Weekend Adventure at Jim Thorpe, PA

It's hard to describe Jim Thorpe, PA. The small town nestles within the hills of northeastern Pennsylvania.

The main street is dominated by a train station featuring rides to nowhere - excursion trains travel out for about 30 minutes before returning to the station. This weekend I undertook a short visit, complete with lunch in town and a long walk on the park bike path.

Venturing into the park, trains pass by mysteriously.

Is the train's driver waving at me?

I have discovered several species of butterfly which the above insect may be: Diana (Speyeria diana), White Admiral (Limenitis arthemis) and Blue Admiral (Nymphalis canace). In a future post, I will attempt to narrow it down...

After a short time, the same train passes by, headed back to the station.

As one travels down the bike path, curve after curve appears in the distance.

A beautiful fresh smell rides the wind that blows over the forested slopes and throughout the valley. It is pleasant to look up and see - not condos in the distance, but rocky outcrops pushing out of the trees. It was exceptionally cool and pleasant this weekend and I hope there is more sunny weather next week. The break in humidity and lower temperatures further reminds me of fall. I notice that, while it is dry, brown and crispy here in NJ, in PA it is still lush and green in Jim Thorpe.

Two Good Photos from Washington Valley

Saturday August 7th dawned cool, around 63 degrees. However, the temperature rose steadily, reaching about 85 degrees or more by mid-day. Hiking this morning was especially comfortable after the recent heatwave. I had several activities planned for the day, and took just an hour or so to walk through Washington Valley park from the Gilbride Road trail head.
The main highlights of this trip were the continued dry weather (dust blanketed most of the trail and had to be shaken out of my socks at the end of the day) and the two critters below.

I believe this is a Ladder-backed Woodpecker (Picoides scalaris). He was hammering was at a dead pine tree. I caught just a few lucky shots as he worked his way upward to the very top.

Many leaves have fallen in the park, many of them colored just like fall.

I believe this is a Northern Water Snake (Nerodia sipedon). It was about one foot long and swam through the water as I passed by on the trail.

Every water course is very shallow and teeming with fish, polliwogs, frogs and all kinds of life. Despite the low waterline, I felt the park had as much if not more water as the last time I was there. I hope to reach the shore a few more times before the rest of August flies by.

Cooler Weather at Close of July 2010

Saturday morning, July 31st, dawned cool (63 degrees) and clear for the first time in several weeks. I visited Sandy Hook in Highlands, NJ with my family and enjoyed the fine, comfortable, weather on a beach with quiet surf.
While conditions were too cool for me to enjoy swimming, a long walk on the beach was possible in the pleasant (vs. baking) sunlight.

Seagulls (or Common Gulls) (Larus canus) pick a spot free of sun bathers and fisherman to hang out.

In the distance on South Beach, the ongoing bridge/road construction project looms in the distance.

On Sunday, I enjoyed a walk in Colonial Park, in Franklin, NJ. I am fond of Colonial Park due to the large amount of birds, fish, snails and reptiles that abound there. On almost every trip, I capture a new photo of an interesting species.

With the lack of rain this season, duckweed quite covers every stretch of water.

The area has become redolent of swampy smells due to the stagnant water. I found that certain spots are quite stinky now. Large muddy beaches have formed due to the low waterline. Broken shells of snails and even some large, freshwater clams litter the fermenting earth.

Above is an interesting bird that looks just like a Lesser Yellowlegs (Tringa flavipes). While my field guides indicate their typical range is throughout Canada, I can confirm the bird looked just like the picture on the Cornell Lab Ornithology website.

I was impressed by the tolerance of the bull frog (Rana catesbeiana) above. I walked right up next to him and took several photographs and he showed to inclination to give up his spot on the bank.

Above are female Wood ducks (Aix Sponsa). For this picture I used the very highest zoom on my camera to capture a shot from across the water. I now feel confident that a large flock of Wood ducks (and their goslings) have taken up residence in the park.

I look forward to another long walk next weekend if the cooler weather continues.