United States National and State Parks

Lehigh Gorge State Park, Glen Onoko Falls, Pennsylvania

2011-10-22T18:25:00.001-07:00

Today was a beautiful, brisk day in the height of Autumn for one of the prettiest hikes in Eastern Pennsylvania, Glen Onoko Falls in Lehigh Gorge State Park.

The trail ascends along a flowing stream with many beautiful little waterfalls.

I always love to hear flowing water on a hike.

The first of three gorgeous waterfalls. Because of a lot of recent rain, the falls were really full.

Droplets of mist fill the air around these falls.

Can you see the rainbow?

So many beautiful sights to see along this trail.

The highest waterfall

In the summer this is a fun waterfall to walk behind.

We saw a bear! At least I think it was a bear. Okay, maybe it was a dog.

Pretty view of the river below

Overlooking the Lehigh River and the town of Jim Thorpe.

This section of the river is known as the Oxbow.

The foliage was beautiful.

Valley Forge National Park

2011-06-18T17:39:00.001-07:00

Today we hiked ten miles in Valley Forge National Park. We took a big loop around the park, up and over Mount Joy and then Mount Misery, along a stream, past the encampments, through the Arch, and back to the Visitor Center. Valley Forge has enough hills for a good cardio workout, and it's a beautiful park with lots of trees, wooded areas, open fields, streams, and of course, history. It was a warm day, and when hiking up the hills and then later in the direct sun we really felt the heat! It was a great day to be outside enjoying late Spring. Later, we ate at an Indian buffet, quickly making up all those calories we burned during our hiking workout!

No visit to Valley Forge is complete without a trip to Trader Joe's, where I purchased Meyer Lemon Cookie Thins, Harvest Grain Blend of Israeli Style Couscous, and Happy Trekking Mix, which is happy because it contains chocolate!

Jacobsburg State Park, Pennsylvania

2010-10-30T19:12:00.000-07:00

Today was a brisk, windy day for hiking in Jacobsburg State Park. Falls colors are past their peak, many trees are already completely bare. However, beautiful crimson, yellow, and brilliant orange hues are still to be found in the woods.

Splashes of Autumn color reflected in the stream

Crimson, yellow, and orange leaves

Beautiful Autumn colors

More Autumn reflections

Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania

2010-08-15T19:01:00.001-07:00

Today was a beautiful day for hiking in Ricketts Glen State Park. Temperatures had finally cooled to the mid eighties and the day was slightly breezy and clear.

At 94 feet high, Ganoga Falls is the highest waterfall in the park.

At least 25 waterfalls are in this beautiful park.

Stunning scenery is around every bend.

The 36 foot high Sheldon Reynolds Falls was a nice place to relax and eat lunch.

The 27 foot high Harrison Wright Falls is my favorite waterfall in the park. I love the luminescent green color of the water below.

Glen Onoko Falls, Lehigh Gorge State Park

2010-07-17T20:19:00.000-07:00

When the temperature climbs into the nineties, there simply is no better local place to hike than Glen Onoko Falls in Jim Thorpe. We took refuge from the heat along shaded paths, tree lined trails, and the occasional refreshing dip under a waterfall.

First waterfall

Looking into the cool mist

This little pup, named Sangria, had a fabulous time on our hike. Dogs + water = fun.

We could climb behind this pretty waterfall.

Jacobsburg State Park, Pennsylvania

2010-04-03T14:03:00.001-07:00

Today was one of the most beautiful days in the year so far. The weather in the morning was slightly breezy, but temperatures eventually reached into the eighties. Spring has arrived with all her beauty; the trees and flowers are blossoming everywhere.

It was a great day for a hike in one of the prettiest State parks in Pennsylvania. Jacobsburg has flowing streams, cool woodlands, and sunny fields and pastures. A variety of plant life grows in all the environments in the park, attracting a diversity of birds and other wildlife. I heard cardinals, chickadees, towhees, phoebes, and woodpeckers.

I love the rebirth of Spring and the revitalization it brings. Some say that everything in the physical world is a reflection of something in the spiritual world. If that is so, then Spring to me is rebirth, new life, new possibilities, and new directions. Today was a beautiful start to that season.

Flowers catching bright sun rays

A little rivulet forms a small waterfall.

I love these hemlock forests.

A beautiful stream flows through the park. We watched some little birds nesting in some high rocks along the water. I think they were phoebes.

Stopping for a moment on the bridge

Finding some serenity in Henry's Woods

Spring is bursting forth everywhere! I love the juxtaposition of seasons, last year's leaves provide a foundation for this year's new growth.

Sunlight catching ripples in the stream

Shenandoah National Park

2009-10-27T18:53:00.001-07:00

I just returned from a beautiful visit to Shenandoah National Park during the peak of Autumn foliage season.

My first day was a little bit drizzly so I spent some time in Luray Caverns.

The formations were amazing.

I hiked to the top of Stony Man Mountain.

Autumn foliage as seen from Skyline Drive.

Mountain views from every vista

Row upon row of mountains

A view of Old Rag, a popular spot for climbers

Yet another stunning vista

Can you see the profile of the Stony Man? Me neither.....

Last bit of sunlight on the mountain

On a clear day I hiked to Whiteoak Canyon Falls, at 86 feet the second highest waterfall in the park.

The path was covered with jewel colored leaves.

Another waterfall in Whiteoak Canyon

The woods were filled with gold and orange hues.

Beauty everywhere I looked

Lower Whiteoak Falls

Acadia National Park

2009-08-30T18:40:00.001-07:00

I had a lovely visit to Acadia National Park and spent the time photographing, sightseeing, kayaking, biking, and hiking.

Tuesday August 25
The first day I drove the Park Loop Road stopping often for photographs. Park Loop Road offers the most beautiful views of the park, and this is the side of Acadia most often seen by visitors. The views of cliffs dropping to an azure blue ocean are spectacular, but Acadia is so much more than that.

View from the summit of Cadillac Mountain

Cliffs dropping to the ocean

These are the views Acadia is famous for.

Waves lapping against the cliffs

View from the tree line

The ocean was rough that day.

Acadia is, of course, an artist's paradise. Renee Lammers painting plein air.

Wild roses and rose hips near Thunder Hole

Otter Cliffs

Ocean view

Waves pounding shore

Wildflowers on the cliffs

Sunset from Cadillac Mountain

Wednesday August 26
Today I kayaked in Frenchman Bay. We had beautiful views of Porcupine Islands, home to much of Acadia's wild life. We saw a bald eagle flying overhead.

Our guide pointing out an interesting sight...

Thursday August 27
Today I biked the carriage roads. The carriage roads are 57 miles of beautiful paths twisting through Acadia which were built by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. They are ideal for bicycling, running, walking, and horseback riding.

I started out biking around Eagle Lake.

I made a loop by Aunt Betty's Pond for views of lily pads and tranquil water. I saw a turtle splashing in the shallows.

View of Jordan Pond from the bike trail

View of North Bubble and South Bubble from Jordan Pond

I biked past serene Bubble Pond in the afternoon.

Back to Eagle Lake to complete the ride

Friday August 28
Today I hiked several of the beautiful trails on Mount Desert Island.

Beaver Dam Pond

On the summit of Champlain Mountain

Beautiful views of the Porcupine Islands in Frenchman Bay

More views from the summit

The vistas are stunning.

I hiked up to the Bowl, a glacial tarn, which is a circular lake formed by alpine glacier melts.

I hiked the Gorham Mountain Trail, with spectacular vistas.

View of Sand Beach from Gorham Mountain.

View of Champlain Mountain from Gorham Mountain

I spent most evenings in Bar Harbor for dinner and souvenir shopping. Here is a beautiful sunset on the harbor.

Ridley Creek State Park - First Picnic of Spring!

2009-04-05T15:59:00.001-07:00

Today was a beautiful day for a hike in Ridley Creek State Park and a picnic. Highs were in the mid sixties and the day was sunny and bright, although cool in the shade. We started the day with a nice long hike. The undergrowth is beginning to turn green, and a few early wildflowers are appearing. I had to adjust the straps of my backpack because they no longer have to accommodate a heavy winter coat, which was a great feeling! After our hike, we had a picnic. A few of us brought some kites and also tossed a frisbee around. It was a wonderful start to the Spring hiking season!

Ridley Creek

Another view of Ridley Creek

Undergrowth is green!

Lift off!

Pixie made the rounds looking for some handouts. I think she got some!

Ricketts Glen State Park, Pennsylvania

2008-11-01T18:53:00.000-07:00

Today we went to beautiful Ricketts Glen State Park and hiked the aptly named Falls Trail, which has 22 waterfalls. The highest waterfall is 94 feet tall. The combination of Autumn foliage and rushing waterfalls was absolutely stunning.

We were surprised to find snow on the ground on the upper part of the trail.

Pretty green hemlocks and white snow.

Wolf Swamp, Deep Lake, and Big Pocono State Park

2008-10-11T22:00:00.000-07:00

Today was a perfect day for a visit to the Pocono Mountains. Fall foliage is nearing its peak, and the day was warm and clear. Wolf Swamp and Deep Lake are glacier lakes nestled in the beautiful Pennsylvania forests. We were treated to views of brilliant vermilion, orange, and yellow foliage while we hiked to these picturesque lakes. Later in the day we also hiked Big Pocono State Park for beautiful vistas and views of Delaware Water Gap and Little Gap. After a long day hiking, we had homemade pasta at charming Sette Luna in Easton.

Brilliant orange maples against an azure sky

Vermilion trees amidst forests of birch and pine

Brilliant red and yellow

Beautiful canopy of Autumn foliage

Reflections of brilliant color in Wolf Swamp

Colorful shoreline

Panorama view of Wolf Swamp

Translucent maple leaves

Deep Lake through the pines

We stopped for lunch by the shore of Deep Lake and watched a Kingfisher fishing for his dinner.

Lily pads near the surface. We watched schools of minnows and a few salamanders in the shallows.

Panorama view of Deep Lake

We also hiked some of the trails at Big Boulder State Park and were treated to vistas of the colorful forests below.

Delaware Water Gap in the distance

Lehigh Gorge State Park, Glen Onoko Falls

2008-08-24T15:23:00.001-07:00

Today we hiked the scenic 1.7 mile waterfall trail at Glen Onoko Falls three times. Although the mileage was not high, there was a lot of scrambling and climbing, making it a challenging hike. We had a beautiful day, highs in the eighties with low humidity. Later we stopped at Jim Thorpe's charming Hotel Switzerland for sandwiches and other refreshments.

Pretty waterfall

Jules, our fearless hike leader

After a climb

Another refreshing waterfall

Our group

More waterfalls

Waterfall from our third loop, we took a slightly different trail

Lehigh Gorge State Park, Pennsylvania

2008-07-12T15:34:00.001-07:00

Lehigh Gorge is a pretty Pennsylvania state park along the Lehigh River in Carbon and Luzerne counties. Today we biked on the riverside path from Rockport to White Haven and back again. It was a warm day, but the path had plenty of shade and a slight cool breeze from the river.

A view through the trees of the Lehigh River

The rhododendrons were blossoming in beautiful pink and white flowers.

By the rhododendrons

A pretty little waterfall to cool off in

A slight bend in the river

Yosemite National Park, California

2008-06-29T21:46:00.001-07:00

I just returned from six days of hiking in beautiful Yosemite National Park, California. Yosemite is spectacular; I have never before experienced such grandeur on such a majestic scale. In Yosemite, cliffs and waterfalls plunge thousands of feet, two thousand year old trees tower over two hundred feet, and wild rivers thunder into the valley below.

Day One Sunday June 22

Today we hiked Pohono Trail to Dewey Point at 7200 feet elevation, and also Crocker Point at 7100 feet. This was my first view of the majestic cliffs dropping into Yosemite Valley thousands of feet below. We could see Bridalveil Fall, Ribbon Fall, and the striking 3000 foot high El Capitan.

The Sierra Nevada forests are filled with towering majestic pines.

View of El Capitan and the triple peaks of Three Brothers

On top of Dewey Point

Spring is wildflower season.

The classic Valley view. El Capitan is on the left, Half Dome is visible in the center, and Bridalveil Fall flows to the right.

Day Two Monday June 23

Today we hiked the Mist Trail to the strikingly beautiful Vernal Fall and Nevada Fall.

The beautiful Merced River. Sometimes it is a bubbling creek, sometimes a placid and calm river, and other times a wild and thundering rapid.

First glimpse of the 317 foot Vernal Fall from the Mist Trail

If you catch the light just right you can see a rainbow.

Vernal Fall from the Mist Trail

Another beautiful view with a rainbow

Wild and wonderful Merced River thunders into the valley below

Close up view of the majestic 594 foot Nevada Fall

Nevada Fall roars into the Valley below

Merced River plunging over Vernal Fall

Liberty Cap and Vernal Fall

Our hike leaders, Sue and Dick. They did a wonderful job planning our trip, guiding our hikes, and ensuring our comfort and safety.

View of wildflowers and Nevada Fall

Nevada Fall from the John Muir trail.

Day Three, Tuesday June 24

Today was the most strenuous hike of our trip, the hike to the top of Yosemite Falls and beyond that to the dizzying view from Yosemite Point, which overlooks the Valley and the Falls below.

A view of Upper Yosemite Falls. Yosemite Falls is the highest waterfall in North America, and the fifth tallest in the world. It is a 2425 foot drop from the top of the Upper Fall to the base of the Lower Fall. The Upper Fall alone is a 1430 foot plunge.

A view from Yosemite Falls Trail

These beautiful waters plunge very quickly over Yosemite Falls

Day Four Wednesday June 25

Today we hiked in the Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoia. Later we had a wonderful raft ride on the Merced River with views of Half Dome and Yosemite Falls.

A view of Half Dome rising 4737 feet above the valley floor.

A majestic Giant Sequoia. Sequoias are the world's largest living being in terms of volume. They average 165 to 280 feet tall. They grow in a limited area of the western Sierra Nevada. The oldest tree in the Mariposa Grove is 1900 to 2400 years old.

A photo of me with our hike leaders Sue and Dick

Majestic giants

A cluster of towering trees

A beautiful walk through a grove of some of the tallest trees in the world

I had to merge five photos together to capture the height of this majestic tree.

Bear! We were lucky enough to see an abundance of wildlife on the trails, including three adult bears and two cubs, two coyote, dozens of mule deer, and of course the western ground squirrel. Bird sightings include the beautiful stellar jay which is common in the West, an acorn woodpecker, and a western grosbeak. Mountain lions also exist in the park. We convinced ourselves we saw a print of a big cat, but it might have been a coyote. Who knows?

Day Five Thursday June 26

Today we hiked the Sentinel Loop to the 8,122 foot Sentinel Dome, the second highest point on Yosemite Valley's rim after Half Dome. We also hiked to Taft Point and saw the dramatic Fissure drop offs, and also saw Washburn Point and Glacier Point.

View of Half Dome in the distance.

View of Half Dome and Nevada and Vernal Falls

A surprise sighting of a coyote

Day Six Friday June 27

Today we hiked to Bridalveil Fall, around Mirror Lake, and also saw Lower Yosemite Fall. We spent some time in the Yosemite Village and Museum learning about the Native American culture and also the history of climbers in the park. Finally, we had dinner at Yosemite Lodge and then toured the historic Ahwahnee Hotel. On the way back to our cabin, we passed El Capitan and saw the lights from at least three climbers. Climbers can take several days to summit El Capitan.

Bridalveil Fall

A view of the aptly named Mirror Lake

Another reflection from Mirror Lake

This mule deer let us approach very close. Probably too close. Don't try this at home.

A respectable distance from a mule deer

A view of Upper Yosemite Fall and Lower Yosemite Fall

Lower Yosemite Fall

The historic Ahwahnee Hotel

Our final dinner and farewell. I am looking forward to many enduring friendships from this wonderful group of people I met on the trail. Here's hoping for many more adventures and many years of friendship!

______________

In closing, here is the poetic and mystical description of Yosemite by the naturalist John Muir, a champion for the preservation of Yosemite National Park and founder of the Sierra Club, one of the most influential conservation organizations in the United States:

The most famous and accessible of these canyon valleys, and also the one that presents their most striking and sublime features on the grandest scale, is the Yosemite, situated in the basin of the Merced River at an elevation of 4000 feet above the level of the sea. It is about seven miles long, half a mile to a mile wide, and nearly a mile deep in the solid granite flank of the range. The walls are made up of rocks, mountains in size, partly separated from each other by side canyons, and they are so sheer in front, and so compactly and harmoniously arranged on a level floor, that the Valley, comprehensively seen, looks like an immense hall or temple lighted from above.

But no temple made with hands can compare with Yosemite. Every rock in its walls seems to glow with life. Some lean back in majestic repose; others, absolutely sheer or nearly so for thousands of feet, advance beyond their companions in thoughtful attitudes, giving welcome to storms and calms alike, seemingly aware, yet heedless, of everything going on about them. Awful in stern, immovable majesty, how softly these rocks are adorned, and how fine and reassuring the company they keep: their feet among beautiful groves and meadows, their brows in the sky, a thousand flowers leaning confidingly against their feet, bathed in floods of water, floods of light, while the snow and waterfalls, the winds and avalanches and clouds shine and sing and wreathe about them as the years go by, and myriads of small winged creatures birds, bees, butterflies--give glad animation and help to make all the air into music. Down through the middle of the Valley flows the crystal Merced, River of Mercy, peacefully quiet, reflecting lilies and trees and the onlooking rocks; things frail and fleeting and types of endurance meeting here and blending in countless forms, as if into this one mountain mansion Nature had gathered her choicest treasures, to draw her lovers into close and confiding communion with her.