A Drive Along the Ridge

rshaner

This Autumn I had an opportunity to take a drive through State Games Lands 110 in Berks and Schuylkill Counties. The auto tour provides an opportunity to explore roads not usually open to traffic along the top of the Blue Mountain ridge.

Deer, bear and turkeys are some of the wildlife you’ll find in Game Lands 110, a 10,310-acre forested area along Blue Mountain. The Appalachian Trail is located on the top of the Blue Mountain and runs the length of the game lands from Route 183 to Port Clinton. The area does provide some beautiful fall color. After a short but steep drive up the mountain, the route continued along a relatively flat road along the crest from east to west. Here are some of my shots from along the route:

Merry Christmas

rshaner

I would like to wish you all a Merry Christmas. My wish for the New Year would be for everyone to remember this: The only way for evil to flourish is for good people to do nothing. The side of peace and tolerance is always the right one.

A Detour to the North, Part III

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My travels this October finally led me into the province of Quebec. My trip included an unexpected detour to the town of Saguenay and ended in Quebec City. My best views of fall foliage were in Quebec, as you will see below. First up is La Baie, where my cruise ship was docked near Saguenay. This area has also has a lovely national park and one of the few fjords on the east coast of North America.

I spent a short time in Quebec City before flying home.

Rue St. Anne
Statue of Champlain
UNESCO monument, lower center
Chateau Frontenac
Public Art
There are those fall colors.

A Detour to the North, Part II

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While in New England and Canada, I took a day trip to the popular village of Peggy’s Cove. This tourist attractions is a quaint Nova Scotia fishing village with one of the most photographed lighthouses in Canada.

Finally, here a some photos of Georges Island National Historic Site in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

A Detour to the North, Part I

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This October I was fortunate to take a trip to Maine, Nova Scotia and Quebec. Much of the topography of the inland areas, and the fall color, remind me of Pennsylvania. First up is a boat trip from Bar Harbor, Maine. This part of the Maine coast from Bar Harbor to Somes Sound is dotted with the “cottages” of the rich and famous.

The trip was themed around the lighthouses of the Bay of Maine near the Mount Desert Island shore.

Here are some boats, buoys, and critters along the way, along with a few looks at Mount Desert Island from the sea.

Happy Thanksgiving

rshaner

This is a weekend to remember all our blessings – the people, places and things that make life worthwhile. I am grateful that this Commonwealth has such and abundance of natural beauty and wonderful people,

These guys are grateful not to be turkeys.

Even More Tioga County

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Here are some scenes from lovely Tioga County from this past summer. Next week we will be taking a break from northcentral Pennsylvania for a series of locations that a bit farther afield.

Adorable house with barn star and colorful zinnias.
This pond sits next door.
Goldenrod looking lovely with the hay.
A great Veterans and MIA memorial in Tioga.
Tioga County isn’t just rural beauty. It is also home to a state university.

Two Large Lakes I Didn’t Realize Existed

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There are some fantastic locations in Pennsylvania that have escaped my notice, even after all these years. Perhaps, in the case of our next location, it is because it’s almost all the way to the New York State line.

Tioga-Hammond Lakes are twin lakes in north central Pennsylvania with overnight and day use facilities in a scenic environment, southwest of Tioga, PA and north of Wellsboro on PA on Route 287. The recreation area has camping, a swimming beach, sand volleyball court, playground, boat launches, field sports area, a camp store, trails hunting, display gardens, archery trail, scenic overlooks and picnic facilities including grills and picnic shelters. There area is administered by the US Army Corps of Engineers.

The lakes were formed by the building of two separate dams, one on the Tioga River and one on Crooked Creek. They are connected by a channel cut through the rock which has its own weir on the Tioga Reservoir side. This unusual arrangements allows acid polluted water to mix with cleaner water from the other stream, increasing overall water quality downstream.

A view of the channel.
Near one of the boat launches at the Ives Run Beach Area and campground.
Some looks out over the reservoirs.
Tioga Reservoir Overlook.
The recreation area abuts state game lands near Crooked Creek.
Unusual and nice osprey nest platform viewing area.
Fishing the Tioga.
The goldenrod was everywhere that weekend.

Say Hay to Hills Creek

rshaner

The 407-acre Hills Creek State Park, located in scenic Tioga County, contains abundant wildlife such as osprey, loon, and waterfowl which visit the lake that contains a variety of warmwater fish species. Camping, cabins, swimming, and picnicking make this an ideal spot for a day trip or family vacation. Hiking, fishing and hunting are also available.

It was a hazy day at the lake.
I love the yurts in Pennsylvania state parks.
People were camping in everything from large RVs to tents.
Because you know I can’t resist hay bales.
There was quite an impressive group in this field near the park.
The view from above.
They’re still there. Can you see them?

An Au Naturel Covered Bridge

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Knapp’s Covered Bridge is a Burr arch truss covered bridge over Brown’s Creek in Burlington Township, Bradford County. It was built in 1853 and is 95 feet (29.0 m) long. The bridge was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 and had a major restoration starting in 2000. Knapp’s Bridge is named for a local family, and is also known by as the Luther’s Mills Covered Bridge (for the nearby village of Luther’s Mills) and as the Brown’s Creek Covered Bridge.

The surrounding countryside also provides some nice sightseeing, like this pretty church with its barn across the road and the nearby farmland.

Nice barn star and flag.