23 May 2021 Finzel Swamp and Home

 

We first visited Finzel Swamp in 2019 to find a geocache.  On that first visit the path back was filled with warblers on either side of the trail.  This was our first visit in the spring.

Our bird sightings were not as exciting or plentiful as that first visit, but Ali did spot a northern water snake lounging in a tree above the water.

An invasive red-eared slider was in the pond nearest the parking area.

I really like South Park in Pittsburgh.  I really hate driving in Pittsburgh.  We have made a few visits here and returned this afternoon for a few older caches we hadn't found,  The caching was great and included spotting a fawn near one of the hides.  The driving was terrible.  I finally decided I couldn't stand any more of it.  Even driving the park is not fun.

22 May 2021 Favorite Stops Visited Again

 We are creatures of habit and tend to follow the same paths to enjoy places that please us.  We always look to find and explore new places while holding dear a few special ones.  Today's journey was covering a few of the special ones starting with Swallow Falls.  We knew the beautiful weather would pack the state park side with a large crowd so we again took the lesser known path through the woods.

This trail starts well above the water and winds through the woods down to the water.

We've hiked this trail many times and not noticed the CCC remnants before.  This looks like it was used used as an incinerator for a camp.

We thought we might see painted trilliums and were happy when we did, but there were greater wildflower surprises ahead.

Once we crossed a side tributary and spotted the first lady slippers we began to see them everywhere.  They were a happy unexpected treat.

We sat for awhile and talked with another birding couple.  It was a blissful, brief moment of meeting and interacting with people in a pandemic world.

We left Swallow Falls and made our way another favorite the Cranesville Swamp.  This was a first spring visit for us so we were hoping for new sightings along the boardwalk.

We did spot a snake crossing the boardwalk.

The pitcher plants were up and showing life.

The main attraction here is the swamp area, but the woods offer a nice walk.  Today there were spring wildflowers in bloom including more painted trilliums.

Our day was over when we spotted this rainbow.  It stayed with us longer than any ranibow we have seen.

15 May 2021 Heading South to Virginia

 We have stayed in Uniontown multiple times, but never spent much time in the town.  Today we decided to use a local historical puzzle based on the life of General George Marshall.  Driving in Uniontown wasn't a pleasant experience. but it is an interesting town for walking and visiting.

When we started geocaching, there were so many places we visited that were not known to us.  We've cached for so long that those new places are infrequent.  Today, Ali chose a place called Wharton Township Recreational Park.  The park offered good looking ball diamonds, plenty of picnic opportunities and a trail filled with wildflowers.  It was a perfect new place to explore and enjoy.

Our next visit was a longer walk at a new for us gamelands.  SGL265 offered wildflowers, rock structures, and wildlife.  We also enjoyed saying hello to another cacher on the trail in as we returned.

A friend always spots interesting stones amongst the road material in gamelands.  The state often has a small area in the gameland where material is removed and crushed for the roadways.  Today I spotted this one on the way.

It is time for fiddleheads as the ferns start to unwind.

Our day wasn't over as we made a couple of tourist visits to Casselman's Bridge and a historical toll house on the Old Cumberland Road.

It was a busy, happy day to be out exploring.

27 September 2020 Finzel Swamp and Mount Aetna

We started our day with a third visit to Finzel Swamp.  Our first visit here included multiple warblers sightings.  This was our second return with no bird sightings. It was still a fun walk and an easy start to the day. 

Our second stop was for a walk in Savage River State Forest.  We made a nice geocache find of an older hide hidden along a trail by Braddock's Road.

Mt. Aetna was also a new location for us to visit.  It was our longest hike of the day.  Besides a number of cache finds we were treated to what was our best colors of the fall.

We learned of all three locations from geocaches placed there.  For Finzel Swamp we continue to return to see what wildlife might be there.  For the other locations, they were pleasant journeys and a great way to spend a day on a trip during a very uncertain time.  I was happy for all three.