited some friends. I was up early…
Read MoreFlorida Day Seven: Birds, Lizards And Insects In Dagny Johnson Park in Key Largo
Early Tuesday morning I returned to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park. After a couple of hikes in the same park you start to know where to find the wildlife that lives there. And I enjoy trying to get better photographs of the birds, insects and other animals I had encountered on…
Read MoreFlorida Day Eight: More Birds, Spiders And Butterflies At Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park.
There are not a lot of hiking trails in the Florida Keys so I returned to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park for a third day on Wednesday morning to hike in the sub-tropical hardwood hammock forest. It was partly cloudy, humid and a mild 75 degrees when I started my hike…
Read MoreKey Largo: Lizards, Flowers And Tropical Sunsets
After my morning hikes in Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park I would usually spend some time exploring the beautiful sub-tropical flowers gardens of the Bar Harbor Lodge and Coconut Bay Resort where I was staying. And enjoy the homemade scones and coffee the owners of the lodge provide their guest. These well…
Read MoreSnow Geese, Tundra Swans And Ducks: The Magic Of Middle Creek.
It is a little late this year, but every late February or early March, it is time for our annual drive to Middle Creek to observe the migration of the snow geese. These birds stop at the man made lakes of Middle Creek to rest and feed on their annual migration to the Arctic tundra of…
Read MoreClouds, Surf And A Sunset , An Afternoon In Key Largo.
On my Wednesday afternoon in Key Largo during my recent visit, after a morning hike, and a long zoom meeting I took a ride to the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. Located a few miles north of my resort this is one of the first coral reef underwater parks in the Nation. There are…
Read MoreFlorida Day Nine And Ten: Afternoons Exploring The Florida Keys.
It was a week since I arrived in Florida. I spent the first four days exploring the amazing natural beauty of the Everglades. On Monday I headed to the Florida Keys. I stayed on Key Largo, the most northern of, the 1700 islands that make of the Florida Keys. Most of this keys are small…
Read MoreFlorida: Key Largo. My Last Hikes In The Hardwood Hammock And Mangrove Forests
On Friday morning I returned to the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park to roam the hardwood hammock and mangrove forest in search of birds, spiders, snakes or whatever other critter or wildflower I could find. Once again I began my hike walking through the tall trees of the tropical hardwood hammock and…
Read MoreExploring Lake Ontelaunee In Berks County
We had perfect early Spring weather here in Northeastern Pennsylvania on Sunday. I decided to spend it exploring Lake Ontelaunee in Berks County. I have heard it is a good place to observe migrating water fowl . The lake is located about an hour south of my home in Hazle Township Luzerne County. It was…
Read MoreBack In Berks County: Another Lake Ontelaunee Hike
On Saturday I returned to Berks County and made my third visit to Lake Ontelaunee. This 1,000 acre lake was formed by the damming of Maiden Creek in 1926 to provide a water supply for the City of Reading. (these are links to blog posts of my two prior visits. https://wp.me/p5GeDV-J2m https://wp.me/p5GeDV-s3K). After a 41…
Read MoreEagles, Herons And A Muskrat: Another Walk In The Susquehanna Wetlands
It was Sunday, and, of course, I decided to take another walk in the Susquehanna Wetlands in Salem Township, Luzerne County. As the Spring progresses I know there is a good chance to see some wildlife here. And the wetlands and river lands are a great place to observe the trees, plants and flowers come…
Read MoreDucks, Geese And A Bald Eagle At Community Park in Hazle Township
I have continued my afternoon hikes in the Community Park near my home in Hazle Township every chance I got these past two weeks. Located on top of a mountain ridge, Spring always arrives later here in Hazle Township than in the surrounding valleys. On my first hikes two weeks ago there were few signs of…
Read MoreThe 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 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 …
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