Saturday morning on a trout stream

A former boss once said there's not a road in York County that his photographers haven't driven. We generally took great delight in proving him right by knowing small country roads, little known place names or intersections. We often cruised the county, looking for the unknown old school, cemetery, dirt road or path.

On Saturday, I was on an old logging road owned by a private club that paralleled a small trout stream. Hadn't been on this one, because it was protected by a locked gate, but it's one that I'll travel again with permission from a member. It was much like another favorite area of mine, Lock 12.

While there, we met an old friend's family, and it looked somewhat like an old photo of Grandma and Grandpa, Mom, Dad and the kids trying to land the Big One, complete with a log cabin in the background.

Beautiful.

Happily ever after starts here

Was at a friend's house in Lancaster when I saw this sign celebrating the neighbors' wedding last week. Adorable, eh?    May Stacey and Jamie be as happy when they're 80 as they are today.

Paterno book not flying off the shelves

The new book "Paterno" was released Tuesday but it didn't cause much of a ruckus to local bookstores. At Bookland in York Township, owner Andrew Chock was holding four for customers, but there were no lines.

Penn State York didn't have them in stock yet,  and Books A Million had a stack to sell, but only a couple 'holds'.

Since so relatively few people are interested in this book, can we gather anything about the whole sordid situation?

Crowded weekend on the Lehigh

It was crowded on the Lehigh River Saturday.  Imagine that, eh?

Comfortable temperatures and cumulus clouds that decorated the bright blue sky made for a near-perfect day for anything, including exploring the river by raft, kayak or canoe. The dozen or so rafters and kayakers from the Lancaster Canoe Club bounced along between the huge tour company crowds, dodging rocks and navigating the class two and three rapids.

You can't keep a good thing a secret.

Rafters ranged from adorable and drenched six year olds to us old folks. The Lehigh rapids aren't as exciting as the Youghigheny or Cheat Rivers, but on days like this, just a fun family float on the river cools off those rafters who were cooked from July's heat.

The Lehigh Gorge State Park is about about midway between Allentown and Wilkes-Barre, or Jim Thorpe, the home of everything outdoors.

 Jim Thorpe, Pa., is a quaint little town stuck in the middle of the rolling Pennsylvania mountains, about the size of Dallastown. The town is named for the famous Olympic athlete, and it's in his town that he could climb, run, swim, golf, bike and hike until even he was exhausted.

Bring the bikes and pedal along the 26-mile D&L Trail, the Lehigh Canal North trail, or the 18-mile Switchback Railroad Trail.  The D&L Trail parallels the river, and paddlers and bikers can easily see each other along their trips. A quick toe-dip in the river quickly cools a hot weather biker. At least six whitewater rafting companies offer guided or unguided trips along the river, including Adventure Rafting, Whitewater Rafting Adventures and Jim Thorpe River Adventures.

Jim Thorpe is known for its rock walls, so maybe try rock climbing.

Take a one-hour ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, visit some antique shops, or take a guided tour through town.
 
For a small town, there are places to stay, because in or close to Jim Thorpe are plenty of rooms, from quaint and friendly bed and breakfasts to big chain hotels.

In 2007, Jim Thorpe was named one of the Top Ten mountain towns in the United States by National Geographic Adventure.

The right tool for the job

Spent Sunday kayaking from just north of Marietta, Lancaster County, to the boat launch south of Long Level, York County, which would have been about 11 miles. When we reached Wrightsville and the two bridges, we'd be halfway to the cars and our trip home.

I say 'would have been', because of the six of us, four bailed out and walked the last 2.8 miles to the car instead of fighting wind, lame currents and the hot August sun. Now, hoofing the last leg was no fun, but it was certainly easier than battling the river. We dropped the kayaks along a private road, and the bordering home owners were gracious enough to understand our plight and allowed us to pick them up later-- although we got some squinty-eyed looks from their neighbors.

The four flat bottom kayaks are meant for quiet lake paddling, not long distances. Sunday proved that, like anything else, the right tools make the job easier.

Still, the four of us felt a bit wimpy for bailing out while two of our cohorts finished the grueling journey. We wanted to think that if we had the more streamlined, river-worthy kayaks, we would have succeeded.

I'm not so sure.