Here are a couple more pictures from my weekend hike my hike a few weekends ago at Colonel Denning State Park.
If you haven't yet gotten your annual dose of color, you had better do it soon. I was out this past weekend and noticed that the leaves are disappearing fast!
YDR food writer Nicki Lefever and her husband, Nate, contemplated going on another cruise for their October vacation, but decided a camping trip was in order instead. Below is her report:
This entry comes straight from the vacation of YDR photographer Bil Bowden, who is biking the Greater Niagara Circle Route in Ontario. That includes alongside the Welland Canal and above the Niagrara River to the falls.
"Nancy Peterson and I did the loop trail, which is entirely paved and the Welland Canal part, anyway, is nearly flat. We pedaled along with the Blacky, a ship made in China that was on its maiden voyage," Bil writes
"We're headed to Pelee Island Friday, taking the ferry over, and biking. As you can see, the weather was terrific, and there's still plenty of color. Wanted to take advantage of the fair weather, since this is, of course, the Buffalo area."
His travel tips: October/November is a wonderful time to travel It's still comfortable enough to travel outdoors, but without the crowds. Niagara Falls was empty of tourists (not that we spent much time around all the souvenirs anyway).
Many motels have dropped their prices, and gas prices are dropping like a rock. In Ohio, we're looking at 2.19. And the U.S. dollar is finally worth more than the Canadian dollar again.
To see more of Bil's photos, visit his blog, Bil's Eye View.
As I've watched the leaves change color and the air take on the chill of fall the past couple of weeks, I kept telling myself I needed to get outside and enjoy it before the trees are bare and the cold, intolerable.
Sunday, I finally did, hiking five miles up and down a mountain in Col. Denning State Park near Newville with friends. (That's my friend Stacy and me standing up on the rock)
I must say, it probably wasn't the wisest decision to undertake such a massive workout after a month away from the gym. The past three or four weeks, my primary physical exercise has been carrying boxes up and down stairs of my new house.
While that is a bit of a workout, it in no way prepared me for the rather misnamed "Flat Rock Trail," which I thought could have been renamed "Vertical Rocky Trail to the Sky."
Today, I feel a little sore, but in a good way. And the time outside was totally worth it. Check out the awesome view.
What outdoor activities are you doing these days? Post a comment and share.
Saturday, from 10 a.m. to noon, two world renowned chainsaw carvers will be at the Ned Smith Center for Nature and Art in Millersburg.
Yes, it will take you a little more than an hour's drive to get there from York.
But you can make some fun stops on the way home -- including two of my favorites: Sledworks in Duncannon and The Millersburg Ferry.
Sunday, I visited American architect Frank Lloyd Wright's renowned Fallingwater in western PA.
The place, designed and built for the Kauffman family (of the now-defunct Kauffman's Department Stores) of Pittsburgh in the 1930s still leaves visitors in awe. It's a beautiful example of integrating manmade structures and nature and living in harmony with one's environment.
This week, a representative from the National Park Service came to York County to designate the Susquehanna River Water Trail -- a 103-mile portion of water from Sunbury to the Maryland border -- a national recreational trail.
The designation highlights the significance of the river as a recreational resource that improves the quality of life in the region.
I don't know about you, but anytime I'm in my kayak in the middle of the river -- far from cell phones and computers and highways -- my quality of life skyrockets.
In the living section of today's paper, you'll see the results of our third annual summer photo contest.
In keeping with that theme, I thought I'd share one of my summer photos here. This one was taken during a weekend I spent in the town of Ohiopyle.
For more great photos, check out YDR photographer Bil Bowden's blog.
Sunday afternoon, some friends and I hiked to an observation tower near the resort town of Mount Gretna and climbed the narrow rusty ladders to the top, where you can supposedly see parts of four counties on a clear day.
It's not super well-known -- the Park at Governor Dick isn't a state or county park and I heard of it for the first time when friends mentioned it. We had a bit of difficulty figuring out which roads would take us to the trail head, and the trail itself wasn't well-marked, but we figured it out.
It was a nice excursion, but we were a little frustrated at the lack of on-site information about the tower and the park. We like to learn a little when we're visiting new places.
Now, for the ice-cream...
Summer isn't summer for me without a visit to Cowans Gap State Park near McConnellsburg.
Earlier this month, my family rented a cabin there for a week and I spent a weekend there. Here are three photos that show my favorite parts of camping:
The rowboat that got me hooked on being on the water and taught me how to steer a boat. It was my inspiration for buying a kayak two years ago. I wanted to be able to go out and paddle around on my own.
The campfire. Oh, the stories, the silliness. The sticky marshmallow S'morey goodness. This glowing fire probably has coals that are perfect for cooking mountain pies.
And lastly, the view. The relaxing scenery by the lake is a sight for sore urban/suburban stressed eyes.
