A few days ago, Pearls Before Swine ran a comic strip where Goat tells Pig and Rat he's going camping the next day. "What does that involve?" asks clueless Pig. Cynical Rat answers. "It's where you deprive yourself of all the nice things you have for no particular reason." Last weekend, I went camping with my family on private property near the borders of Juanita and Perry County. My sister had found the Juanita River Escape on social media last year. "You will have the 3 acres to … [Read more...] about Between a Railroad and a River
Nature
A Peachy Cabin Weekend
A sign beside the drive leading to the mountain cabin read "Zephere's Rock: Population 1." Further down the gravel road, a "Don't Tread on Me" flag fluttered in the November breeze. This is a place where people come to be left alone, I thought. I was getting a few of minutes of solitude myself, taking a brief walk on the mountain road to enjoy the yellow leaves and morning sunshine outside of the cabin I was staying in for the weekend. I've often written about how us Lancaster County … [Read more...] about A Peachy Cabin Weekend
A Mouse Eating a Potato Chip and Other Photos from Hiking at Ricketts Glen
Sometimes you take a long hike to see one waterfall, but at Ricketts Glen, you can take one hike and see eighteen waterfalls in one afternoon. Last Saturday, several of my siblings and I took nine of my oldest nieces and nephews hiking at the state park located about two-and-half hours north of here. We hiked 3.2 miles (the main Falls trail at Ricketts Glen). Several of us enjoy photography and took our time taking photos. Here are some of my shots. After about a mile downhill, you … [Read more...] about A Mouse Eating a Potato Chip and Other Photos from Hiking at Ricketts Glen
The Smoky Sierra Nevada Mountains
As Lancaster County got drenched in the remains of Hurricane Ida last week, three of my colleagues and I were out west where the land is dry and the air smells faintly of smoke from the wildfires. I first noticed the smell when we got out of the airport in Reno, Nevada and stood on the sidewalk waiting for our hotel shuttle on Saturday evening. We were feeling thankful to be in Reno on schedule. The trip from Philadelphia had taken a literally heart-racing turn at our layover in Phoenix— our … [Read more...] about The Smoky Sierra Nevada Mountains
Camping in Pennsyltucky
Public campsites are to camping what decaf is to coffee. They might be safer, cleaner, and more conducive to sleeping, but they're favorless and boring. So when my church small group went camping last month, I was glad we were doing primitive, private-land-next-to-state-game-land type of camping, not pitching our tents at a KOA and trying to avoid eye contact with the neighbors at the next campfire. Marlin and Amy, one of the small group couples, did most of the planning. Marlin has … [Read more...] about Camping in Pennsyltucky