A Cure for Cabin Fever!
Feet can go there!
A visit to a favorite spot in Allegany State Park gave me a break from office work and an opportunity to do a guest post for my friend and co-worker Mon@arch. The office project has been interesting, but when I took a break for lunch, and felt the warm sun, cabin fever struck.
I headed for France Brook Road to a spot our “original” naturalists called “El Creepo.” The Road Closed sign reminded me of old times when a big gravel pile made this a dead end. Once or twice each summer the naturalists would get together in the evening to walk up the hill to route one. Some of the cool critters along the way included Porcupines, a Veery family, and deer, of course.
The big favorite, and the reason we came here, were the Barred Owls; we always tried to call an owl. One of the guys once attached a little auxiliary speaker to a tape player set on the roof of his car. We used the recording to call the owl, and had one dive at the speaker–about two feet above our heads!!!
A bumblebee checks out some coneflowers
There were no “critters” around this afternoon, but there were many fall flowers. A big bumblebee ignored the camera while I photographed Coneflowers, Joe Pye Weed, and beautiful scenery.
France Brook Valley
Hey! Is that a new beaver pond in the valley. This pond is not used for nature walks. It would be a nice one to visit, but the beavers might be very shy.
Quiet water.
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YES!! 🙂
26 August 2008 at 12:37 am
That is just beautiful! Thanks for sharing your peaceful moments!
26 August 2008 at 5:55 am
Beautiful place. My co-worker always tells us when we’re stressed, “A pond, in a forest, no ripples. Take yourself there.” Now, I’ll have a visual. :c)
26 August 2008 at 6:45 am
What a nice walk… I’m going to have to get out to the Park during my upcoming vacation!
26 August 2008 at 6:57 am
It was a great escape for me too- thanks!
26 August 2008 at 7:31 am
Grace, Very nice for sure! Thanks for doing my friend!
26 August 2008 at 7:44 am
Lovely photographs. I especially like the last one. The reflection is perfect and beautiful.
26 August 2008 at 11:50 am
France Brook Valley shot makes me want to go on a hike.
26 August 2008 at 11:55 am
The photos are very nice–peaceful and makes me want to go out and find something like that around here. I love the bumble bee on the coneflowers. He’s a busy bee!
26 August 2008 at 12:08 pm
Looks like a wonderful place to explore!
26 August 2008 at 12:10 pm
Ahh…head cleared, thank you!
26 August 2008 at 1:36 pm
Ouch – did I read correctly?
Lovely photos, but surely it’s not already — Fall?
Tell me it ain’t so. 🙂
26 August 2008 at 4:28 pm
Don’t you hate it when you go out and there’s nothing out there to play with? Oh well — a bad day hiking is better than a good day at work, right?
26 August 2008 at 7:04 pm
A sure cure for cabin fever, Grace! I love your photos, especially the last one. The water is so calm!
26 August 2008 at 7:33 pm
Why all the bare tree trunks?
Here (in central PA) that would mean gypsy moths. Not sure about “your neck of the woods”.
26 August 2008 at 8:16 pm
Threecollie—you’re welcome.
Jayne—I actually like ripples. I like to watch for whatever made them.
Jen—Hope you get here—hope to see you.
Lynne—you’re welcome.
Tom—Thanks! And your’re welcome.
It was like a mirror robin andrea.
Mother Nature—there are rare things there that we keep secret (shhh)…
Joan—I bet you could. Lots of things live in cities & towns.
Heather—one of my favorite places, for sure.
Trixie—you’re welcome.
Marty—All the good stuff comes out at night. I was there too early to watch the deer and the antelope play.
Pam—that is my favorite photo too. I love the clear blue of the water.
KGMon—The trees in the pond are dead from drowning. One of the reason beaver are not universally loved.
26 August 2008 at 10:18 pm
Grace thanks for the guest post. What a beautiful walk. I’ll have to try and get up to the Allegheny’s this fall.
27 August 2008 at 6:47 am
Wonderful work. It’s nice to see this blog up and moving again.
27 August 2008 at 11:39 pm
I’ve almost forgotten about this blog-what a peaceful serene post-lovely shots!
1 September 2008 at 8:33 am