Saturday, October 30, 2010

Happy Halloween


I don't know if I have been watching too much Ghost Adventures on the Travel Channel or not, but this entrance to an old mine at Soldier's Delight looks pretty scary to me. I wouldn't have wanted to go underground in this old shaft. The park itself was beautiful and I plan on going back in the spring to do a wildflower walk.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Ringing Rocks Park, Bucks County PA

I learned about this place on a show on the Travel Channel called Weird Travels and decided I had to go there. We drove two and a half hours to the Doylestown/ Bethlehem area of Pennsylvania above Philadelphia. The park is located in a beautiful wooded area. As you walk from the parking lot into the woods you notice that the ground is strewn with more and more rocks. The forest trail abruptly ends to reveal a large open field of boulders. The field is 5 acres big and 10 feet deep. It is a mystery how all these rocks ended up here. Furthermore, the rocks have unusual qualities. They ring, make music. Some have high pitch and others lower and then some just go "thunk". It is easy to determine which stones have a good pitch by their worn white marks from years and years of being hit with hammers by visitors. There is an eerie atmosphere as you clamber out over the rocks early in the morning, but as the park fills with visitors armed with hammers, all pounding on the rocks, the place becomes quite musical and entertaining.
(click on pictures for a larger view)


You can see that many of these boulders are very large.




A view of the field of rocks





This rock has a very good tone, visitors have worn a hole in the rock.





Another view of the rock field. It is said that a bird has never been seen flying over this area.




Interesting erosion patterns on the rocks




George "ringing" the stones.





A short walk past the rock field takes you through the forest to another interesting geological formation. There is a wide rock stepped platform that drops off to create a waterfall three stories high.



If this picture seems tilted it is because the rock floor does actually pitch to the right.




The rock floor is stepped down gradually toward the waterfall





View from the top of the waterfall.

Saturday, October 2, 2010

Cascade Falls Trail at Patapsco State Park



The Cascade Falls Trail in the Orange Grove area of the Patapsco State Park is a 2.2 mile loop that treats the walker to beautiful cascades and rapids. (Click on the pictures for a larger view)

The combination of rock and water... lovely.


Me crossing the stream

A small waterfall on the trail

George

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Patapsco State Park



A beautiful fall morning after a big storm seemed to be the perfect time for a walk. Today we went to Patapsco State Park. I was curious to see if the Swinging Bridge that I remembered from many years ago was still there. It is still there and still a wonderful place to walk and birdwatch.

The Swinging Bridge



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