A few quick shots at Keystone State Park

Sunday we decided to explore Keystone State Park, near New Alexandria PA.  While it is a small park, it is a pretty one.  We had a nice hike on the Davis Run Trail and McCune Run Trail.  The trails start on opposite sides of a small bridge.  We started on Davis Run and hiked until we intersected with McCune Run Trail.  It was a nice hike for butterflies, as we saw a lot of them.  Unfortunately, none of them would sit still long enough for me to get a shot.  I did manage to get a shot of a pretty moth and a dragonfly. 

McCune Run Trail passes through some wetlands and an old beaver dam.  It is a really pretty area.  The trail is built up nicely so it isn't mucky and muddy.  There were some lovely flowers and plants growing in the area, and one busy little bee enjoying a pretty purple plant.  I was happy to see quite a few bees around the park.  For those who don't know, a lot of honey bees are disappearing due to "colony collapse disorder".  It is a scary thing, as we need our bees for pollination and for honey!  I spotted not only the bee pictured on the purple flowers, but a lot more in a big patch of clover.  No pictures of the clover bees though.  Sorry.

The park is centered around a beautiful lake, with a beach,  picnic areas, and boat rental on one side, and the camping areas, a visitor center, and another picnic on the other.  There is a fairly level trail that surrounds the entire lake, the Lake Side Trail, that is open to hikers or bicycles. 

Husband and I both agreed that we would like to camp here, do a little more hiking, and float the kayak around the lake.  When we do, I will definitely post about it here.

Camp Recipe: Grilled Corn on the Cob

A summer favorite in our house is always fresh, locally grown corn on the cob.  We are lucky enough to have many local farmers who grow and sell fresh sweet corn just in time for summer camping season.  It is absolutely delicious!
For years, I have shucked and boiled the corn, mainly because this is how my parents and my grandparents prepared their corn on the cob.  On our annual fourth of July camping trip, I was searching for a different preparation for my corn, so I tried grilling it.  Wow!  I will never go back to boiling my corn ever again!

First, you will want to husk your corn and soak it in water for 5-10 minutes.  During this time, you can preheat your grill.  You'll want to cook your corn using indirect heat so that your corn doesn't burn, so if you are cooking with charcoal, you will need to prepare your grill for this.
After soaking your corn, shake off the excess water and place each ear on a square of foil.  Brush the ear with olive oil, and if you use salt, pepper or other seasonings, apply them now.  (We will butter the corn after cooking, so you can hold off on that for now).  We use NorthWoods Seasoning from Penzeys Spices.  It is delicious.  If you have never tried it, please do.  If there is anything in the world that can make corn on the cob better, it is NorthWoods Seasoning.  After seasoning your corn, you can roll it up in the foil and place it on your grill over indirect heat.

Keep an eye on your corn.  You'll want to spin it every five minutes to make sure it doesn't burn.  It takes about 18-20 minutes to be cooked all the way through.  Kernels will be soft but not mushy. Don't over cook your corn or it will get mushy, and no one likes mushy corn on the cob.  Remove from the grill and unwrap.  This is where you'll add your butter if you'd like.
I served my grilled corn on the cob with organic BBQ chicken thighs.  I prefer thighs to other parts of the chicken when grilling because thighs tend to take marinades better, and they stay nice and juicy.   You can serve your grilled corn on the cob with anything you'd like!
Enjoy!

Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures

We have all heard to "Leave nothing but footprints and take nothing but pictures".  Yet, for a lot of people, this doesn't seem to sink in.  Honestly, it is frustrating.  You go to an awesome natural place, looking to discover something new, but when you find what you were looking for, you find it awesome, awe inspiring and covered in graffiti.
Take, for example, the natural wonder that is the Balanced Rock at Trough Creek State Park in Pennsylvania.  This place is just cool.  A massive boulder teeters on the edge of a steep cliff.  To get to it, you hike past a waterfall and up stone steps and a narrow, well worn trail.  Continuing down the same trail, you will come to a stream and a rock named Raven's Rock, where, legend has it, Edgar Allen Poe was inspired to write his classic poem The Raven.  This is a special place.  It is quiet.  It is hidden away on a country road, in a valley with no cellular phone service.  The road dead ends in the park, near Raystown Lake.  It is a peaceful, quiet place with some unique geological features.
I fell in love almost instantly with this unique, quiet place.  Imagine my surprise then, when, after hiking past the waterfall, and up the stone steps to see the balanced rock, I saw not only an amazing piece of the natural world, but also the graffiti of countless other visitors.

Why?  What is the point?  No one, outside of the moron with the spray paint, actually cares that "Joe was here" or "ND+HR=Luv 1994" or that the "Class of 2008 is awesome".  We don't come to places like Trough Creek to see your message.  We come to see the natural beauty.  If you want to prove you were here, take a picture.  If you want everyone else to know you were there, post your picture to Facebook, or Instagram, or your blog.  
You can see the same sort of thing in the boulder field at Hickory Run.

 You can see worse at Seneca Point in Cook Forest, where, over the years, determined graffiti artists have actually carved their names into the ancient rocks.  I don't just mean surface scratches. I mean deep, not going anywhere, going to take thousands of years to erode away, gouges in the rocks. While you can't see them in the picture, you an see some spray paint.  But, you also get an idea of the beauty of the place that has been sullied by graffiti.

Who brings spray paint on a hike???  Who actually sits around and makes plans to spray paint things on rocks, in places of beauty?  Things like this don't happen on a whim.  People actually planned to do this.  Premeditated.  They actually planned to come to these special places with spray paint, or chisels and do what they did.  It is sad.  It is also sad that they did it and either no one saw them or that no one stopped them.  Maybe I was raised to respect property that I personally do not own.  Maybe I find it blasphemous to deface beauty.  Maybe I just have the good sense to leave nature be nature, unspoiled by man.  I just don't see the point in painting or chiseling my name on a rock, or carving up a beautiful beech tree with my initials and the current year.
If I want to remember a place, I take a picture or buy the T-shirt.  I strongly urge all of you to do the same.  Leave nothing but footprints, take nothing but pictures.

Camp Recipe: Grillin' Potatoes

This recipe is my one of my husband's favorite foods to eat while camping.  They are simple to make, require very little clean up, and taste great!  We carry a tabletop propane grill with us when we camp, but these potatoes could easily be made on an open fire or on a charcoal grill as well.

Needs:
Potatoes, any variety.  I use the small redskin potatoes.
Green Onions
Bacon Bits, we use real Bacon bits, not the artificial ones
Cheddar Cheese (we use Mild Cheddar)
Butter
Salt and Pepper
Foil
Non-stick cooking spray

Cut a big enough piece of foil to hold all of the potatoes you will be cutting.  Spray the foil with non-stick spray.  Slice the butter thinly and place slices on the sprayed foil.  
Wash and cut potatoes into chunks.  Try to keep the pieces fairly uniform so that they cook evenly.
Place potatoes on to the foil.  
Salt and Pepper to taste.
Shred your cheddar cheese.  Use enough cheese to completely cover the potatoes.  We never use extra sharp cheddar cheese for this because it is too much sharpness.  I recommend the mild cheddar, but the sharp  cheddar, or a blend of the two cheeses will work as well.
Slice the green onions.  Use both the white part and the green part.  Use as many as you'd like, to taste.  I like a lot of onions, some of you don't.  It's okay.  Sprinkle the onions on top of the cheese.
Sprinkle you bacon bits over the cheese. 
Cover your potatoes completely in foil.  Poke some vent holes in the top of the foil for steam to escape.
Cook on indirect heat until the potatoes are soft and the cheese is melted.  On our propane grill, this takes about 45 minutes.  I usually turn them at least twice during the cooking process.  I also check on the potatoes at each turn, both for doneness and to make sure they don't burn.
When the potatoes are soft, remove from heat, open the foil pack and enjoy!  
Your finished product should look something like this:

To clean up, throw your foil away!  This is the best part of cooking with foil.  These potatoes are great with burgers, hot dogs, BBQ chicken, or any other sort of grilled food you'd like.  
Enjoy!

Clear Creek State Park: Hiking, Camping, and Relaxing

Nestled in Northern Jefferson County Pennsylvania a quiet little state park that is very dear to my heart. Clear Creek State Park is a beautiful little park, with great hiking, a riverside campground, and environmental education programs that are second to none.
First, and most importantly, camping.  There are a ton of options available at Clear Creek.  Many of the electric RV sites are in a fairly open field, which, I will admit is not my favorite way to camp, but there are other, better campsites available.  Sites numbered 31-39 are all electric sites, and all sit with an amazing view of the Clarion River.  Sites 40 and 41 are also river front, although nonelectric.  For those looking for a more woodsy camping experience, sites 46, 47, and 48 are on a little ridge, overlooking the river, but with wooded surroundings.  We opted for site 34, and the view from our tent was awesome.  I could wake up to this view every morning and be perfectly content!

Clear Creek also has 22 rustic cabins and two yurts.  The cabins are near the Clarion River and are available from the second Friday in April until the third Friday in December.  There is a modern shower house available for all campers that is among the nicest I have seen in the PA State Park System. (On a related note, I was thinking of doing a post rating PA State Park campground bathrooms, based on the ones that I have been in.....any interest???)

We participated in a hike with the environmental education specialist.  This hike was one of several programs in the park over the weekend we were there, with something for everyone.  This hike was a bit of a challenge, up a steeper trail, North Ridge Trail.  We got the opportunity to explore the Mountain Laurel field on the side of the hill as it was blooming.  It was only my husband, myself, and the educational specialist on the hike, so it was quiet, which turned out to be beneficial later in the hike.  Before we got to the laurel, we saw and ovenbird, a small bird who makes her nest on the ground.  We were able to locate her nest, but there were no eggs or babies inside.  We could hear her calling, and hear other birds calling back, so we knew here babies were near, although we never did see them.  When we got to the laurel, we were given pipe cleaners and were able to pollinate some of the flowers by hand.  Laurel is fascinating and beautiful.  If you have a chance to learn more about this plant, do it!

As we came to the top of the North Ridge Trail, we chose to hike toward the pipeline and down it to the pipeline trail to see if we could spot a doe and her fawn that the Environmental Education Specialist had seen a few times.   The hike down the open pipeline was interesting, as we saw sweet ferns and a lot of toads.  We also saw an adorable chipmunk sunning herself on a rock, as seen in a previous post.  We spotted the doe, but not her fawn.  She seemed to be leading us off to the left, so we decided to go right.  After being off trail for a bit, we got back on to the pipeline trail, where we were treated to the sight of a bright eyed little fawn, bedded down in the plant life just off the trail.  While he had his head up, I was able to snap a quick picture.  Shortly after, he was up and running away.  How lucky we were to have seen this beautiful little fawn!

After the hike, we relaxed around our fire and watched the river roll by.  Sunday morning, on the advice of the Environmental Education Specialist, we hiked up Sawmill Trail, which is accessible from the Clear Creek trail.  Sawmill Trail is steep, and not heavily traveled.  In spots, the trail is very narrow, and is hard to follow.  What we saw at the top of the trail, however, was well worth the tough going.  A series of cascades near the top of the hill and a bench in which to sit and enjoy them await the intrepid hiker.  After enjoying the beauty, hike the Sawmill Short Loop to Truby Trail, which will return you to the campground.

Clear Creek is great for fishing, picnicking or just relaxing your day away.  There is a swimming beach for those who need to take a dip in the icy cold water.  There is also a sand volleyball court, and a Frisbee golf course, for those who enjoy those sports.  The Clarion River is wonderful for canoeing, kayaking, and tubing. 
This park has something for everyone.  If you miss its unique beauty and charm, it is your own fault.  Clear Creek is, perhaps, one of my favorite places on Earth.  Hike the trails and take it all in.  It is amazing!

canoe creek state park- hiking through history

Just outside of Altoona, PA off of Rt. 22 is a beautiful little park, canoe creek.  There no tenting or trailer camping sites at this park, however there are modern cabins for those who wish to go that route.  Being fairly close to Altoona, though, allows for many people to take advantage of the day use areas, which include many hiking trails and a beautiful lake.

The park is built near the site of old limestone kilns and limestone quarries, which lend for some interesting sites along the multiple trails in the park.  The easiest of which leads right to the remains of the kilns and is flat and well maintained.
The kilns themselves are just a fraction of what they were, but are still impressive.  A sign tells hikers about what happened over 100 years ago at the site.  It explains how the miners would extract the limestone and bring it down the steep hillside to where the kilns were located.  The sign goes onto show what the kilns looked like when they were in operation.  It was quite the operation.  For those interested in learning more about the limestone mines and kilns, a beautiful model is on display in the visitor center.

Across a small stream from the kilns is the remains of a quarry where limestone was mined.  While it is getting a bit overgrown now, it is easy to imagine how it may have looked 100 years ago.

Getting away from the historical aspect of the park, there is abundant opportunity to enjoy wildlife or just the wooded area.  The Marsh Trail takes hikers along the lake shore on a wooden boardwalk.  There is a wildlife viewing blind where quiet observers and spot various birds and waterfowl.  A small stream is nearby, and on our hike, we spotted some fish in the crystal clear water.
 For those looking for a longer hike, Moore's Hill Trail will take hikers to all the way around the mountain.  A second quarry is near the Hartman Trail.
Swimmers will enjoy the beach, and picnickers will enjoy the sunny grassy areas and many tables that are available.  There is a boat rental that rents canoes and kayaks.  There are also boat launch areas that can be used if you choose to bring your own boat.

All in all, this is a great place to take a hike through history, enjoy a picnic lunch, and soak up some summer sunshine.   It only takes a little imagination and creativity to envision what this beautiful area would have been like when it was a booming limestone production area.  canoe creek is well worth your time and attention.

As a side note, when I visited here years ago, there was a small church that had been turned into a bat sanctuary.  On warm summer nights, visitors would attend a program at the sanctuary, learn about bats, and then watch the ladies (as it is only female bats who live in such colonies) emerge.  Sadly, White Nose Syndrome has decimated the bat population, and the nightly program is no more.  White Nose is a terrible thing for our bats and our environment, and I strongly encourage you to learn more about it.  As any good outdoors person knows, bats eat bugs and mosquitoes, which is good for all of us.  Maybe one day the bats will make a comeback and the Sanctuary will be full of bats again.

I am terrible at keeping up with this blog....

Yes, I know.  I don't update at frequently as I should.  It seems like I get busy doing other things and when I think of blogging, something pops up and the time just isn't there.
However, I have been to some awesome places sine the last update and I promise, promise, promise that I am working on a full update.
In the meantime, here is an adorable chipmunk sitting on a rock. I spotted him yesterday at clear creek State Park near Sigel PA.