Tag: Nature
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When I was in elementary school, the day after Labor Day always brought two unsharpened Ticonderoga #2 pencils, an unopened box of 8 Crayola crayons, and a fresh Pink Pearl eraser from my public school teachers. How or where the teachers got these supplies for their working class students never crossed my mind, but looking…
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Two wasp stings within two weeks caused Jeff’s oversized allergic reaction. Since we’re often hiking and in zero cell service zones, he’s now a member of Team Epi-Pen, just to be safe. The medications cocktail he’s on at the moment to bring down the swelling, fight any infection, and manage the itching is really something.…
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It’s 163 years since the three day battle of Gettysburg (July 1-3, 1863) concluded and Lee’s army slipped back into Virginia (July 4, 1863). The following are my thoughts related to the battlefields we visited in Virginia and Pennsylvania. I admit that by the end of them, I was a bit battlefield and Civil War’d…
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Click on any photo for a larger image.
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We finally did it. Since the weather suddenly became cool again, we hiked the Dublin Trail up to the very rocky and exposed roof of Mount Monadnock (3,165 ft). Surprisingly Monadnock is the most or second most hiked mountain in the world, depending on who you talk to. Its name is also a physical descriptor,…
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Our little reservoir lake has multiple small rivers and creeks feeding into it and the wetland created by the beavers. It’s also a turtle paradise. Snapping turtles are especially fond of it, and right now is egg laying season. So each evening this last week has brought the females out to the main gravel parking…
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We’ve arrived and settled into our next few month’s camping site. The Army Corps of Engineers’ Project Manager and Rangers have been very welcoming and helpful, seem thrilled to have teamed up with us, and feel certain that this is going to prove to be a good fit for both sides. After two days, the…
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Beginning six weeks ago, we met a new nemesis, a very demon from hell sent to test our patience. We fought it valiantly, and I believe we finally have the upper hand. For this spring, at least. Remnants remain, though, in nooks and crannies of the trailer, the truck, and our lungs, eyes, and souls. Both Fairy…
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A lot of people out West like to talk smack about the Appalachians and other eastern mountains, and we admit to it as well. But after spending almost 4 months at or near sea level, it was a little thrilling to see the word Mountain in a campground’s name again. While hiking, biking, and driving…
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First and foremost, I have a grievous error to acknowledge. I have been misleading you all about Longleaf Pines for some time, and for that I apologize. What I often thought was a Longleaf (Pinus palustris) was instead a Loblolly Pine (Pinus taeda). I know. I know. It was a careless, but I also learned…
