golv: merrill creek reservoir

Today was the Get Out Lehigh Valley walk at Merrill Creek Reservoir. I've waited to do explore this place, about 4 miles from WCCC because I knew it would be hiking, rather than walking.

Merrill Creek Reservoir is a 650-acre artificial lake surrounded by 290 acres of protected woodland and fields. The trails winds through forests, early succession fields, evergreen plantations and wetlands. The reservoir is 72 meters (235 feet) deep.  We couldn't take pictures of the dam or any building, including the visitor center, because it's is a protected water source! The land was donated by Ingersoll Rand back in the day.

Snow geese and other migrating birds congregate here in season. Be sure to check out the wildlife count at the end of the post. This time its fowl! (Bad pun, sorry.)

This is a great place to hike. It has everything — visitor center, environmental education, taxidermy birds for easy identification, ruins, clean bathrooms and even a place to fill a water bottle. Oh yeah, lots of trails too. There are 6.7 miles of trails, including a 5.5 mile trail around the lake.

Since there are less and less chimneys in the area, the reservoir is building chimneys for the chimney swifts to live in. This one was built by a boy scout. (Of course it was. Where would parks be without Girl and Boy Scout projects?)

The trails are well marked, which is good for me if I go back. Some of the trails were flooded, even when there was boardwalks. Sometimes the water was over the boardwalks!

This was the last event of the year. I have my minimum 10 stamps. (One couple had 17!) Next event is Stone Soup Hike. One of my favorites. It's been confirmed that Dung will be cooking again.

Miles/Steps:           3.5
Bathrooms:             I-5
Weather:                43, overcast, windy 

Wildlife:                 Golly, I hope I remember it all there was so much fowl. Lets start with the geese. Two v-formations of Canadian ... is that two gaggles. A large gaggle—maybe 200 — of snow geese. A group of bufflehead geese. I think there was six. Then two loons and a picinae woodpecker. (Wow, does he make large holes!). I think I forgot something.

Extra:                     They announced the date of the Stone Soup Hike right before we set out on the hike. Dung, usually stays behind and watches the soup and the pots. People were starting to talk about what to bring. It was a pretty typical conversation. I'm guessing from Dung's name you can tell he's Chinese. He said that American food is bland. We have salt and pepper on the table. He continues tell us that they have S&P as well as soy and ... . And other countries haves spice. It was quite the engaging conversation. That's when he drops the bombshell ... at least for me. He's a chef! But more than that, he cannot cook Chinese food—American style or authentic Chinese. He is a western chef, trained in Seattle. No wonder he won't leave anyone else tend the stone soup.
Extra 2:                  Bald eagles life at this reservoir. We were not near the dam, so we didn't see them. We were given directions and told what path to take. We'd have to drive there and would be rewarded with an eagles nest the size of a bathtub. And maybe, just maybe, the eagles would be home. I set out excited. I make one turn. I make the other turn. By the third turn I'm almost there but the street name was different than on the map. I was on the other side of the lake, but I couldn't find Boat Launch 1. I didn't see the bald eagle nest. Or the eagles. I cmae home.