4 June 2016 More of the Moths

We enjoyed our walk in this area of the ANF over the Memorial Day weekend so we returned to find the rest of the series. We knew before we parked that the moths which were everywhere on our last visit were at least as abundant today. They were on our windshield as we drove the last bit to parking.

Our Subaru was a moth magnet.

This swallowtail at rest looks like a sleek glider.

Lizzie never passes by a chance to rest at a cache location.

Cinnamon ferns looked great today along the edge of the trail.

I thought this section of the trail was more scenic than our last visit. For at least part of our journey we had a small stream flowing next to us.

We also had raindrops for part of the hike.

This is not an area visited often. At times the trail was overgrown.

Eventually, we came back to the stream where there was a tiny footbridge made from open grating. I was not going to pass on a crossing and was able to convince Phineas to be brave and cross. Lizzie was having none of that and waited with Ali for our return.

I had seen oxalis leaves at different parts of our walk. I finally spotted some blossoms near a point on the trail where we encountered a really upset woodpecker. There were holes up high in a dead wood of a few trees not far from the trail. I was sure it was protecting a nest, but never got a glimpse of the young woodpeckers it appeared to be trying to feed.

3 June 2016 Robert Miles

Robert Miles was a Revolutionary War soldier and is considered to be the first settler in the land now known as Warren County Pennsylvania. We stopped by his grave site while finding a geocache on a pleasant spring evening.

29 May 2016 Unexpected Rain

The day started off perfectly. We enjoyed seeing rhododendrons in bloom at the house, took a walk in our woods, and finished some outdoor chores.

We finished the chores and headed to Hatch Run to continue seeking the cache series in the area. It looked like a great day to be on the trail.

We had a great time playing nature nuts.

We even made a stop at the bridge for another look for our long-running dnf. We successfully managed to miss the find once again.

If we had been able to see the future, we would have stopped there. Instead we headed northwest and upwards towards a back portion of the property. We both saw darker clouds but dismissed them with a quick 'it's not supposed to rain.' By the time we got near the first hide there the clouds to the west were looking sinister. Then the wind began to whip up. We doggedly looked for a cache while the weather moved in. When we abandoned the search, it was too late. We were well away from safety and in one of the worst storms I have seen on the trail. It's tough to navigate a trail by yourself in intense driving rain. With two terrified dogs, it was nearly impossible. We slowly made our way in the direction of parking hoping the storm would pass and a terrified Lizzie would not stop and lie down from fear any more. We were completely, totally soaked and chilled by the time the last of the rain passed. We made our last bit of the walk to our ute and a squishy, wet ride home.

28 May 2016 Multitudes of Moths

We headed off to Elk County to hunt a series of caches in the Allegheny National Forest. As we were driving down the road we started seeing moths. Whenever we were by the Subaru or walking the road, we saw a lot of them; hundreds of them. They were Ferguson's Scallop Shell Moths.

Ali made a rare spotting of a spring peeper.

We also spotted indian cucumber in bloom.

This quiet spot in the woods earned a favorite point.

The geocaching wasn't bad either.

27 May 2016 Momma Duck

I was near the office when I spotted a momma duck and her ducklings. They were sitting in the grass when I first spotted them. Eventually, at momma's lead they walked off towards the stream by the woods.

25 May 2016 Almost Missed the Hyacinths

For years I had a great commute to work. A drive through Cleveland Metroparks awaited me each morning when I was at home. It offset the many, many weeks of travel. It also gave me a wonderful opportunity to stop for a few minutes on the commute and enjoy the world. Now my commute is twice as long through ugly traffic. Maybe the worst piece of the commute is no visits to Cleveland Metroparks. This evening was one late hope of seeing wild hyacinths along the Chagrin River this spring. I was lucky and happy for the chance.

It was late, but not too late.

22 May 2016 Looking for Orchids

The wood frog above has nothing to do with orchids, but we spotted it on our property in the morning.

We spent part of our afternoon at a local natural area looking for orchids. We usually spot a few here each year along the side of the trail, but today Ali noticed a few off the trail. As we explored we realized there were orchids everywhere along a long stretch of the trail.

21 May 2016 ASP Geobash

The weather at Allegany State Park is usually one of two extremes. Either the day is hot and sunny or there is some precipitation. Today, like last year was a day of rain. It rained enough for the group photo to be taken inside the event tent for the first time. Signal spent most of the time under cover too.

We still enjoyed the day very much. One of my favorite activities as a reviewer is participating in reviewer panels. Today's panel was well attended with lively discussions.

We spent time indoors visiting with friends and hoping for a change in the weather. Eventually we realized the weather was not going to improve greatly so we did what cachers do. We hit the trail in the rain. It wasn't always raining, but it was always. We still enjoyed our time with friends and were happy to be on the trails.

Painted Trilliums were plentiful and at their peak.

I had no idea fairy homes existed in the woods, but someone had placed one off the trail at Allegany State Park.

20 May 2016 Indian Trails Park

We were on our way to Pennsylvania with plans to attend the ASP Geobash the following day. The weather was too nice to pass by a walk at Indian Trails Park in Ashtabula.

Jack-in-the-pulpits grow large here.

A training wheel from a different time at the edge of the trail.

We spotted a few Bessemer Brick Blocks. Most of them were broken pieces, but this one was still mostly intact.

The river is always a pleasant part of a walk at Indian Trails.