2 July 2021 Long Holiday Weekend

 Lizzie was happy at the prospect of a long weekend in Pennsylvania.

We were on our way back to Forest County for geocaching and whatever else we could find while exploring.  These indian pipes were along the trail in a game lands.

A nice rock formation with geocaches will always make our day.

We made a stop at an overlook of the Allegheny River at a section of the Allegheny National Forest near Tidoute.  It had been some time since our last visit.  The growth around the overlook has grown much since our last visit.

30 June 2021 Dryden Rail Trail

 The weather theme this week was rain.  Every day included at least a shower.  I still wanted a walk after leaving the office so I made my way south to Dryden to visit a rail trail.  It was a first visit to me sp I had a new place to explore.  There was a cache just across the road which I found first.  The hide including a song sparrow to enjoy.

I left the camera in the vehicle surrendering a chance for more birds in exchange for protecting the camera from the potential rain.  I didn't need to wait long for rain.

I spotted this interesting old bridge which appears to have once been a side turnout for the tracks which becam the rail trail.  Everything on either side appears to have been farmed for some time so the side line seemed odd.

Late June is not the time for most wildflowers so I was happy to see a few on the way.

Leaving the camera behind meant missing out a the multiple kingfishers along this section of water.  A little farther along the trail I missed a couple chances for re-bellied woodpecker images.  At least the camera was dry in the vehicle.

The weather gave a chance to enjoy a quiet walk on the trail and find a few caches.

28 June 2021 Finger Lakes Trail

 I had planned to visit the Finger Lakes Trail after work for a longer walk and a few geocache finds.  The day included rain showers and storms so I wasn't sure how the hike would go.  On my first attempt to enter the state forest, I was blocked with a downed tree.  I moved what I could to help the next traveller, but decided to hunt for a better way to the trail.

I found another road leading back to FLT and was able to reach the trail.  The downed tree was a bit of a concern as I stopped roadside for a couple cache finds.

After the finds I decided to drive under the tree with the thought there were other ways out.  I had a couple false starts with roads that were too underwater to navigate, but I eventually made my way to my second parking spot.  The roads had plenty of deep muddy areas, but the Subaru was up to the task.

I know wineberry is an invasive, but it has been here since 1890 and yields tasty fruit.  I was a little early to enjoy the berries this evening.

I was on the trail when still more rain arrived.  I was glad the shower was quick and happy to spot salamanders along the trail after the rain.

After the rain, the sun streamed throought the trees.

By the time I reached the turnaround of my walk, the skies were once again clear.

27 June 2021 Visiting Forest County

 We were back in Pennsylvania.  The weather was promising to be perfect.

A short walk on the property with the dogs included a visit to a bird house.  There was nest building going on during our last visit so we were hoping to see eggs inside.  Surprise...

When we opened the box we were greeted by baby chickadees.  They were at a stage where their eyes were open.  They were very close to leaving the nest so this was a treat.

We also enjoyed spotting blue-eyed grass on our brief walk.

We were looking for geocaches in Forest County.  The caches were in a series for tourism so many of the locations were happy places we had visited before.  Our first stop was at the fire tower.  The tower is always fenced so there is no chance to climb it, but one can hope.

A visit to Buzzard Swamp is always a treat.  The blue skies made a perfect day to take a walk.

We knew we were late to see orchids in bloom, but we were hoping to still have time to see bunchberry blooming.  We were too late for these too.

On our way back across the dam we stopped to take an image of a turtle.  The turtle was photo-bombed by a passing snake in the water.

23 June 2021 Visiting Auburn

 I hadn't been to Auburn in a few years.  There were a few newer unfound caches and a rare Indiana ice cream stand.  The first stop on the way was the ice cream stand.  While it seems as though so much has changed since COVID arrived, the stand was open with the zebra jeep sitting out front.

I made a visit to a nearby park for a walk and a few cache finds.  I was surprised to find that one had been published that morning and had no finders.  We don't make first-to-finds often.  The pond near the cache was the scene of some duck drama. A male and female pair were out for an evening swim when a second male approached for some territorial confrontation.  

After some skirmishing, lots of noise and flying routines, the rogue duck was on his way leaving the two to enjoy their swim.