I decided to come out of hibernation for a bit since we were having a break in the extreme cold. My Dad, nephew and I drove over to Middle Creek – a wildlife preserve in PA that gets THOUSANDS and THOUSANDS of snow geese every year. I knew it wasn’t QUITE peak time for them yet as it was still a bit cold, but I also knew there would some there – over the next few weeks as the lake warms they take over the area.
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Christmas Lights Bike Ride 2018
I took my nephew on the annual Christmas Lights bike ride – and man oh man was it cold. Literally freezing. Thankfully my dad agreed to drop us off because I still don’t have a hitch on my new car. My nephew wanted green lights on his bike so I ordered a set for his wheels and he helped me install them. When we arrived there were so many people with decorated bikes. My dad looked at me and said, “Well – what are you waiting for?” “It’s cold!!” I answered, “5 more minutes.” I decided I was going to try to stay in the car as long as possible – It was 30* outside!
Continue reading#OPTOUTSIDE 2018
Although you don’t NEED an excuse to head outside and take a hike, I appreciate that the #OPTOUTSIDE tradition continues. It gives me a set date that I know I will be able to do something fun with my nephews while one sister goes Black Friday shopping and the other works.
Bike Train: Jim Thorpe – White Haven PA
I was undecided what I wanted to do for my birthday weekend this year. The weather hasn’t been the greatest lately so that took out camping. I really wanted to go see some waterfalls, but a lot of places I looked up were either closed for the season or the trails were washed out due to all the rain we have been having. Then something made me think about the bike train in Jim Thorpe. After a quick search, I found out it was the last weekend for the year. I gave Pocono Biking a call with serious doubts I would get any tickets. They are a company we have used NUMEROUS times before for the shuttle, but never had a chance to take the train. Either way, you park in Jim Thorpe and take the train (which runs about once a month spring – fall) or take a shuttle (which runs daily May – Oct and weekends only in April & November) to White Haven, PA. Then you hop on your bike and cycle about 25 miles along the Lehigh Gorge Trail back to Jim Thorpe.
To my surprise there were a fed tickets available for the train! I claimed tickets for as many family members as I could put in a car. Bikes, trains, and waterfalls – what better way to spend a day?!
Driskill Mountain – Louisiana State High Point
There was a hurricane coming as Dad and I drove to our final highpoint of this epic road trip. We drove down the back country roads to beat it before the rain was expected to start at Driskill Mountain Louisiana. We figured I should have time to hike it and continue driving as far as we could for a bit. They were calling for flooding and crazy winds so I knew I had to hurry.
Mount Magazine: Signal Hill – Arkansas State High Point
Dad and I arrived at Mount Magazine late in the afternoon. We were tired from driving so we decided to stay at the lodge there. It was one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. It reminded me of the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont, but more modern. After we checked in we decided we may as well hike to the highpoint to save us time in the morning because we had another long day of driving.
Black Mesa, OK
I was excited/nervous as Dad and I made our way to the trailhead for Black Mesa in Oklahoma. I figured the hike would be sort of like White Butte in North Dakota, only longer. I thought the hike started at Black Mesa State Park. We pulled in and asked a few people if the hike starts there and one man replied, “Well, you can start the hike here, but it’d take you a day or two!” before giving us directions to the spot a bit farther down the road where the trail ACTUALLY starts.
