14 October 2023 Closer to Home

We were winding down vacation with a few short hikes while geocaching in the Allegheny National Forest. It was a gentle fall day.

26 August 2023 Visiting a Quadripoint

We were out for the afternoon to continue seeking geocaches placed to celebrate the Allegheny National Forest Centennial. This afternoon included a visit to McKean County after a walk in our woods.

A tiny toad sitting on a small leaf...

Our trail to start the journey

Great Spangled Fritilary on Joe Pye Weed

Following the powerlines to the quadripoint

The Warren County side of the marker... The other three sides are McKean, Elk, and Forest Counties on this marker from 1902.

Unknown Remains from a Different Time

4 July 2023 Geocaching in the ANF

 It was a perfect holiday for continuing to visit historical sites in the Allegheny National Forest.  It was also time for deptford pinks to be blooming.  The flower is non-native and considered invasive, but has not made huge gains in our time visiting the ANF.  The flowers add a bit of color to fields.

We spotted this tiny salamander on a trail.

A fritillary on our journey

One of our stops included a visit to this wetland with a large area of open water and a very active osprey nest.  

Two of the young are visible.

It's a crowded house...

3 July 2023 Celebrating 100 Years of the ANF

The Forest Service sponsored a new Allegheny National Forest Geotrail to celebrate the centennial of the national forest.  We spent a good part of the weekend visiting parts of the ANF.  Many were familiar places.  This old barn on Route 62 is one of those. 

Wild geraniums in bloom

Beautiful fritillary

Trout run at a fish hatchery

Female wood duck at the fish hatchery

Lizzie playing in a stream

A pleasant stop on the Allegheny River

8 April 2023 Favorite Places

 We enjoyed a beautiful, spring weekend.  Our property has a small vernal pool that is an annual host to egg sacks for salamanders and frogs.

Spring wildflowers keep progressing with bloodroot along the water's edge.

We spent the afternoon enjoying the trail at the ANF's Hearts Content Scenic Area.

The Allegheny River was quite picturesque.

The day was winding down when we made a stop at Irvine Flats.

4 July 2022 Timberdoodle Flats

 We wanted to enjoy and easy walk with the dogs after there long visit to Quenhenna.  There were a few new caches at Timberdoodle Flats and an easy walk in the National Forest.

The open areas pass into denser regrowth.

It was a perfect time to spot oxalis in bloom at the edge of the woods.

Beavers had been busy since our last visit with a large dam and lodge.

The loop brought us back to an open field with wildflowers, butterflies and bluebirds nesting.

17 April 2022 Chapel Bay

We don't visit as many ANF areas as we did in the past. Time seems to shrink. Today was a perfect day to soak in the spring and enjoy megansers on the water.

We were on the lookout for spring wildflowers and were rewarded with squirrel corn.

17 April 2021 Exploring the ANF

We stopped at a cemetery in Tidioute before moving on to the ANF.  The cemetery has a number of interesting markers including some very well preserved zinc markers.

The Condererate War memorial was a zinc work.  Zinc is an unusual choice for these markers, but this one is in great shape.

There's always something new to see in a journey through the ANF.  Today we were looking for a milestone geocache and hoping to enjoy a spring day in the woods.  We spotted an early salamander on the way.