Glamping at Pinchot State Park

Imagine camping in 102 degree heat-- enter glamping and an electric fan. From the Urban Dictionary: "Glamping-- Going camping, but with glamour. A combination of the two words. It's like regular camping , but with nicer things than usual. Glamping isn't done by usual outdoor types who climb mountains."

 Ariana Pascoa, 9, of Harrisburg is camping with her grandparents at Gifford Pinchot State Park, and even the most outdoorsy of campers must admit  that sleeping in that heat is misery.

So, don't be too harsh on Ariana. She's a very polite young lady spending time with Grandma and Grandpa, and a little electric fan isn't a big deal.    

On the other hand, you should have seen the buses there with AC running full tilt.  Or the big fans sitting on the picnic tables surrounded by everything the campers could pack into the pickup truck.

 

 

 

Cunningham Falls State Park cooling off

It appears that this gentleman tried to cool off in Sunday's weather at Cunningham Falls State Park in Maryland without the required 'toe dip' to test the temperature.

The falls, about 60 miles from York, was loaded with folks trying to escape the heat. The signs at the falls' base read "No swimming. Climbing on rocks is not advised." From the website-- For your safety and the protection of the natural resource swimming is not allowed at the Falls.

Apparently no one took notice since the pool at the bottom was packed with people who weren't swimming, but instead dipping their feet and then dunking their heads. That must not constitute swimming.

If you visit, be aware the wet rocks are extremely slippery, and at least two people fell as I watched, and fortunately suffered only bruised elbows and butts.

The park offers boating and swimming in Hunting Creek Lake, and nine hiking trails from a half mile to 7.5 miles and in difficulty from easy to strenuous.

For this photograph, I wanted the effect of the hazy water falls, more like a veil than raging water (it wasn't raging anyway, the falls were slim).  For that, use a slow shutter speed to blur the water (1/2 here). Of course, the swimmer's movement required a faster shutter speed to stop the action. Sometimes it works, most of the time it doesn't. While the entire picture isn't perfectly sharp, it works well enough to show both expression and blur.