Ricketts Glen State Park

Ricketts Glen is situated in Luzerne, Columbia, and Sullivan counties in northeast Pennsylvania, or NEPA as we lovingly refer to it.  We also refer to our state as PA (pronounced PeeeAyyy) for those of you from other states that do not refer conversationally to your state as the abbreviation.  Ricketts Glen is a beautiful stretch of land and home to beautiful waterfalls, in fact, 22 beautiful waterfalls!

I'm originally from a tiny town called Tunkhannock, but I drove up from Philadelphia where I've lived for nearly a decade, and explored the trails.  It's about 2.5 hours one way and I made it into a little day trip. The trail now has a new, lovely parking area complete with bathrooms!  Heck yeah!

Next time I'll tack on a hike at World's End State Park to make the day more challenging.  Ricketts Glen is a rather easy hike, but totally worth the trip for the sights alone.  Head out during a warmer season and bring your bathing suit!  Lake Jean at the top of the hill is a great little spot where you can rent boats and cabins.  

Christmas Weekend

Home for the holidays this year and enjoyed the couple of days spent with my family.  As you can make out from some of these pictures, the temperature was relatively warm for this time of year.  The lake was not fully frozen, so no ice skating this time around.

We overdosed on sugar and sweets and introduced my dad to the joys of Netflix.  By the time I left on Monday morning, he was on the final episode of Stranger Things.

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday!   

The Best Season Of The Year

The seasonal foliage is breathtaking, especially in NEPA (Northeast PA).  I made my way north of Philadelphia for the weekend and was stunned by how beautiful the mountainsides were!  Philly trees have yet to turn for the season so you could imagine my surprise and delight. 

 

I bought a pumpkin for my small backyard in the city and let Muffin the Dog hop into the lake by my dad's house one final time before it gets too cold.  She just loves the water and chasing the ducks, so I let her go at it.  My dad made an apple pie and I had a nice little weekend away from the city.

 

Pumpkin beer is in full-flow at my house, so I'll have to share some new beers with you soon!

Early Summer

 

 

 

I spent a couple of days back home.  First order of business was ice cream.  Then, between rain showers and playing with the dog, we managed to split some firewood.  Oh and of course, ended the week out with a little bit of ice cream for everyone.

Thankful

Spending a few days away from the city for Thanksgiving was wonderful.  Muffin the dog got to play outside and explore and I was off the hook for walking duties!  Seeing family and friends over a couple of great meals is a great way to unwind after of months studying hard.

I'm thankful for these little getaways and family and friends and pets and and and dance parties in deserted bars <3  

Weekend in Northeast Pennsylvania: Pond Fishing

Mother Nature is remarkable.  She deserved a Mother's Day nod this weekend.  I ventured north for the weekend and spent time with family outdoors.  An elderly couple own a beautiful piece of property that we've been fishing on for years.  Though getting to the pond is a little bit of  a hike through fields, brush and uneven paths, it's worth the trouble.

The wildlife was out and about in full force around 9:00 AM when we reached the pond.  Even before my first cast out I saw a few fish jump and birds swoop in for the kill.  To the north of the pond in the forest we heard woodpeckers looking for breakfast and squirrels chasing each other in the trees.

Everyone had some sort of success fishing.  I caught a few pickerel and perch.  It was a "catch and release" kind of morning, but now that we know there are a bunch of keepers in there, we'll be back.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend!

Thanksgiving Weekend Photos

I'm sitting here sifting through pictures from last weekend taken in north east Pennsylvania.  Despite the sort of treacherous drive in on Wednesday evening (and the car sliding down the hill backwards), the snow was absolutely beautiful.  We strolled around back roads and checked to see if the lake was freezing up.  The annual Christmas tree shopping was a success too.


Lots of good food and great company.  Muffin loved being out in the snow and I did too!  I hope everyone enjoyed the holiday!