Travel
A Heavy Frost And The First Ice In The Susquehanna Wetlands.
As usual I decided to hike in the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County on Saturday. Last week it was unseasonably mild. Not this week. Temperatures fell into the low 20’s overnight. A weak November sun shone on the clear blue skies when I arrived at the wetlands and walked to thew banks of the Susquehanna…
Read MoreKey West, It’s Been A Long Time Since I’ve Visited Florida’s Southernmost City. Too Long.
I started writing this blog after having spent about 7 hours on Key West, Florida’s famous southernmost key. And what an sensory overloading experience those seven hours were. So much to see and do. And I saw a lot on my 8 miles of walking through the busy streets of Key West. It’s been 33…
Read MoreMy First Visit To Big Pine Key, The First Of Many, I Hope
After my breakfast at the Duval House in Key West I was on my way to Big Pine Key. It is located about 30 miles north on Route One also know as the Overseas Highway. I love driving this scenic and historic highway. This time I was driving a black Ford Explorer. I enjoy driving…
Read MoreA Cold Front, A Farwell to Big Pine Key And A Slow And Scenic Drive To Key Largo.
The weather had changed when I awoke on my last morning at the Barnacle Bed and Breakfast on Big Pine Key. The cold front only dropped the temperature into the low 60’s but there was a 25 mph wind blowing out of the northwest. I drove to back to the nearby trail along the deserted…
Read MoreFrozen Iguanas? A Familiar, But Frosty, Hike At Dagny Johnson State Park In Key Largo
I have been visiting Key Largo for a few years now. I have hiked in the Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock Botanical State Park many times and have come to love this park located on the northern end of the key. . A failed land development was turned into a State Park. The park contains…
Read MoreAlligators, Anhingas, And Cormorants, , Despite The Cold, A Lot Of Wildlife At Royal Palm In The Everglades
After my cold morning walk in Key Largo, and seeing the frozen iguana, my expectations of seeing alligators in the Everglades that afternoon weren’t great. I love visiting the Everglades National Park, I have been visiting here in the Winter for about 10 years now. It was always so alive always so alive and even…
Read MoreFlorida Day Seven: A Frosty First Hike To Lucky Hammock And The Old Aerojet Road
I awoke early on Monday morning in Florida City. I wanted to watch the sunrise and then hike on the old Aerojet Highway and visit Lucky Hammock. This would be my first hike on the Aerojet Highway. I had hiked along the the Aerojet Canal last year. This wide canal was built to transport massive…
Read MoreAn Early Drive To Flamingo , A Crocodile And My Last Sunset In South Florida
I was on the road early Tuesday morning on my recent visit to South Florida. It was my last full day in the Everglades and I was driving to Flamingo, the southernmost point in the Everglades National Park. It is about an hour drive from my hotel in Florida City. As usual, I try…
Read MoreMy Last Hike on The Anhinga Trail At Royal Palm Visitor Center And My First Visit To Dania Beach
It warmed up a little on my last day in South Florida. I picked a cold week to visit the Keys and Everglades this year. The morning temperatures were in the 40’s for most of my visit. The morning temperature was 56 degrees on my last full day in the Sunshine State, but much warmer…
Read MoreIt’s Been A Long Time, An Overdue Visit To Beltzville State Park.
While on my hike in the Susquehanna Wetlands on Saturday, I met a nature photographer friend who told me about seeing a lot of ducks in Beltzville State Park in Carbon County. I also have heard reports of of bald eagles sightings there too. Although Beltzville State Park is the same distance from my home…
Read MoreThe John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge. A Cloudy, Rainy But Interesting Hike In South Philadelphia
I first saw what I now know is the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge in Philadelphia in the early 1990’s. It was shortly after the “Blue Route” or Interstate 476 was opened to traffic. We used this route as a “short cut” to travel to Phillies baseball and Eagles football games from my home in…
Read MoreA Quick Five Mile Hike In The John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge In Philadelphia
I was up early Saturday morning during my recent overnight stay in Philadelphia . I wanted to hike and continue my exploration of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge located in South Philadelphia. I also wanted to enjoy the breakfast at the Gables Bed and Breakfast where I was staying. And, to see some…
Read MoreExploring The University City Neighborhoods Of Philadelphia.
I had a meeting to attend near Philadelphia last Friday and I decided to stay in the City for the night. I stayed at the Gables Bed and Breakfast, located in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia .I wanted to be near the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge located in South Philadelphia. I enjoyed my…
Read MoreA Visit To Middle Creek. But What, No Snow Geese?
For the past 17 years now, around the first week of March, I have experienced the awe inspiring beauty of the massive migratory flocks of snow geese at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area located in Lebanon and Lancaster Counties in southeastern Pennsylvania. I go with my brother and nephew. We leave our home in …
Read MoreFlorida Day Two: Not Much Luck At A Foggy Lucky Hammock But A Few Birds On Aerojet Road.
On the second day of my birding visit to South Florida I decided to hike to Lucky Hammock. It is a small stand of hardwood trees located just outside the Homestead entrance to the Everglades National Park in the Frog Pond WMA. Although small in size almost 250 species of birds were sighted here. It…
Read MoreFlorida Day Three: Mosquitoes, Birds, Manatees And A Crocodile At Flamingo
On Thursday morning, my third day back in South Florida, I decided to drive to Flamingo, the southernmost point in Everglades National Park. Again I hoped to find the migrating song birds and look for crocodiles and manatees. Once again there was fog as I began of my drive. It is about an hour drive,…
Read MoreFlorida Day Four: My Last Day In The Everglades, And Finally A Migrating Bird At Lucky Hammock!
It was my last day in Florida City and the Everglades. I came down hoping to see the birds migrating from Mexico, South and Central America and the Caribbean Islands to the woodlands near my home in Northeastern Pennsylvania. And, my research directed me to Lucky Hammock as being one of the best places to…
Read MoreTrout Lilies And Thrushes: A Pleasant And Peaceful Easter Morning Walk In Walnutport
While hiking in the Susquehanna Wetlands last Saturday I found trout lilies just beginning to bloom. I love seeing these delicate and ephemeral yellow flowers when they bloom in early April. They only bloom for a few days so I try and enjoy them as much as I can. One of the areas I have…
Read MoreFlorida Days Six And Seven. Key West, Back In Paradise
On Sunday, during my recent visit to South Florida, after my hike on Big Pine Key I drove the 30 miles to Key West. I arrived at my lodging for the next four days, the Havana Cabana, mid-afternoon. And I found it just as wonderful as it was advertised. I had the opportunity to visit…
Read MoreThe Spring Awakening Continues: New Faces And Flowers At The Susquehanna Wetlands
I love Spring here in Northeastern Pennsylvania. The woodlands awaken from a long Winter sleep. One of my favorite places to watch the rebirth is the Susquehanna Wetlands in Luzerne County. It was cloudy and mild when I arrived early Saturday morning. We had a heat wave here in Northeastern Pennsylvania last week, with temperatures…
Read MoreFlorida Day Seven. A Seaplane Ride To Dry Tortugas National Park
I was able to cross another item off of my “bucket list” on my recent trip to South Florida. I had wanted to fly in a seaplane since I first saw one land on the ocean in a Flipper or Gentle Ben television episode when I was a child. (Only my old blog followers will…
Read MoreGoslings, Chipmunks And A Few More Signs Of Spring At Community Park
Now that Spring is here I have started my afternoon walks at our local Community Park in Hazle Township, Luzerne County. As I have often noted in previous blogs, I first visited Community Park and Lake Irena in the Spring as a young child with my dad and siblings. I have many found memories of…
Read MoreA Nice Hike But On The Wrong Trail At Tuscarora State Park
On Saturday morning I decided to hike on the Spirit of Tuscarora trail at Tuscarora State Park in Schuylkill County. When I hiked on the trail last Summer and thought the meadows along the Locust Creek would be a good place to see migrating birds in the Spring. Instead of hiking in from the camping and…
Read MoreAn Early Morning Walk Through Cochrane Ontario And Then Onward North, By Train.
I awoke early my first morning in Cochrane, Ontario. I stayed at the Best Western Swan Hotel for the night. It was right across from the train station. I was excited to be taking Polar Bear Express train to Moosonee later that morning. . And I was talking my Jeep with me. I had to…
Read MoreAnother Day Exploring Remote Moosonee: A Hike On Charles Island And The Old Quarry Road
I awoke a little later than usual in remote Moosonee, Ontario on Sunday morning. It was a long day Saturday, and I slept until 6 a.m. I soon discovered it was mostly cloudy so I didn’t miss the sunrise. After a cup of coffee in my room I was again walking the quiet and dusty…
Read MoreMy Last Day Exploring Moosonee And Moose Factory Ontario
It was a cloudy, cool and windy Monday morning, my last day in remote Moosonee, Ontario. Temperatures were in the low 40’s. I left my hotel in Moosonee and drove back out on the old Quarry Road. It would be my last hike in this northern boreal forest and so far I hadn’t seen any…
Read MoreBack In Cochrane Ontario , But Only For A Quick Morning Hike.
After my gourmet meal of Frosted Flakes, as noted in my last blog I was soon fast asleep in the small but comfortable room at the Station Inn in Cochrane, Ontario. I stayed here for the night after my five hour train ride from Moosonee on the Polar Bear Express. The Inn is operated by…
Read MoreA Couple Of Nature Hikes On The Cranberry Trail In Callander Ontario
After arriving at the Terrace Suites resort in Callander Ontario, I quickly settled in my room. I was eager to explore this resort community overlooking Lake Nipissing. I asked the friendly proprietor about any hiking trails in the area and she recommended the nearby Cranberry Creek Trial. It was a short drive on some rural…
Read MoreA Summer Hike On The Spirit Of Tuscarora Trail In Tuscarora State Park
I decided to visit nearby Tuscarora State Park last Sunday. It is one of the many state parks and forests that we have near my home here in Northeastern Pennsylvania, and which I don’t visit often enough. I planned to hike the Spirit of Tuscarora Trail and then hike in the meadows along the Locust…
Read MoreAn Unplanned, Long Overdue And Amazing Visit To The Famous And Spectacular Niagara Falls.
Usually, after checking in to a hotel on my travels , I quickly settle in my room and am out the door exploring my new location. But not on my recent visit to Niagara Falls in Ontario, Canada. I entered my room on the 11th Floor of the Marriot Fallsview Hotel and I remained there…
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