Day Twenty Four - Twenty Nine - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Tuesday 5/21/2024 - Sunday 5/26/2024

Tuesday May 21st for my morning walk, I took the Railroad Grade Trail. It's a 2 1/2-mile trail that begins on the north end at the Ives Run Recreation area, along side of Crooked Creek. 

Walking on the sometimes pot-holed, rough crushed stone surface I was rewarded for my efforts by arriving at this seemingly secluded marsh area. 

I wish I had Tammy's bird app, because I could hear a variety of songbirds, plus geese, bull frogs and rabbits. The trail is along a stocked trout stream. Part of the trail is in the Bryant Hollow Wildlife Management Area. The south end of the trail is near Route 287 and Hills Creek Road.

Also on Tuesday, our friend Ted Decker and his wife Linda arrived. It's been a couple years since we have camped with them. The last time we camped with them, they had a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Aussiedoodle. They had to put their Bernese Mountain Dog down, so now they the the 125-pound Aussie-Doodle, named Bubba, and an 8-month, 80-pound Bernedoodle, named Bernie. The Aussiedoodle, actually remembered us. He has plenty of Aussie in him! It was great to see Ted. But, seeing him hurts my heart. His 2nd wife, Sharon, was my best friend for years! We did so much together and had so many good times! She passed away in October of 2011 in a tragic motorcycle accident. We were in Florida and I never had a chance to say good-bye.

I have so many memories with Sharon, but the one that I always brings a smile to my face. Is our son's Senior Skip Day. Sharon wrote a note for Teddy and I wrote an excusal note for Chris. A few days after the Senior Skip Day, the boys told us they had Saturday detention for taking part in Senior Skip Day. But, we had given them permission! The boys were like, it's good. We will do the detention. Sharon and I got to talking and we knew it was not right that the boys were in trouble, because we "authorized" their absence from school that day. Saturday morning we dropped the boys off at the school for the detention. We walked them to the room where they were to have detention and we left. Only to return half way through their detention time. We told the boys to take the car and go home. Sharon and I were going to serve the 2nd half of their detention. You should have seen the teacher that was the monitor for this session. He did not know what to say. We sent the boys on their way and Sharon and I sat in Saturday detention for 3-hours at the high school n place of our sons!

We enjoyed a campfire and time with friends.

On Wednesday May 22nd I took a portion of my walk on the Mid-State Trail. The Mid State Trail is a 327-mile hiking trail. It is the longest hiking trail in Pennsylvania, and one of just three to traverse the state from one border to another. Pennsylvania's Northern Tier was shaped by massive continental glaciers, The Tioga Region of the Mid-State Trail takes you through deeply wooded high plateau, and really rural low hills. 

The views continue to be spectacular. The terrain becomes more varied around each bend and over every knob. At one point the trail is intersected by Ives Run, needless to say, I turned around! The Tioga Region of the Mid-State trail links the Tioga State Forest; State Game Lands No. 268 and No. 37; Hills Creek State Park; Tioga-Hammond Lakes; Cowanesque Lake, and over a dozen private landowners through Tioga County.

On Thursday May 23rd, for my morning walk, I took the dirt road to Pine Camp. It's the primitive camping area that offers great views and access to the water, but no services! The sites are mostly shaded sites, and some near a beautiful forested hillside with lots of birds and wildlife. I won't walk out there again though. The dirt road becomes very slick when it gets wet. Even thought it has been a few days since it rained hard, you really had to watch your step!

I captured a picture of this unique bird. My friend Brian Jones, told me it was an Eastern Towhee. If you listen closely to the song of an Eastern Towhee, it sounds like it's saying “Drink your tea” with the end of the word tea drawn out. Once you learn this phrase and hear the bird's song a few times, the phrase sticks in your memory making it easier to identify the bird the next time you hear it. Some cultures believe that Eastern Towhees are symbolic of good luck coming in the future. 

That afternoon, part of our NY Camping FRamily arrived today. Dana & Dawn with their 100-pound chocolate lab named Walter arrived! It was great to see them again. We were lucky and they came to Florida in February for a few weeks this year! 

For my walk Friday May 24th, I walked the Fishing Pier Trail, for lack of a better name. It is short handicapped accessible trail to a fishing pier on Crooked Creek. The fishing spot is located on a jetty, just before the creek enters the lake.

I saw my first deer this morning. I think I startled it. But, she turned around and looked at me!

Ted & Linda got around early today and left. Linda was not feeling well. Dana & Dawn were ready to visit Shutter Homestead today for our first wine slushies of the season. But, we held off until Karen & Royce arrived! We could not wait until Sheila and Rob got here, because the place would be closed by then!

Shutter Homestead is an event space, wine tasting and wine sales place close to Ives Run. Rhonda used to be a Harvest Host location, that is how Charlie & I got to know her. She is a people person. She loves meeting new people and has never met a stranger. Her business is an outlet for a New Jersey winery, Bellview, which was founded in 1903. 

You taste wine and purchase it her families barn that was built in 1827. She has worked hard to keep the barn standing, to support her business. But there are sentimental reasons too, the property has been in the family since 1910. The barn is part of their family heritage. Their great-grandfather and all their relatives have worked, played, and lived on the property. It's their tenth season. We love to sit outside with wine slushies. They are pet friendly with a leash. You can bring food, sit and enjoy the property. We feel like we are family when we are there!

On Saturday May 25th, everyone made a big deal out of this day... it's just another day. So, I got up and did my 146th walk of 2024. I took my favorite trail so far, the Railroad Grade Trail. 

The highlight of my walk was getting to see a Eastern Red-Spotted Newt. I have not seen one of these guys in a few years. The last one I  saw was in NY at Park Station campground in Chemung County.

Doing my research I learned that the juvenile newt is the one that is a bright orange-red coloration with a row of larger, black-bordered orange spots on each side of the back. The larger spots resemble an eye, which is the meaning of their scientific name "Notophthalmus". Once they become an adult, they have an overall greenish coloration with small black dots scattered on the back and a row of several black-bordered reddish-orange spots on each side of the back. It is a native salamander to New York State and eastern North America that can live for 12-15 years! 

It was a leisurely morning and around 12:30 we piled into 2 cars and headed back to Shutter Homestead for Birthday slushies! We managed to enjoy our wine slushies while sitting outside. We even got home before the rain came!

We would not let the rain dampen our plans! 

We adapted and overcame. 

We enjoyed dinner with friends, birthday cake and a campfire. In honor of the "special" day... Karen even had some special wood to burn! LOL

On Sunday May 26th, it was a very foggy start to the day. But, a little fog could not stop me from exploring another trail. 

I checked out the C. Lynn Keller Trail. The trail's 9 miles lifts you into a crisscrossing of trails in the forest and you overlook Hammond Lake. The shortest section is a 1.3 mile Stephenhouse Trail loop. But I tried to take that the other day, from the other entry point and that is where I ran into having to cross Ives Run! 

So, I decided to check out the road to State Game Lands No. 37. It was good road, but it just keep going up and up and up. So, when it turned and I just saw more uphill, I turned around!

 

It was a great day with friends. We ended the day with a chimney log from Royce and a great fire, food and dessert!