Special to Randy

rose breasted grosbeak

Family Photos 2016

Family Photos for 2016

As is our custom we took some pictures of our little family yesterday as everyone gathered for a Labor Day picnic at Thousand Trails RV Park near Hershey PA.

Kendalyn wanted a sweater to look like a character in one of her computer games and so Cathy got to work.  The result is above.  As you may be able to tell Kendie is thrilled with it!

Kendalyn posing on the stone wall of an old farm building in the campground. 

Cathy and Laura

Everybody except the photographer.  Randy and Hydro joined in.

Mom and Dad and Dixie

Larry & Randy and friends.

The Adults. Dixie doesn't want to look at the camera!

Kendalyn posing at a fence

Kendie and Nanny after the photo shoot

End of Day with a beautiful sunset

A Few Nature Photos From This Summer

I just realized that I have not added anything to this blog since May! So here are some nature pictures I want to share.  Other blog posts this time will chronicle our travel to The Pennsylvania Wilds.

This is the Canada Goose family we watched hatching in May and now in September they have joined the flock of geese located in the park this summer.  Currently flight training is underway as they prepare for their migration.

And this is the Mallard family we have watched mooching under our feeder. The female is the light colored one with her four offspring.  One has been exiled or has died since they are currently only three and the mother.  A watchful goose stands nearby waiting his turn at feeder fallout!  This one also seems to be a loaner and is shunned by the others.  We think it is injured or otherwise hampered. During flight maneuvers this one is not able to keep up with the others.

We have had Ruby-throated Hummingbirds at our window feeder all summer. This is a female tanking up. 

A butterfly attracted to Randy's Mother's Day gift.

Some Goldenrod along one of the park roads.

An "I don't know what it is wildflower".

Sunset

Elk Country Benezette PA and Kinzua Bridge State Park

Trip to Elk Country and Kinzua Bridge State Park

It had been a desire of mine for several years to visit the so-called Pennsylvania Wilds, a two million acre landscape composed of twelve distinct and beautiful counties in the Northern section of the state.  Specifically, I had wanted to visit the village of Benezette which has gained fame as a tourist attraction to view Elk in their native environs.

Elk had been native to the area historically, but the population had dwindled in the early 1900s.  Conversely, there was an over population in Yellowstone National Park so a relocation program was instituted to move some of Yellowstone's surplus to some eastern states including PA. So in 1913 a group of 50 Elk were introduced in this area largely at the urging of Sportsmen's groups.  Recent estimates place the population at several hundred animals, but there is no way to know for sure.  Restricted hunting has been allowed over the years by permit assigned by a drawing.

Twenty years ago or so, when I was active in the Lions Club, some members had visited the area and returned with a video produced by the game commission about the elk in Benezette. One particular incident I recall was the treatment of a troublesome bull who took a liking to the residents' shrubbery and became a nuisance in general. The game commission captured the animal and relocated it to another area far away and to ensure it would stay away from towns its antlers were sawn off. The loss of his status symbols and position of power were deemed a deterrant to his return.  That elk was not seen again in Benezette.

Today the area has a first class visitor center and established viewing areas and it supports several rental cabins and hotel rooms to attract visitors.  Since we had Dixie with us we needed a pet friendly place to stay. It turned out to be a pretty rare item, but we did find a place about 8 miles from town that would accommodate my brother, Dick and sister-in-law, Ann and Cathy and me and Dixie.  

Below you will see some photos of Elk and other wildlife we encountered on our two-day stay.  Dick was kind enough to drive so I was free to lean out the window to take pictures.

This is the Elk Country Visitor Center at the small town of Benezette. It is relatively new and is filled with interesting and educational displays about the area and its wild inhabitants. 

This a taxidermy of an Elk known as the Club Horn Elk.  If you look at the tine of his antlers in the corner of the lower window pane (marked by >>>>>>), you can see it turns downward. This deformity is the result of an accident in his youth that caused him to lose the bud for that antler. when it regrew it tilted downward instead of up making him somewhat of a local celebrity.

So below are some of the elk we saw rambling around the back roads.

A young bull still in velvet. This seemed strange as the other bulls we saw had no velvet.

Here is a nice 6 x 6 eating apples from the tree in some family's front yard!

Across the road and a little farther on was another handsome 6 x 6 bull taking his leisure.

Here and below is a 7 x 7 bull browsing leaves from the tree.  He would hook the branches in his antlers and pull them down to break off so he could munch them.

Another 6 x 6 bull on our second evening.

This is one of my favorite shots of the trip! There were several Does and their young working a lawn and this little one needed a little liquid sustenance so it began to nurse as we watched.

Up close with a doe.

I could only get half a dozen in the frame but there were several others on this hillside.

End of day.

We saw several elks on our second day at the Elk Country Visitor Center.

After Dinner at the Benezette Hotel we saw this one gathering apples and the fellow in the white pickup was tossing more to her.

Here and below are deer and fawns we saw in the yard of our cabin, Camp Critter appropriately!

There were two mamas each with a fawn still showing spots.

And Wild Turkeys also at Camp Critter.  There were seven in all and spread wide so I did not get them all in the frame.

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Kinzua Bridge State Park

The Kinzua Bridge, an iron railroad bridge, was begun in 1881 and completed in 1882.  It stood 301 feet high and was 2053 feet long and was for many years  the highest railroad viaduct in the world.  It was built to transport the area's natural resources of coal, oil and timber to markets to the East.  As trains and their loads grew heavier, it became necessary to strengthen the bridge with steel. In 1900 it was rebuilt using 100 - 150 men working 10-hour shifts in just 105 days.

By 1959, all freight traffic ceased and in 1963 the bridge and surrounding area became a State Park which officially opened in 1970.  Excursion trains carried passengers from 1987 on. These trains would stop in the middle of the bridge for passengers to enjoy (or maybe shudder) the view across the valley below before returning to the starting point in Marienville PA.  

Trouble was encountered in 2002 as a routine inspection identified corrosion on some trestles.  Some even rusted through. Engineers determined that strong lateral winds could potentially shift the center of gravity and start the bridge to fall.  And their predictions proved accurate as a rare tornado on July 21, 2003 resulted in just that. Thirteen of the bridge towers collapsed into the valley below in a tangle of twisted metal.   

Today six of the remaining towers have been strengthened and converted into a pedestrian walkway to an overlook 225-feet above the valley floor. There is a glass bottomed section of the floor at the end to afford a  view down through the supporting towers below.

We took a drive from Benezette to Kinzua State Park on our second day in the area.

This is an old, blurry photo from the internet before the excursion trains stopped operating.

Above is an overall view of the pedestrian walkway to the restored bridge.

A view across the valley toward the remaining debris on the opposite hill.

Ann heading to the newly restored walking bridge.

The tangled and twisted steel in the valley below.

Another view of the wreckage.

No wonder Billy Penn liked his woods!

Dick and Dixie wouldn't look at the camera.

Returning to the parking area we can see the observation decks behind the Visitor Center.  Cathy and I had been to the site a few years ago but it was in the construction phase and the parking area was no more than a dirt lot. These observation decks were the only spot to see the bridge while restorations were underway.

"Spring" in Hershey 2016

We left Florida on April 3 where it was already getting into 90 degree daytime temperatures. When we arrived at the entrance road to the campground on April 9, we were greeted with 3-inches of wet snow on the fields and woods. The roads were wet and clear otherwise. Below is a picture of the former cornfield from the driver's seat.

We had to sweep this wet stuff from our patio mats before we could begin to unpack.  So much for 90 degrees. 

The snow was gone within a couple of days and we soon were settled in for the summer.

Spring Dogwoods were stunning this year as you can see below.

Above is a dogwood right behind us taken  in late April as you can see from the date stamp.  It is still in full blossom and is just getting leaves today. 

These mixed pink and white dogwoods are at the entry guard station as we see them as we are leaving. 

This land was once farmland and I believe these were in the front yard of the main residence. They are pretty every year.

Some changes in our rig were completed before we arrived by our regular service techs. The fifth wheel tends to be a little shaky when someone is walking inside so we asked them to set it on blocks which has made a big difference.  We also had a new dining table and chairs delivered to the Tech and he removed the old table and chairs. The table was fastened to the floor to keep it from flying around during travel but, since we will not be traveling with it the new table is free to move around to accommodate seating. It is in the photo below and is working out well for us.

Last summer we decided that the tiny gas oven in the "range" was really impractical because of its size and that the pilot light needed to be ignited each time it would be used.  So one of the next purchases was a toaster oven which has more practical usage space and is also serving our needs well. While we are talking about gas we have had a bulk propane 100-gallon tank installed which will be serviced by the propane company and eliminate the need for me to lift full 7-gallon bottles (about 60-pounds) when they need to be refilled.It is a relief given my back and shoulders slowly giving out!

As we did in Florida, we will be having wooden steps and a small deck built to eliminate the narrow, steep metal folding steps on the trailer.  The deck will enable us to walk in and out at floor level and go up and down normally spaced stairs to the ground.

Our doctor appointments have been good so far with no big surprises except I did not pass my colon cancer screening test and must have a colonoscopy in a couple weeks.  Cathy has been declared Cancer Free, YAAAYYY! And she no longer has to take the daily dose of oral chemotherapy. Her oncologist said the drug often has side effects of achy joints and Cathy has them for sure.

Now to the fun stuff.  Birds!  We have been feeding the locals from two feeders and they have been hungry emptying both 1-1/2-pound feeders daily.  We have seen two new (for us) species and many familiar friends as well.

The Red-bellied Woodpecker is ill-equipped for hanging on feeders, but it makes do on the mesh ball.

The Chickadee is always hungry, but has to leave the feeder to open seeds by clamping them between its legs on a branch.

Brown-headed Cowbirds are always here as we are near lots of farm fields where they normally hang out.

Mr. Blue Jay looking good.

And Ms. Cardinal (Cathy calls the females Carly and the male are Carl).

Female Downy Woodpecker has been a regular.

As has her mate below.

The boys are always prettier!! Snark.

Tufted Titmouse is acrobatic, but also must find a branch to open his seeds.

Here is one of our new ones, the Rose-breasted Grosbeak. He sure earns the Grosbeak name! Below perched in my special twig for photography.

This member of the Sparrow family stands out for his namesake white forehead. This is the White-crested Sparrow.

I was surprised to see this Osprey by chance as I looked out our back window. There it was perched in a tree about 150 feet from us. and it stayed long enough to be photographed.

Not a bird, but it posed perfectly on some rocks waiting for the birds to scatter some seeds down.  Squirrels are unable to steal from our "Squirrel Buster" feeders.

We have been watching a pair of Canada Geese tend a nest at the water's edge just behind our site for several weeks. Frequently there would be no goose on the nest nor could we detect any eggs! But day after day they persisted.

Wednesday May 12, we were having lunch and Cathy noticed some activity. That was three little ones moving around. I grabbed the camera and went out to get some photos and literally watched number four join its siblings!

They immediately began eating grass and walking behind the adults. Within 5 or 6 minutes three were at the edge of the water with the fourth holding back. because of a drop off to the water I could not see them get in. The fourth stayed high and dry!

The first three.

And the whole family.

Mom and her brood minutes after hatching.

And while I was busy taking their pictures, a wading bird I did not recognize right away appeared so I took its picture too! I later identified it as a Spotted Sandpiper in breeding plumage.

Spotted Sandpiper

And finally, no blog post is complete without pictures of Dixie!

On her favorite spot on the back of the sofa keeping watch.

And head on the sofa arm watching whatever is going on at the lake. This was last fall.

That is all this time.