deputy duties on new year's eve

With the exception of dog walks, I really didn't walk much this week. There is no excuse.

Several days I had intended to but didn't get out. Why? Life gets in the way. And I am my extended families personal Uber. For example, Wednesday I planned to walk after lunch. I wasn't sure when, but I wanted to wait for it to warm up a little. I was finishing up lunch and decided to check the temp on my phone. There was a text from my international student—"could you come over for a Christmas gift right away’’. She was leaving for New York City  in an hour.

I replied I'd be there -- it narrowed my choices for walking and gave me a destination. I'd go to NCC, then walk at Hornfleck park and then finish at Walmart to get a new Fitbit. Wrong. I arrived at school and it was nearly a half hour before she came down. Then I offered to take them to the bus stop so they didn't have to walk in the cold. We stopped at the gas station for tickets, and found out that they had missed the bus, and the next one wasn't till six. They had to go to the Easton terminal. See how things spiral out of control?

This morning I was reading the paper and saw a road warrior article on the effectiveness of cross walk buttons. His dad, like mine, called them "idiot" buttons. It got my attention immediately and gave me an idea. I had already canceled my plans to do the AT hike because I had to Uber my sister from St. Luke's to the north side. (She walks very slow and 13° weather is not great for her joints. Long story short, it took an hour and a half for what should have been a 20 minute round trip.) I would be a road warrior deputy and do the research of crosswalk signals. South Bethlehem, I decided, would be represented.

Did I mention it was 13° with windchill bringing it to -1°?

I came in from Ubering my sister and told my roomies I was headed out for a walk. I put on more clothes—I looked like the Michelin man. I grabbed a pencil, paper and my phone and headed out.

The first stop was the 5-points. As I'm walking down Broadway I see the hand is red. I think, great, this will go quickly. Wrong. I was crossing Wyandotte from the bank to the garage. I waited three full cycles of the light and the hand never changed. Even when I knew it should change. Once I click the button, it came on in 1.13 minutes. I found this very odd. I never noticed it when I'm out walking. But then, I always hit the idiot button. Why? So if anyone hits me, all the security cameras will tell the police that I had the right of way.

Then I tried to cross Broadway from the garage to the Old Ale House. I never noticed that there was no button! I crossed anyway, and did the timing process. Again, about 1.15 minutes.

At this point I am an ice cube. Especially my fingers. They kept coming out of the gloves. This is a project for March, not December! I had to get moving. So I did.

I did a total of five corners. The most interesting one was at the corner of Third and the Hill to Hill Bridge. Crossing Third, heading toward the bridge the light timer was 50 seconds. Not bad. However, crossing Wyandotte to Nativity Church was 2.07 minutes. I was so impatient I kept hitting the button. I didn't think it would ever turn.

I was really cold when I got home. I was looking forward to taking off my shoes and layers of outer wear, and just getting warmed up. But it was not meant to be. I walked in the house and was told it was time to go pick up sauerkraut at Bonnie's for New Year's dinner. Sigh. I turned around and left again.

An Uber driver's work is never done.

Tomorrow I'm doing a Wildland's First Day hike in Emmaus.

Miles/Steps:   Clueless. i'd like to guess 2 miles 
Weather:        13°, overcast, with a wind chill of -1°
Extras:            I have been looking for several days for a new Fitbit. I've signed up for a challenge in Volkssport walking and it starts tomorrow. There are none left in the stores. Heck, I can't even buy them online. Fitbit has them on back order for 2 weeks. I guess I should have shopped BEFORE the holidays.

the 2nd day of christmas i froze my butt off

The sun is bright, I don't hear any wind, I'm going for a walk.

Bad move.

It was about 22 degrees out. I had no idea. I dropped my neice off at work and headed for the D&L. The ice should have given me a hint. But some days I'm dense. I received my first clue when there was ice on the trail. The second clue was the canal was frozen. The third clue was there was nobody else out there.

I forge onward toward Allentown. And then the wind blew. I was walking into it. The cold became even colder. Don't let that sunshine fool you, it was C-O-L-D. And I wasn't dressed right. I had yoga pants, a winter coat, scarf, gloves and a hat. Anything above my waist was warm. Anything below was a popcicle.

I trudged away. I don't know how far I went before I gave up and turned around. From the time I left my house to the time I arrived home it was 75 minutes.

Miles/Steps:   Clueless. i'd like to guess 2 miles, but with the ice I bet it was less.
Weather:        23°, windy, sunny, and bitter freakin cold
Wildlife:         none

Extras:           I saw this shack that I never saw before. Almost looks like an outhouse, but I'm sure it's not. I guess it's usually hidden by the trees.

christmas day walk

Though I've been a lazy fart the past few weeks I am trying to get back into good habits. That means getting up this morning and going for a walk. I recruited Lydia and Adonis to go with me.

We went to Monocacy Park. There was a dusting on snow on the trail at the Nature Center. We headed toward the creek. The path at creekside has always been challenging, but the erosion has really effected it. There was one place that was about 3 inches wide. Getting the dog to stay on the trail was interesting. He wanted Lyd to walk next to him.

At two other places we had to climb over fallen trees. We didn't think he'd go over the one, but he did. Without a treat bribe. We had none with us.

Coming back on the railroad side the trail was a soggy mess. There was standing water at several places. We tried to avoid most of it, not always successfully. I was glad we brought a towel for the dog to lay on in the car.

We crossed the lot and street and headed into the park. I went to take a pic of the swans and got caught up in 'fishing line". I was a little pissed that someone was that irresponsible. But it wasn't fishing line. The creek banks are lined with very thin wire. We looked at one of the anchor sections and it said "Goose D-Fence".  There are red strings on it, but I didn't put 2+2 together soon enough.

The bridge over the creek was icy. I think it has more locks on it than before. We came back the other side, by the pavilions. It's a good thing we did. There was a dalmatian coming toward us, but on the other side.

Miles/Steps:   Probably less than 2 miles. Without a tracker, I'm clueless. 
Bathrooms:     Not open.  
Weather:        low 30's. Mostly sunny. Windy.
Wildlife:         2 swans and about 12 mallards. 2 of the mallards were black with bright green heads. Clearly they were mixed species ... duck mutts.

christmas eve on the d&l

Yesterday my international students and I took a walk on the D&L. I wanted to do something with them during the holiday weekend since I can't very well invite them to my house for a traditional American Christmas. Haven't really had one of those for a decade.

The girls had been in DC for the weekend, and didn't want to go till 1. It gets dark at 4:30. We had to stay local.

I arrived at school at 1, and they finally came out about 1:30. Punctuality is not their strong suite. I decided to do the D&L, and use the new trail head off Farmersville Rd. It was close and I really want to see the improvements. Wow is it nice. Big parking lot, trailhead sign, and even markers telling you how far things are.

We parked and I announced that I brought silly hats. Did anyone want to wear one. It was, after all, Christmas Eve. I brought the antlers because I thought they'd work perfect on Isha's hijab. They did! She tried a couple times to wear the Santa hat, but it wouldn't stay put. Surbhi and I wore the Santa hats.

The girls love to take photos. Lots and lots and lots of photos. Especially selfies and videos. We were at the trailhead sign at least five minutes before we even started. The trail post said it was 2.2 miles to the Rt 33 trail head, so that's the way we went. It took an hour to get there. We stopped a couple times for photos.  Yes there is even a video of the trail as we walked. They need one of those go-pro cameras.

We arrived at the boat launch and spent a good 30 minutes there. It was probably longer. They made dancing videos and took a poop-load of photos. They even got me to sit on the ground!

It was only 3:15 and the sun was already starting to go down. I told them we needed to head back. The College does not provide food services during winter break. Their scholarship gives them an extra stipend to allow them to buy food. On the way back Isha says, "tomorrow could you take me to the grocery store?"

"It's Christmas, they'll be closed."

"Can we go tonight?"

"It's Christmas Eve, everything closes early. Sometimes as early as 4, no later than 6."

As we all know, supermarkets are hell the day before Christmas. But she wanted to go to Elias (the Arab store) because they have halal meats, and are fairly cheap.  I told her she had to be quick because I needed to pick Lydia up at work. "Okay. I will be quick" as she runs into the store still wearing her reindeer ears.

Elias was busy. Actually, it was packed. We were probably there close to a half hour. Surbhi and I sat in the car. At one point my phone rang and I was told to bring milk home. I ran in and came back out.

Ultimately it all worked out. I got them back to the dorms and picked up Lydia a half hour late.

Later in the evening it started to snow. Maybe we'll have a white Christmas.

Miles/Steps:   4.4 miles according to the sign 
Bathrooms:     they didn't add a port-o-potty to the trail head. Nothing is perfect, I guess. 
Weather:        low 40's. Overcast
Wildlife:         some tracks, that's it. 
Extras:           there was hardly anyone on the trail. We saw only 2 bikes.

tail on the trail swag

I've been so lax with this blog that I never even posted about the arrival of my 2017 Tail on the Trail swag. This year it was a insulated backback. It's very nice and well constructed. I might have used the first year one once.

The second year we received a lunch bag tote style. I might have used that once too. I sense a theme. But usually there are enough of us walking that we just take a cooler or the cooler style grocery bag.

Not sure what to do. I will keep this one over the original one because it is larger and better constructed. And I am keeping the lunch bag style one. What to do with the other two, I have no idea. If anyone needs a backpack cooler, I'll hook you up!

no, i haven't dropped dead

No I haven't dropped dead, but I've ignored this blog horribly. Why? because I have nothing to say. I haven't been walking ... except the dog, of course. And the store.  I have become a big, lazy, lard butt. I think it's not having a tracker. It's easy to make excuses, I'm not accountable. I'll have to figure that out in the new year.

Today I had to go to west Allentown/Whitehall. I decided I was going to Trexler Park. And I took Lydia with me. She did the lower loop. I did the upper loop. It was pretty busy. I was surprised. And there was a lot of dogs.

Anyway, I promise to do better. My goal is to have a real walk and a post every day for the rest of the year. We'll see how that goes.

UPDATE:
My cat problem is now solved. The trapper came and scooped up 16. They were taken to be snipped, and only the adults returned to the neighborhood. They should stop multiplying. Not sure what happens if they are pregnant. I don't want to know.

Miles/Steps:   Less than 3 miles. But without a tracker, I'm cluless.
Bathrooms:     I-3.5. The stall doors didn't close.  
Weather:        low 40's. Overcast
Wildlife:         2 pair of Mallards in the creek. A blue jay at the Springhouse. And on the lawn, next to the lake about 16 American-Canadian geese. In the lake another 8-10 pairs of mallards.
Extras:           I used my Allentown Million CLickr for the first time in at least 8 weeks.

my consistent walking buddy

My niece temporarily moved in about three weeks ago. She has a dog. Right now she is working retail so guess who walks the dog? Yep. Me.

On the plus side, he loves to walk. He'd go for hours if I'd let him. I wish I could take him on trails, or on long urban walks. But I cannot. He doesn't like other animals -- dogs, cats, squirrels, bunnies, flying leaves or Doritos bags. Therefore we take the same half-mile route each time and I have to be radar focused on my surroundings. Who knows what is lurking in the cemetery.

Depending on my work schedule we walk twice every day. Occasionally three times. Generally around lunch time, and again near dusk. Otherwise he's relegated to the yard.

This week has been quite the dog walking adventure. There were dogs everywhere. Dogs nearly breaking down the door of their house, dogs jumping out of cars, dogs hitting a T-intersection at the same time I do. I've somehow managed to avoid them all. But I don't know how. I guess it's the laser focus. I even managed to avoid the Asian girls to whom I yelled "please don't come in the cemetery. My dog hates other dogs." They did.

On the up-side let's just say the stray cat problem in my yard is reduced. They have learned that a d-o-g lives here now. (But just in my yard. As expected, they are multiplying like crazy. My cute kittens from July are now of kitten-bearing age. I saw Polka Dot yesterday. She is either preggers or very fat. I'm guessing preggers. Phillipe next door says there are 14. Like me, he tried rescue places to no avail.)

i took my hiking stick for a walk

Today was the Get Out Lehigh Valley hike at Dodson Park in Fountain Hill. Calling it a park is a stretch. Pretty much it's additional baseball fields.  It began at 10, so I left my house at 9:30 and started to walk up to the park. I stayed on Broadway and then Dotson, to keep the walk easy. I didn't know how strenuous the hike would be, and I still had to walk home.

It was snowing. Beautiful, little, tiny snowflakes that only stick to grass.

I have been on a lot of hikes with this group. I have walked thru a golf course that was reclaimed by nature when it was 95 degrees and 85% humidity with minimal shade. I have hiked with them at a park in Salisbury Township in a torrential downpour, in an inch of standing water.  I had no reason to think that it might be cancelled. Had they ever cancelled before? I don't think so.

I arrived at the park and there was nobody there. I looked on FB to see if there was a cancellation notice. I didn't see anything. I was more than a little disappointed.

I really wanted to do this hike. It was described as "walk on trails laid out and maintained by Valley Mountain Bikers. We’ll travel across the top of Ostrum Ridge and down one of the area’s oldest roads, which is barely visible now, to the foundation of a stone barn whose walls were still standing in the 1970s. We’ll meander near old quarries where rock was quarried for some Lehigh University buildings. There’s a lookout spot above the Lehigh River that also affords good views of Bethlehem and east Allentown. There are remnants of a park that was active in the 19th century. After looking at vernal pools, we’ll finish our hike with a steep walk back up to the parking lot."

I need new places in the "hood to walk. And maybe, just maybe this would take us close to the reservoir. Remember how we picniced there as kids. We carried all that stuff -- food and toys and chairs -- from the house to the reservoir and then back home again? Of course it was only six blocks from the house on Seneca Street to the entrance of the park and a zillion kids to carry things. Do you remember when I broke my collarbone on one of those picnics? Right before they closed it off to the public because it wasn't safe. And then sealed by homeland security after 9-11. The fed's have to protect the water supply.

I think that's the remains of the park they were talking about in the description. 

I wanted to do this hike. I wanted to know how to enter the woods and find the trails. Do you have to cut thru the cemeteries? Maybe you enter at the barn? Or do you enter by the rservoir, and go past the "no trespassing under penalty of federal law" signs? I'll never know.

I waited about 20 minutes and went home. I took my hiking stick for a walk. 

Miles/Steps:   Less than 3 miles. It should have been around 7.
Bathrooms:     Locked, baseball season is over. No port-o-potty.  
Weather:        28 or so. Light, but steady snow
Wildlife:         None.
Extras:           I dug out all my warm weather gear and was reminded that my ankles are always cold. I need to buy longer socks, but never do.

night walk

I joined the Allentown Hiking club around Easter time. They mostly walk on the AT. It will help me finish my Volkssport AT special program book. Maybe.

Anyway, tonight they hosted a night walk in Quakertown starting at a brew pub. We were to meet in the back by the police station. I pulled in and saw two people. At 6, it was still the three of us. We were about to leave when two more showed up.

The five of us walked to the "solar park".  It's an area that floods a lot and is often marshy, so instead of building on it they made a park. Smart move. They made it solar so there would be no increased costs. Even cooler. But none of the lights were on! So much for solar. Thank goodness the moon was about 7/8 full.

Then we walked around the library to Memorial Park, but it was very dark there, so we continued out to Broad Street and returned that way.

The tree on the traingle is set to be lit Friday night.

Miles/Steps:   About 3 miles. The group leader, Cindy, was tracking it, but I forgot to get the total.
Bathrooms:     None used  
Weather:        Low 40s maybe? It was warm all day.
Wildlife:          geese on the pond.
Extras:           I didn't stay at the brewpub for drinks.

#optoutside

Normally the Volkssport group doesn't have Friday walks. But the national organization, AVA, asked clubs to participate in REI's #optoutsideinitiative. The president sent an email out for someone to volunteer, and of course, I was the only one to respond. Shocked, right? I picked Easton because both Bethlehem walks went thru shopping areas.

Only two people came. Sisters. Angel and her family were hoping to come, but she worked till midnight and went to sleep at 3. Not conducive to early rising.

It was a good walk.

 We boxed with Larry Holmes in Scott Park.

We checked out the new sculptures in Scott Park.

The sisters read everything. All that history Angel wrote was used. When we reached 1st UCC Church (c. 1745) there was a note about a Star of David window in the rear. The gate was locked. I wanted to go around back via the alley. But one of the sisters tried the front door and it was open!

After initially being turned away, they decided to leave us in, showed us the window and gave us a little history. The woman went to get a brochure, and came back with the pastor. Then we got a tour and a complete history. I know no more about the oldest church in Easton then I cared to.

When he was done he invited us to the History Room. Relics that they found in the basement or steeple or what not when they've fixed things. The ladies were about to say no, but the pastor mentioned the handpainted “Schlatter Bible” (c. 1747). There was no way I was missing that! I know, that's an odd thing for an atheist to say. But look at it ... it is in German, if you can't tell, and was painted by and Easton fracturer.

I should have also taken a picture of the parchment that was the deed to the property. It was signed by William Penn's sons. The penmanship. Be still my heart.

We only did the 5K. So when we reached the corner of Bushkill and Bushkill, we found another new sculpture, and then headed back toward town.

Of course we passed the Peace Candle twice. No trip to Easton in the winter is complete without it.

Miles/Steps:   About 3 miles. Still no tracker  
Bathrooms:     I-4.5 McDonalds. It's brand new.  
Weather:        Cold, breezy ... high 40s maybe
Wildlife:          none
Extras:           Did I mention that beautiful bible?

my swag came from montco

The patch is for the initial level, I think it was Explorer. That was 5 walks. The medal is for the Adventurer level. That was 10 walks. Sadly, they came over a week ago. I just found the picture.

doesn't everyone take their flags for a walk

My neice Lydia is staying with me again, so now I'm back on dog walking duty. It's okay, it motivates me to get out.

After walking the dog, I went for a walk today alone. I decided to do the Fountain Hill walk, it's been a while. A lot has changed. They are putting a new building up where the fire was a couple months ago. There is a trail from one park to the other, thru the compost center. And I saw a young man walking his flags. Doesn't everyone?

I was headed down Sioux and had passed St. Ursula's school.  Coming toward me I see flags but no parade. As we got closer to each other I saw it was a young man. Jokingly I asked if he was walking his flags. He said yes. I asked him if he was practicing for color guard. He said no. He just likes to go out with his flags and walk them around. I told him he should see my brother Dave's place. You don't know how much I wanted to take a picture of the young man and his flags. I didn't want him to think I was weird.

I went up the path thru the woods to Dotson and went out the alley parallel to Graham.  I heard a noice. It was about 6 deer including two bucks. They ran like hell when they saw me. It's hard to see them in the pic. They blend in.

It's Thanksgiving and there was not a single turkey in the cemetery. Normally there are a lot. Maybe they were all on someone's table. I was disappointed.

Coming down Graham I was almost hit by a car. I think the asshole was playing chicken. I was walking facing traffic and he was coming up the hill. I was as far over as possible. He came up the hill and was hugging the "curb". I was thinking about taking a dive into the forsythia but thankfully he swerved out into the road.

I didn't go to free yoga this morning. I was about to head out the door when my sister called. By the time I hung up it was too late.

Last night I went to the Sand's Outlet Mall with Lydia. This is their Christmas decorations. I think it's cool. It's in the front window. Oh, they have Santa land (at a casino!) and a big tree too.

Miles/Steps:   About 3 miles. Still no tracker  
Bathrooms:     At the Dotson Street park was locked. I really needed it.  
Weather:        Cold, breezy ... about 42, maybe
Wildlife:          4 doe, 2 buck
Extras:           I had pizza for Thanksgiving dinner. Lydia brought a lot of leftovers home. I'll be having something more traditional, probably on Saturday.

i won my division!

I won my division today at the Girl Scout Thanks-A-Lot Trot 5k. My guess is I was the only one in the 60+ category. It's the only thing that makes sense. It was a cross country race nd the clock said 1:02 when I crossed. Of course, that's what the runners time was. The walkers started later. But my time had to be over 55 minutes.

This is the 2nd race in the Trefoil Challenge Series. It was supposed to be the teen, my neice and nephew. Angel couldn't sign up ahead of time since you can't request off during November and December at Target. But alas the teen is recovering from bronchitis and it was supposed to be cold and wet. She had to sit this one out.

It was cold when we arrived. 37 when we left. Thankfully the garage doors were down on the pavillion and a little heat was on, so waiting wasn't horrible. I think the weather kept many people away. There were a lot of bibs and t-shirts left.

We saw the entire camp. The teen would have been excited about the horseback riding area. It's really nice, but far away from the beaten path. There's a lovely bridge that I didn't see the last time I was there. Oh ... the water stops had Girl Scout cookies!

I didn't take many pics because my phone died. Again. When I pulled in the lot I had 75% power, at the finsih it was 1%. I took 4 pictures.

The kids ran, I walked. They were far ahead of me. I thought I was doing well when I saw my nephew walking alone. Apparently, he fell and twisted his ankle, so he stopped running. We ended up walking together. My niece crossed the finish line first, then me, then my nephew. He didn't even make a break for the finish.

After the race, there was s'mores! The corporate sponsor was Whole Foods, so the chocolate was organic. I didn't read the graham cracker box. The marshmallow must have come from some food service--they were in a large carton! At the finish line there was fruit, Honest Teas, water, and some sort of organic granola bars. It was so cold that the beverages were actually cold for a change!

 The final race in the series is in April in Fairmont Park.


 Miles/Steps:   A minimum of 5K. Since it was a 5K. Still no tracker
Bathrooms:     Didn't use.
Weather:        Cold, damp, breezy ... about 42, maybe
Wildlife:          Leaving camp we saw 3 turkeys
Extras:           I didn't sign up for the Thin Mint Sprint because it said "runners". I asked the race director today and I can walk it. Gotta sign up this weekend.

golv--woodland hills preserve.

This is the third time I've been to this preserve. It looks less and less like a golf course each time.

I first went in May of 2016. It still had signs from it's former life as a golf course. The second time I went it was hotter than Hell. Everything was dead and it still looked like an overgrown golf course.

Not so much this time. And there was probably only a dozen people. I guess the cold kept them away.

This nature preserve is the former Woodland Hills golf course. The preserve was pretty much created by letting everything go fallow, and letting nature reclaim it. It's going to be cool in 10 years. Yesterday, you could not tell the rough from the fairway or the turf. Heck, you'd be hard pressed to find the hole. (Someone found a ball!) But some old signs remain. Ones I had seen before are gone, or mostly gone.

Some of the men in the group played golf here when you could, and they explained why there were rows of pine trees.  That shows the old fairways. It basically divided off the golf course in a serpentine fashion. Many, of course, have fallen.

There are two paths—blue trail at 1.1 miles, and green trail at 2.4 miles. So together one can do a bit more than a 5K.  The old plastic tie trail markers have been replaced with 4x4s with blue or green tops. The weeds have filled in a lot, small trees are growing, and the trails are much easier to see. No getting lost this time.

I always thought golf course were relatively flat. No. There was some serious hill happening. We started at the small gravel parking lot and headed left on the trail. (I've always gone right, which I guess means downhill.) Fairly quickly we spotted some trees that the male deers had been using for rutting rubs, and some invasive grasses.

When we reached the former club house we were told that it is now the Baps Swaminarayan Hindu Temple. I didn't know that the Lehigh Valley had two Hindu Temples. Learn something new each day.

As seen in my only picture (phone dead), the trail takes you to all the water hazards from the golf course. They were frozen over. So was the grass at many places was frozen. If you look closely, you can see a huge hornets nest in the center, right above the water.

Today I'll be making Pakistani food with my international students. My brother Dave and his wife are coming to learn to cook it too. I fear it will be hot.

-------------

PS -- Still haven't bought a FitBit. Do I miss it because I'm addicted to it? I don't think so. I think I just like to know how much I did, or didn't do. If I find a "One" for sale somewhere, I will probably buy it.

kind-of scary walk

Yesterday the Montco Challenge card fell out of the visor and into my lap. I counted up my walks and saw that I had to do two more walks to do before reaching the next level. And there's about a month left to complete all three stages. Since I had no plans today, I decided to try to complete level two.

I chose the Powerline Trail, and the Chester Valley Trail. The Powerline Trail was right off County Line Road near Rt. 202. The Chester Valley Trail was off 202 in King of Prussia. The two walks were maybe a half-hour apart.

Or so I thought. As with the other times I've done these Montco trails, the trail heads are hard to find. At least for me. Maybe not if you know the area. Which I don't.

Today was no different.

I wrote a long, extended post about trying to find the trail head, but frankly, it sounded like whining. So I just deleted it. I did find the trail four times, but did not find the parking. I was about to give up.

On my way back to Rt. 202, I saw the trail again on the left. It looks like it pauses and then continues on the other side of County Line Rd.! I turned at the next corner, which was a McMansion housing development. An odd place I thought for a trail head. But I figured I could park on the street and pick up the trail. No need. There was a parking lot and a port-o-potty. The lot and trail were not marked. Nor was their a symbol marker for the walk.

Walking under a power line is a little disconcerting. Especially when the first thing you see is a caution size. But the trail was fairly busy with dog walkers. 

It was breezy and the power lines were moving.  I went maybe a half mile and another trail joined it in a Y.  Now which one was the power line and which was the new trail? I didn't know. The new one was all kinds of marked. It even had signs telling you about plants and creeks and such. Even one about dog poop. Of which there was plenty. Even rich people don't clean up after their dogs.

Clearly the powerline was headed straight ahead, but I wanted to see what was to the right. So into the woods I went, and followed the trail up a hill, past a bird blind, and to a parking lot. This was a huge park and it had bathrooms that were open.

The Bradford Dam trail and if you followed itinto the woods for 1.2 miles you'd get to the dam. I decided that exploring, alone, in the woods was not a good idea. I turned around and came back to the original trail. The dam trail split off to the right and back into the woods in about a 1.4 miles.

 I followed the Powerline Trail for about a mile until it came to a cross street.  This bridge looked like part of the trail but it went nowhere. If you followed the powerline, it wasn't apparent where it went next, so I turned around and came back. There were power lines as far as I could see.

I'd be interested in doing the dam trail another time. Not so much this one. In the summer this would be a hot walk. There was no shade anywhere.

I hopped in the car and headed to King of Prussia on 202. I've forgotten how congested this portion is.. Arriving in KOP was obvious—202 turned into a giant strip mall. I missed my turn. I had to go about 10 miles to turn around. Coming back I saw the trail, but again there was no parking. I was concentrating so hard on looking for a turnoff, that I missed the 202 split on the left and ended up on the Schuylkill. I decided the cosmos was giving me a sign and I should just go home. Finishing pt. 2 of the challenge was not important. I wasn't doing all three. But then fate stepped in again. Originally, I was looking for Gulph Rd. The first exit said Gulph Rd.  So I took it, and headed back to KPO  on Gulph Rd. I could see the malls a half mile ahead of me. Then the train station and I thought, damn, I must have missed it, and then there it was—in the Park and Ride Lot. The sign was faded, but it was there.

This trail is only about 2 miles long, but it uses bridges to cross all the highways. It was so cool.

Miles/Steps:   No idea
Bathrooms:     I-4.5 the bathroom at the park was wonderful. Didn't check the port-o-potty
Weather:        Perfect. 70s, sunny, breezy
Wildlife:          None
Extras:           2 weeks now without my fitbit. I started looking and they no longer make mine. I either need to go back to the little one that's like a pedometer, or get a bracelet one. I'll never wear the bracelet. So that's either the little one which doesn't count stairs, or none at all. Don't know. 

for the first time since this adventure began

In late fall of 2008 I was diagnosed with high blood pressure. It's astounds me that it's nearly a decade. I thought I'd slay the beast in a couple of month. Clearly that didn't happen.

After I was diagnosed, I bought a pedometer. Then I bought more pedometers, and finally FitBits. I'm probably using those since 2013.

The last few weeks the battery on my FitBit has been wonky. At one time it took two weeks for the battery to die. Then it was a week, and then two days. Then one day. The end was near. But I refused to give up.

Saturday it didn't work at the AT hike. I charged it when I got home. Sunday I charged it again. Monday it wouldn't charge.

RIP FitBit.

Now the real quandry. Do I need to buy another. Or has using these devices for nearly a decade taught me everything I need to know. Do I need the security blanket?

golv: bake oven knob

There are three or four sections of the Appalachian Trail close to me. Today I participated in the Get Out Lehigh Valley walk at Bake Oven Knob. It's the first time I've ever been there—I will never walk any of them alone.

(Why don't I ever fix my shirt before a picture?)

Driving up 309, and then into the woods, I was delighted that this area is still basically untouched. There are no developments or strip malls. It was refreshing. It might have something to do with the terrain.

The Pennsylvania section of the AT is rocky and often steep, hense the nickname "Rocksylvania".

Bake Oven Knob is a high point along the rocky ridge of Blue Mountain. We hiked up to a northern overlook of Carbon County, and a southern overlook in Lehigh County. I saw something that looked like a lighthouse in the middle of miles and miles farms. I'm sure it was a silo of some sort.

The rocks at Bake Oven Knob are covered with graffiti. I'm not sure I'd climb out there to spray paint my name or an image. I'd be afraid of falling. The trail continues to the Bake Oven Knob shelter that has lean-to's and a privay, and if you follow it far enough you'll come out at Lehigh Gap.

I was super careful coming down the rocks. I'm glad I took the walking stick I bought in Eagles Mere. It was harder coming down than going up

We saw no raptors, even though this was billed as a raptor scramble.

I tried to log it on the Volkssport site. There is a special program that if you do 10 walks you can earn a patch. I don't think I'll finish it, but I did want to log my attempt. I failed miserably. And I couldn't print out my stamp. If I ever meet up with the Jackson's again, maybe they can help me.

Miles/Steps:   I have no idea. My  tracker was dead. Not far. Less that 2 miles up or down...over rocks.
Bathrooms:        None in the parking lots.
Weather:        Perfect. 70s, sunny, breezy
Wildlife:          None
Extras:           No AT sign at the trailhead, which was disappointing. There was a game commission sign saying that it's hunting season and to wear bright colors. I had my pumpkin shirt on from last years Great Pumpkin Race, and a pink fleece. I don't think I looked like a deer.

it's official

As you know, I haven't been teaching much online this year. Great changes are happening at the Art Institute—the biggest one is that it was sold. Another, is that it changed Learning Management Systems.

First I started getting single classes. Then my classes were set up and cancelled. Then I got no classes at all. I haven't taught there since May. I am scheduled to teach the November 9 session, we'll see if that happens.  As has been the case, I'll set up the class, and then it's cancelled. I'll really know on November 9. Until then, I'm not counting on it.

What does all that have to do with walking and this blog? Nothing, and everything.

AI is where I had been getting my health insurance benefit. Friday, I got the email that said, I haven't worked enough this year to qualify for the plan next year. Back to the Marketplace if ifstill exists. Or none at all, which was the old option. They are going to send me info about CObra. But we all know how expensive that is.

Good news: I've had pretty much every test and exam that I've avoided for 20 years. I'm all up-to-date and relatively healthy. I passed all the tests. If I could wave a magic wand and get rid of the obesity and arthritis, then all would be perfect.

Alas, I lack the committment to slay those particular dragons.

walking in the woods

This weekend is the State Parks Weekend for the Liberty Bell Wanderers Volkssport group. Three state, and one county park in one weekend. Last time, we stayed overnight. This time I went alone and did three-ish walks in one day.

The start point was a hotel, and the road was closed in front of it. Hopefully, this was not a sign of things to come. I signed in for the three walks, stamped my books, secured directions and hit the road. (Yesterday, I went on google maps and printed a map to get from one walk to another. )

The first stop was the Marsh Creek State Park. I parked and followed the directions into the woods. I did not take my walking stick. The initial path said I didn't need it. I made a judgement call. I was very wrong.

The route was basically around the man-made lake. The 5K went as far as the dam, and then you went back. There was few hikers, but a lot of bikers. Some of them were not "sharing the road". It was starting to piss me off.

As I was walking deeper and deeper into the woods I started to think about all the things I was doing wrong. Walking alone on an unfamiliar path. Not having a stick. (I tripped 3 times). I left my backpack in the car, so I had no food or water. I would have flunked Girl Scouts.

I saw 5 other Volkssporters. Here, I did the whole 5K.

 The next stop was Warwick County Park. The website says "In the 18th and 19th centuries, Warwick’s woodlands provided much of the raw timber used to make charcoal for the region’s iron furnaces and forges. Remains of the iron industry can still be seen at various charcoal hearths along old cart paths." I was looking forward to seeing the ruins.

This walk was written by the Chester County Red Rovers, a new club, and a co-sponsor of the event. They were really hard to follow. I saw the treasure of the club and her dog, also having trouble. We figured out where the start point was, but that was an out and back, with no historical artifacts.  I decided to do the second half, and then do the first half if I had time. 

The directions said to return to the park office, and go thru the parking lot on the left, and turn on the grass path after the pavilion. What grass path? The county had just mowed the lawn. No grass paths were apparent.

In the distance, to the front left, I saw a wooden structure and something that looked like a sign. I went toward it. It was where I was supposed to be. The instructions said to turn left on the trail and follow the tree line, past the parking lots, blah, blah. I did that.  But since I approached the bridge from the wrong direction, I really should have gone RIGHT. I am wandering all over the place looking for the trail. Couldn't find it.

Then I decided to go the other way. I had nothing to lose, and I was over this walk. I just wanted to leave. After I passed the bridge, I turned left and the directions were correct! Sheesh. Also, With the sun not hitting it, I could see the "grass trail". The grass was mashed down and by doing that it was a different color. (Think golf course.) 

This park was buggy. Several flew up my nose. Yuck!

I followed the directions until it went into the woods then I worked my way back to the car. I didn't trust these directions. At all and my phone was dead. Not a good combo.

It was only a 7-mile drive to the next park. Not enough time to charge the phone, but enough to take these two pics from the car with it plugged in.

The last stop was French Creek State Park with the start/end point being Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site Visitor's Center. The National Park services website says  that Hopewell was in operation from 1771-1883, Hopewell and other "iron plantations" laid the foundation for the transformation of the United States into an industrial giant.

I've been here before. The last time was Jan. 1, 2016 with Angel and her family at a First Hike event  and everything was closed. Since we hiked in from French Creek State Park, I didn't realize there was a visitor center. I didn't stamp my Pennsylvania Passport books, but I was able to stamp my NPS one.

I was so disappointed the camera was dead. The whole village was OPEN. Even the house. And the water wheel. And it was running. I would have taken dozens of photos.

These directions were also written by the Chester group, but they were much better. The first half of the walk was at the furnace, the second half in French Creek, including the 2nd 5K. I didn't do the whole thing. Again, when the trail became too rustic, I doubled back and headed to the parking lot.

This week I did very little walking, and I was tired after the third walk. Laziness always rears it's ugly head.

Miles/Steps:   7 miles
Bathrooms:      I-3.5 at the visitor's center
Weather:        Perfect. 70s, sunny, breezy
Wildlife:          I heard a lot at Marsh Creek including something diving into the lake. The only thing I actually saw was a chipmunk. I saw nothing at the other two. Heard lots of birds and insects. 
Extras:           Pat wanted me to stop at Michaels on my way home. Before I left the furnace, I  googled for a store in Pottsville. Coming up I saw 2 AC Moore and 1 Joanne's. There was one on Route 100.
     I turned at the entrance sign and there was an access road. In the middle of the road was something dead. And a wake of what I thought were vultures, feeding on it. I slowed down. I stopped. I beeped the horn. They didn't budge. They looked up and gave me the "what the hell are you beeping at look". It was then I realized they weren't vultures. Or even turkey vultures. 
     They were large and dark grey-black but their heads had feathers. I tried to look them up, but the closest I could come was forest ravens, but they aren't right either. I wonder if they were young. They committee was sitting in a tree when I came back. (Vulture trivia: The term kettle refers to vultures in flight, while committee refers to vultures resting in trees. Wake is reserved for a group of vultures that are feeding.)