hikes
It’s Sunday, So Where Else? Another Fall Hike At The PPL Wetlands.
It wasn’t too hard of a decision where to hike on this cool, but pleasant, November morning. I always like to head down to the PPL Wetlands and Riverlands to enjoy the solitude of the ancient trees with the hopes of finding some type of wildlife activity. So that’s where I went. In the Spring…
Read MoreIt's Sunday, So Where Else? Another Fall Hike At The PPL Wetlands.
A Sunny November Hike Out To The Penrose Reservoir
It was a cold and sunny Fall day here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Mushroom season is now over and most of the wildlife left the PPL Wetlands, my favorite Sunday hiking area, so I decided to head into Carbon County, about 10 miles south of my home and hike the railroad tracks up to the always…
Read MoreAfrica Day Five: Volcano National Park Rwanda: A Memorable Close Encounter With Mountain Gorillas.
On the day of our gorilla trek, we had to be up early for our adventure but I got some much needed sleep in the cozy, but chilly, cabin. I awoke excited with the hope of encountering some of our endangered cousins, the mountain gorillas found only in these forested mountain areas…
Read MoreAfrica Day Six: Birds, Travel, Horrors And A Short Stay In Johannesburg .
I woke up early again the day after our memorable encounter with the mountain gorilla, and again found the air cool but the skies mostly clear. We were lucky on our visit, since these mountains get a lot of rain this time of year. A few of our group had arranged for an early birding…
Read MoreTurtles In November? A Warm And Sunny November Day At The PPL Wetlands.
We had a Spring-like day here today in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Temperatures neared 70 degrees with abundant, but weak, late Fall sunshine. I headed to one of my favorite hiking areas, the PPL Wetlands and Riverlands. The temperature was warm but there is no mistaking it is late Fall, as almost all of the trees have…
Read MoreAfrica Day Ten. Farewell To Zimbabwe, A Quick Tour Of Livingston, Zambia, And Off To Capetown, South Africa
I awoke early on my last day at the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, hoping to catch another African sunrise and to explore the grounds of the lodge. I ran into a couple who were also looking for the sunrise and we asked a groundskeeper we met who showed us a clear view of the rising…
Read MoreAfrica Day Eleven: Cape Point And Capetown: Botanical Gardens And Penguins!!!!! It Doesn't Get Better Than This.
Africa Day Eleven: Cape Point And Capetown: Botanical Gardens And Penguins!!!!! It Doesn’t Get Better Than This.
After lunch we headed north, now along the eastern shore of the Cape Peninsula, admiring the spectacular views of the ocean along the way. When we saw this sign we knew we were nearing our destination, Boulder Beach, home of a colony of African or ‘jackass penguins’. These penguins are they only species that live on…
Read MoreAfrica Day Twelve: South African Beauty In The Wine Country.
One of my greatest enjoyments in life is waking up in a strange bed in a foreign land. I awake with that sense of excitement and wonder that I had as a child, anticipating heading to explore my new location. We have been on a very tight schedule on this trip, and this allowed…
Read MoreA Windy Walk On The Rails To Trails But, It Is December And It Could Be A Whole Lot Worse.
It is December now, and in many years that means snow and cold temperatures here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Not yet this year. We have had only one snowfall of about three inches and it melted weeks ago. It was blustery this morning but a seasonable 34 degrees. Since it is deer hunting season I decided…
Read MoreIt's A Different Look In The PPL Wetlands In December. But Still A Lot Of Birds Staying Around For Winter
It’s A Different Look In The PPL Wetlands In December. But Still A Lot Of Birds Staying Around For Winter
I headed out to one of my favorite hiking spots, the PPL Wetlands in Salem Township, this morning. Last time I was here, just two weeks ago, it was an unseasonably warm day and I saw turtles on the water and some green vegetation along the paths. It felt more like late Spring. Not today,.…
Read MoreWinter Creeps Into Northeastern Pennsylvania: A December Hike In Nescopeck State Park.
Winter doesn’t begin until eleven days but some cold arctic air made it’s way down from Canada and it sure felt wintry here in Northeastern Pennsylvania this morning. I was headed to the PPL Wetlands again. An accident, probably caused by the snow and cold weather, on the local interstate highway redirected traffic and…
Read MoreFinally, Ice And Cold Arrive At The PPL Wetlands
Just a few weeks ago temperatures were in the 70’s and I was seeing turtles at the PPL Wetlands. Not today, the unseasonably warm weather ended and temperatures plummeted here in Northeastern Pennsylvania these past few day. There was ice on the ponds and canals when I hiked there this morning. I am not a…
Read MoreAfrica Day Thirteen: "All Good Things Must Come To An End" : One Last Walk Through Capetown, South Africa.
Africa Day Thirteen: “All Good Things Must Come To An End” : One Last Walk Through Capetown, South Africa.
It was my last day in Capetown, and Africa, and I had a few free hours in the morning before we had to leave for our flight home. So I was up early and took a taxi back down to explore the Capetown waterfront. It was a cool and overcast morning and the peaks of…
Read MoreA First Time Hike From Green Ridge To Community Park.
The forecast this morning here in Northeastern Pennsylvania called for freezing rain. I didn’t want to drive far in case the roads got icy so I thought about hiking in nearby Community Park. As I was getting dressed I recalled how my friends and I often wanted to walk out to the park when I…
Read MoreA Short Year End Wintry Walk Near Home.
Another year is coming to and end, and more often than not, it is either cold, snowy or both here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. Today we had both, a two inch snow cover on the ground and a seasonably cold 32 degrees. The clouds that blocked the sun most of the day were breaking up late…
Read MoreA Snowless New Year’s Day Hike In The PPL Wetlands
First of all Happy New Year! Wishing all my blog followers the very best during our next orbit around our star. I hope to share some more of our planets beauty as we share this short time we have here. I decided to start out the New Year with a hike at one of my…
Read MoreA Snowless New Year's Day Hike In The PPL Wetlands
Winter In The Lehigh River Gorge: Some Interesting Ice Formations And Other Cool Stuff.
We got some colder weather here in Northeastern Pennsylvania today, temperatures were in the low teens this morning. I decided to hike out the Lehigh River Gorge State Park at the Rockport access entrance to see how much ice has formed on the river. Unlike the warmer months, when the parking area is filled with…
Read MoreMore Winter Beauty: A Hike On The Old Lehigh Canal In Weissport
It was another cold day here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, a frigid seven degrees this morning. But the skies were mostly clear and we finally saw some sunshine. . I love the sun and had to get out and take advantage of it , despite the cold and wind, and decided to return to the Lehigh…
Read MoreIt’s Been A Mild January But Still Ice, And Some Snow, At The PPL Wetlands
I decided to hike on one of my favorite trails this morning, the PPL Wetlands in Salem Township. Most years, in January, I would find thick ice on the ponds and canals and a deep snow cover on the trails but we had unseasonably mild weather here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, so I found no snow…
Read MoreIt's Been A Mild January But Still Ice, And Some Snow, At The PPL Wetlands
More Washington D.C.Memories : Pennsylvania Avenue, The Washington Monument, And A Concert At The Lincoln Memorial.
It isn’t often you can walk down the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington D.C. It happens only once every four years and I happened to be there to experience it twice. The first time was 36 years ago, when I was in our Nation’s Capitol attending law school during the inauguration of President…
Read MoreA Cloudy January Hike In The PPL Wetlands.
Although it had gotten colder this weekend here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, temperatures dropped into the 20’s, it was still above average and the the mild weather we have had so far this winter was evident during my hike in the PPL Wetlands yesterday. It was cloudy when I left my house, and I encountered a…
Read MoreAn Eventful Day In D.C.: A Walk Into The Past, A Presidential Inauguration, And A Visit To My Alma Mater.
I awoke early Friday morning in Silver Spring, Maryland, for the first time in three decades. I was excited to begin my walk to the house I lived in during my third year in law school. It was located about 1 1/2 miles from my hotel, on Louis Avenue. I haven’t seen it in…
Read MoreA Very Early Spring At The PPL Wetlands.
The record temperature today here in my hometown of Hazleton, Pennsylvania, is 16 degrees below zero. That is pretty darn cold. Although it is not that cold every year, most years we still have some snow cover, cold temperatures and ice on the ponds and lakes in our area in late February. Not this year.…
Read MoreBack To Winter At The PPL Wetlands
After a record setting week of warm temperatures, more seasonable cold weather returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania today. I decided to see if the recent warm weather brought some early migrating water fowl to the PPL Wetlands. I arrived under cloudy skies, temperatures in the upper 20’s and with a few passing snow showers. I found…
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