Friday, July 30, 2010

Kayaking from Montgomery To Watsontown

On the river tonight...  it's 7.98 miles from the Montgomery Boat Launch, to the Watsontown Boat Launch, according to cardio trainer.  Took us 2 hours and 23 minutes to kayak it tonight.  Absolutely gorgeous trip, the area from Montgomery to Allenwood is especially beautiful!
Along the way, we saw Egrets, Heron, Ducks, Geese, and even deer!

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Watching the buggies go by...

 


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Turtle Creek Dog Park, Lewisbug Pa


We would have never known this was here, if not for a geocache.  It was a really nice walk - it's a LOT larger than you'd think!  Pretty bride and creek in the back, and a fenced in dog run near the parking area.


Turtle Creek Dog Park
(Dog Friendly Off-Leash Dog Park)
Furnace Rd & Supplee Mill Rd
Lewisburg, PA 17837
(412) 364-4122

Turtle Creek Dog Park is a well maintained dog park, located on Supplee Mill Road near the Furnace Road intersection, permits dogs on the trails and also includes a small, securely fenced dog area.

The trails are nice and wide, with lots of natural bushes and flowers wild along the sides
Pretty bridge over the creek

The Statue Of Liberty in Lewisburg


This statue of Liberty was in the yard of a private home.  It is no longer displayed there.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Merchlinsky Geo Bash 2010 - find #700 for us


Event Cache


We were at 655 finds before this event, so we made sure to catch 4 caches on the way here.  Found U turn in Washingtonville, A light over Danville, MP& HG - The Knights Who Say Ni!,  & oddfellow

Got to the event a little before 1:00, and had a great time catching up with some of the other cachers!
T-shirts were printed up for this event 

After lunch, the raffle lasted a very long time.  I really wanted to ride the roller coasters while there, and Dan had to be at softball at 5:30, so Gr8dnz picked up our raffle wins for us.  Thanks!!  We rode the twister and phoenix, and still were back in plenty of time for the last of the raffles.  Congrats to OvertheHillGang - they won the topo software, and the Gps!
The raffle table

Some pics from the Creative container contest -


a brick, with a magnetic key holder that fits in the side of the brick

shale, dremmeled out then held together with magnets


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Read More About Our Geocaching Adventures & Tips Here
https://susquehannavalley.blogspot.com/p/geocaching.html

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

On The Susquehanna River - in kayaks


and occasionally in a canoe.  We've been getting out on the river every chance we get, this summer.  It's so beautiful!  Low right now, but the kayaks have made it over even the super low spots between Allenwood and Watsontown, every time so far.  The water was much deeper near Winfield.  Another favorite spot, with less shallow areas, is from the Greevely boat launch in Montoursville. We've seen lots of heron, baby ducks, fish of course, and even a couple of bald eagles!

The water as smooth as glass, near the Greevly Boatl launch area in Montoursville PA.  (To make it even better, there is a GREAT bike path from here too!)


We were advised to never buy a potomac kayak.  But they were sooooo cheap on sale..  we bought one anyway.  It's great for our 12 year old, and works ok..  but boy, you do get what you pay for sometimes.  It's cheap.
Near the Watsontown River Bridge.  We like to put in in Allenwood, and float to the Watsontown park.  It's a great short stretch, so we can do it in shifts - two at a time (there are 6 of us, and we currently have only 2 kayaks)
Entrance to the Allenwood boat launching area.

Downtown Williamsport

We spent a lot of time in Williamsport this spring, while our children took the PSSA's at the Genetti.  When I wasn't on the riverwalk,  I was geocaching - and in the process, saw some of the beautiful architecture of the city.
The courthouse is gorgeous!



I LOVE this Peace Tower.  See the chimes inside?  And here is a close up of the inscription - 


The Brandon park Bandshell - recently repainted.  According to the geocache description this used to be pink? But it was not pink when we got there!  :-)
It's obvious in the architecture of the buildings that this was once a wealthy city!



and some of brick art at the bus station - 



and a parting shot of a downtown street...


Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Herman School House



Old Herman School
3015 Salem Rd Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania

The Herman School, located on Salem Road, three miles from Route 522 in Penn Township near Selinsgrove, PA.  It was the first public school in Snyder County and is the oldest original remaining one-room school in Snyder County today .
 It was built in 1841 and functioned from 1842 until 1882.

The facebook page states:
" The schoolhouse is open for free tours Sundays from Memorial Day to Labor Day and for other events upon request." 

"The Herman School is a one-room schoolhouse that was built in 1841 and functioned from 1842 until 1882. Children ages 6-22 attended school here from December until February. It was the first public school in Snyder County, and it is the only original public school in the area still standing today. The Herman School was restored in 1964. Volunteers open the school on Sunday afternoons from 1:00-4:00 pm between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  You are welcome to visit the school for a tour, and there are no admission charges. "








From an article in the Daily Item Newspaper - 
June 9, 2008

One-room school shorter days

By Rob Scott
SELINSGROVE — Today’s students probably would have preferred the Herman School students’ school year: December to February.

They would not have preferred the school’s disciplinary measures, however. The dunce cap, hickory switch and “pointed horse” — a wooden board with tapered edges that students had to sit on if they misbehaved — would not sit well with modern-day youths or their parents.

At one time, about 150 years ago, the Herman School housed students ranging in age from 6 to 20, according to Dave Angstadt, a board member of the Herman School Association.

The board has spent the past 40 years preserving the one-room schoolhouse on Salem Road in Penn Township, Snyder County.

“This is the first and only remaining one-room schoolhouse in Snyder County, which is unique,” Angstadt said during an open house Sunday afternoon.

Angstadt believed the 90-degree heat kept people indoors Sunday, but said the school had a good turnout the week before.

“A lot of people who come are interested in Pennsylvania history or education,” he said.

Angstadt said his own teaching background has more than a little to do with his interest in the school, which was open from 1842 to 1882.

“Paper and pencil was kind of scarce. If you had a pencil, you held onto it,” he said, gesturing to a slate board sitting on a period desk inside the schoolhouse, before turning to an empty bucket sitting behind him. “And every morning, they would send someone across the road to get water ... All the students drank from the same ladle. It’s a wonder they didn’t get sick.”

The schoolhouse is maintained through membership dues, donations and fundraising. Angstadt said the board is toying with some new fundraising ideas.

The Herman School is open from 1 to 4 p.m. every Sunday, from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Arrangements also can be made to have a tour of the school during the week.



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Stories & History From Selinsgrove, Pa

For More Local History & Stories From Nearby Towns:

Saturday, July 3, 2010

Bike Trail at Indian Park, Montoursville PA

I love this path!  Dan plays softball on this field, I try to always have my bike along so I can ride this path while he warms up before the game.  It's 4 miles, "ending" in Commerce Park, where you could continue on by road, or pick up the 6 mile loop of the Susquehanna Riverwalk.

going under the bridge

This is a fun path, in part because the scenery will constantly change.  If you start at Indian Park (you could also park at Wal-mart and start there) you will almost immediately bike through a tunnel, then along the creek, under a bridge, and then along the road (there's a path along the road for bikes) and down the back road to the boat launch, where a train often sits...  

very little traffic on this road, the road ends at the boat launch/park at RiverFront Park and the bike path is wide on both sides of the road.

This road will take you past riverfront park, then past the boat launch, before continuing on the Reighard Trail.


Riverfront Park
56 acres, includes Canfield's Island National Historic Site and the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission's Lester L. Greevy, Sr. Boat Access for fishing, picnicking, hiking and entrance to the Susquehanna Bikeway.The site was formerly the Native American Village of Ostonwakin. This is a place where history lives in nature and you can enjoy a recreational facility. There are bike and walking paths, a picnic pavilion, a multi-purpose field and a boat dock. Take a self guided tour of Canfield Island.

At the end of Riverfront park you pick up the Reighard Trail - 
"This section of the Susquehanna Bikeway is dedicated do William C Reighard for his 36 years of service as a Loyalsock Township Supervisor"

The Reighard trail will split, you can choose to go right, or left.  Right will take you into the golden strip area of Williamsport.  We go this way to get to Brusters.  The bike path runs through the red light area, follow it to the left, take the sidewalk over the small bridge, and Brusters will be right ahead on your left.

If you turn left when the Reighard trail splits, that section of the trail will take you right to Commerce Park In Williamsport, ending with the trailhead/parking area for the Susquehanna Riverwalk off to your left.

From Indian Park in Montoursville to the Commerce Park (not really a park - that's the name of the road and parking area for the Riverwalk) is 4 miles, making it an 8 mile loop if you just go there and back.  An extra 6 miles can be added with the Susquehanna Riverwalk.

map is from the cardio trainer app I use on droid.   The blue dots are stops.  One is a geocache, three are getting on and off the bridge, waiting for people there, etc. One was to watch a plane (the airport is nearby).