2 June 2010 Eastlake

31 May 2010 Chores and a Few Caches


We have a number of trees that were blown down during a storm. They are blocking two of the four main trails. I've cleared a few, but it was time for some more trail work. Spring wildflowers have just about left, but there are still things to see.






This was our trail.





On our way home we stopped at a familiar gamelands for a few new caches. We pulled into the usual parking area we used and were greeted by a couple of dogs. One dog left quickly and probably went home to a nearby farm, but this liver and white dog stuck with us for his first few geocache finds. We were both surprised that our dogs didn't bark wildly. They seemed to accept him joining us as though it were natural. Maybe they still remember doing trails as a threesome.



Look at that! This dog knew right away how to hunt for a geocache. :-)



In the end, he went back home as did we, but he was a fun companion on the trail.

30 May 2010 Pfeiffer Nature Center

29 May 2010 Just Cachin'


It had been a looong time since we just went out caching. It couldn't have been a better day. We started by hunting and dnf'ing a puzzle cache I had solved. If you are going to miss finding a cache, you can't beat sitting on a rock in the Allegheny River after the hunt.


<----- Looking west Looking east ---->



Forget Me Nots along the shore





Our next stop after the Allegheny River was a hike along the North Country Trail near Sugar Bay on the Allegheny Reservoir. This is one of the nicest stretches of the NCT in Pennsylvania. The trail winds along the shoreline through the woods.





After Sugar Bay, we stopped for a few caches along the way to the Hidden Valley Trail near the Marilla Reservoir. The trails and area around Marilla are truly special. Each one offers super walking and some outstanding caching. We grabbed a couple caches on the trail and enjoyed a quiet walk along the stream.







We continued our adventure by visiting a cache called Marilla Rocks. This is an old cache that has for some reason not made it to our found list. This afternoon we headed out and found a new cache to add to our favorites list. It's easy to make me happy at a rocks cache. One this good made a great day even better.







Before we finished our day with a trip to Custer City Drive In for ice cream, we stopped for a walk along the Tuna Trail in Bradford. At our last cache, Ali got to chase a cat cache up a tree for a find at a cache called Tuna Breath.

28 May 2010 Sunset at Mill Village

27 May 2010 Visiting Chapin Forest


Chapin hasn't been a state forest since before we bought our home nearby. I used to visit here often with Murray and Becky, but it has been a while since we have stopped here for a visit. Besides a nice trail with elevation change, the park sports a nice view to the north. We were surprised to spot one of the old state forest boundary markers.

26 May 2010 Dinner at Jekyll's Kitchen

25 May 2010 Hot Cars and Memories

I was early to a business dinner and this car show was next door. I've watched these cars on my Tuesday drive home for years. This evening seemed a perfect time to stop by. I long ago lost my desire to own an old car, (although our Miata is getting near an age where she would not be out of place here), but I still enjoy seeing these old beauties.



They look fast standing still. My aunt had one of these when I was young. It was a little funny since she worked for Ford in a day when loyalty to the brand meant everything. I think Ford got the last laugh when she bought a Vega. I think all her cars after that Vega were Ford products.

My brother owned a '65 Catalina in the same color as this '64.

24 May 2010 Looking for Bats

23 May 2010 Chores


It was a day to do some chores in PA. We had purchased wildflowers at Holden for the stream bed so I worked on planting those while Ali made another check for garlic mustard along the trails. On the way into the woods, I spotted a indigo bunting. It's not the greatest shot, but it is rare when I actually spot a bird on my own. It's rarer still when I actually get a photo. ;-)






Later we stopped for a few caches on the way home including a return visit to McCray Church Cemetery. McCray Methodist Church was the home to early settlers in the area including a couple of the area's few Revolutionary War Veterans. James MCray was one of those veteranc. Today, he rests in the cemetery alongside his wife Eleanor.

The old church still stands across the road from the current church. It appears to be the home of the local 4H group. This shamrock is posted on the front of the old building.

22 May 2010 ASP Geobash


We stopped on the way into the bash to say hi to Mick EMT who was directing parking. Once parked we realized we were a couple spots away from Dr. Neal's motorhome which was sporting a lot of mud. It seems the good Doctor found a spot of soft ground when he arrived. We were glad to see that all was well despite the mud and had a great time meeting the newest caching dog on his team.

We migrated to the main building and managed to gather around a whole host of friends. The Eastern Chums were out in force with Kathy, Mary Jo, and Chris. Rich joined the event Sunday, but it was after we had returned to Warren. Tom and his mom were joined by Snoop and a rare appearance was made by Rev. Mike.

There were over 1,000 attendees this year. Everyone seemed to have a great time. After the photo shoot I got to spend time with Colin and Ray and have a short visit with Peak Baggers.

Daisy Mae has been enjoying the food. She spent most of her time near the main building enjoying a generous helping of popcorn. As always, she was a lady and won the hearts of all.

There's no doubt this is by far my favorite event. Allegany State Park is a perfect location to hike around and meet friends. The event draws from Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, and Canada so we always have the opportunity to see friends from so many places gathered together for the weekend.