Finger Lakes

A weekend trip to Cayuga and Seneca Lakes. We stopped a few places, found a letterbox from 2001 and took a lot of nice photos.

Cute coffee house near Corning, NY.

A water fountain near Buttermilk Falls in Ithaca, NY.

Buttermilk Falls.

The eastern side of Seneca Lake wine trail. The ever popular Hazlitt Winery!

View of Seneca Lake from a cemetery. There was a letterbox in the area.

Seneca Drums gin and tonic at Seneca Lodge!

Inside cabin #88 at Seneca Lodge.

Jim starting to walk up Watkins Glen Gorge after our supper at Seneca Lodge.

Posing in Watkins Glen Gorge. The next morning we also walked the Finger Lakes Trail for a couple of miles up Excelsior Glen Gorge.

Montour Falls, a letterbox was nearby.

Keep Cool!

Here are a couple of photos to inspire you to keep cool on what could easily be the hottest day of the year. I couldn't resist this pool of water but wisely left my cell phone and shoes behind before I took the plunge.

A Slice of Paradise

RGBisMe graduated from his 9 week program officially on Saturday. We chose the gravel road out at Fisherman's Paradise as our running location. It's a nice level mile and a half out and back on which we don't have to watch for motor vehicles. I do carry my pepper spray because we have run into loose and sometimes aggressive dogs in the past.

Saturday was gray and drizzly and I ran without the iPod. I was able to enjoy hearing many spring birds as I jogged up Spring Creek Canyon. It's rare when I can't spot a Belted Kingfisher or two even while I am running and this day was no exception.

I jogged on the grassy shoulder so quietly that a couple of men taking a walk were startled when they noticed me. The one guy admitted he thought they were being approached by a bear and were goners. I chucked and said, "A very little bear." It surprises me how many people who seem to enjoy walking in nature have a very present fear of being attacked by bears. I agree bears deserve respect and being aware of every situation is best. The central PA black bear does like the easy picking humans sometimes provide like garbage and maybe fish guts but they do not lie in wait and seek out humans to attack on the trail. I warned the men that yet another jogger would be approaching so they would not be startled again.

RGBisMe was not far behind me and caught up to me as I checked that a friend's letterbox had been re-hidden by the last finders. It seemed fine so I did not open it up and started running as my dear fellow came up. We were together for a bit but I poured it on for the downhill knowing that I would be stopping to swap out the log books on our own two letterboxes father down the trail.

Both had been closed properly and neither contained hitch hikers. RGBisMe gave me a wave and ran on as I confirmed that the logs we had been planted over 5 years ago were finally full. The final finders had stamped their image and added a bonus sticker to the last pages of the logbooks. I feel badly that the next finders won't be able to enjoy the many varied images of the many signatures stamps. Some letterboxer's stamps have since been re-carved or totally changed so it was a lot of fun to see the old images that Archaeobirder, Mososo Kruppe and Janila used to use. The Loyalsock Skippers were the 4Rhines when they found it. Any future finders will have to make their own history in the new logbooks.

I realized that I had messed up the timing of my run a little bit by forgetting to turn off my watch at one point so I decided to not take too much stock in my total time running. RGBisMe and I crossed paths one last time as he was heading back to the car and I chose to enjoy the total 1.7 miles distance out to a wonderful bend in Spring Creek. It used to be near a by a reminder that it is penitentiary property. Since winter, neither end of Spring Creek Canyon has had signage posting no trespassing so I am thinking it is a bit of a transition to allowing public access.

I didn't want to push my luck jogging where it has been posted for so many years and I really didn't want to run too much more than 5k total that day so I chose to turn around at the middle of the bend. Just as I was starting to turn I heard the piping of what had to be a large raptor and I looked up stream to see the huge dark wing span and white flash of the broad tail of a mature bald eagle. What a treat to have seen this bird. It was my reward for running just a little farther than I had intended when I set out.

The special encounter set my mind to wandering in the way I love the most when I get in the groove of running longer distances. All of the wildlife that I live so close to and the beauty of the day and the area filled my head. I was very tuned in to how alone I was. I estimated it was probably a mile to the closest fisherman, RGBisMe or any other random person. I was fine with being alone and the worst of anything happening to me would just be part of my life. I hated carrying the pepper spray at that moment, I need to find a way to carry it without letting it induce fear or not carry it at all. I realized it felt hardly better than going out with a gun to protect myself from bears.

My pace was not bad for the return mile and I picked it up for the final tenth. I felt pretty good over all even with the stopping and starting in the middle of the run. RGBisMe had a good graduation run too. The Blue White game had ended while we were on the trail and it was a nice place to get away from the craziness that local sporting events can stir up.

Morning in the City

Some photos from Monday morning as we wandered around New York City.The new Apple Store Upper West Side is a temple...

...at which RGBisMe worships.

A break in Central Park.

Strawberry Fields.

Imagine.

Back to Nittany

A solo hike up Nittany this week had me reminiscing on how much things had changed since the first time I climbed the mountain. The path has changed but is still very familiar.

The climb up Nittany used to take me a lot longer. Part of it was the unknown and I think part is I know how to pace myself. I don't go busting ahead at full force and take a lot of breaks. My pace is steady and the rare times I pause are for reasons like examining a pretty leaf of watching a chipmunk. I still break into a sweat but the climb is welcome exertion.

The white blazed path that goes up the side of the mountain has really changed. It used to be a single track except for near the trail head. Most parts that lead to the first and most accessible vista are now at least wide enough for 5 people to walk abreast. It is partially erosion that has caused this but the one section of trail I remember causing a huge washout down the mountain was changed within months of my first hike. Now it's even the switch-backed trail that is getting over wide.

Some of the trees have grown quite a bit. One tree that has meant a lot to me, a live tree that has a partial stump that holds water, has grown that it's stump section is almost over grown. I need to start looking for another resource for viable stump water for pow-wowing.

I did a 1/2 mile bushwhack pretty much on the top of the mountain. There is one section that is just covered with huckleberries and tea berries and I had a fun snack as I practiced a little orienteering. Some of the berries were actually a little far gone and I realized that it was because no critters are eating them. There are other sections of woodland we have hiked that are like that. A friend of Jim's who hunts shared that is an indicator that it is not a good place to hunt. There are no animals around to eat the natural foods. I never really saw many animals on Nittany in the past. Some woodland birds, chipmunks and squirrels were all I have ever seen.

In the past few years I have started to also explore the blue blazed trails but can remember how confusing just the white loop was the first time I hiked it with my son. There are a few twists it took that felt like I was headed in the wrong direction back then. I would check my compass and shake my head that I was so directionally confused any time the day was overcast. Now I know right where I am as long as I stay to the trails.

I still like finishing off my hike at the vista that looks over town. That view has changed too. The first time I looked down onto State College and PSU campus Beaver Stadium was much smaller and there was no Jordan Center, Medlar Field nor I99. I don't have any real feelings or opinion on those changes because what I am remembering are the time spent on the mountain. I sit and remember the jelly toast breakfast with my 10 year old son as we looked over town. I think of hiking with my kitten before he became afraid of everything.

I am proud that the first (non-geocache hybrid) letterbox we planted is still doing well nearby after almost 5 years. We don't use the same carving material, don't mount our stamps on wood, use different containers and the baggy that was on the OUTSIDE of the box was removed by me years ago. It is still a nice box so I hope that no one feels like they are ever doing something wrong when they start trying out planting letterboxes. You learn what works and what doesn't.

Things change and I think I do best when I embrace the changes or at least just let them wash over me. When I know of someone who is longing for the way things were in a different time or place I try to be sympathetic. I know it's good to try to change what is wrong in the world but I wish us all peace and hope we can learn to accept the things we cannot change.

Thanks for the Litter in our Box!

The Scarlet D

We finally decided to check out The Scarlet D in Mifflinburg tonight and were not impressed. Half of the vegetarian menu items were not available and the service was terrible. We should have known better since there online menu was all blocked out in greeking as opposed to real text. Oh well, the drive up the valley was nice and we got a fun photo of RGBisMe by the one end of The Scarlet D/ Mifflinburg Hotel. It's THERE!

Southerly Wind

This past weekend was a real pleasure spent with my dearest RGBisMe. My week had been filled with early mornings spent volunteering at WPSU radio pledge drive. The fund raising was going really well but the early hours, 6 AM until noon, were starting to wear me down.

The week prior, Maga11 had alerted me to the fact that our South of the Border letterbox seemed to be missing so a run down to Juniata County to replace it would make a nice drive. I had carved up a new image and with a a replacement log book we could make sure everything was in order for future seeker.

We decided to add a few detours and extend our trip to make a day of it. RGBisMe really wanted to find the Lewsitown Narrows Canal Park letterbox that I had hidden with the help of Maga11 and Toolman Luke the past summer. That would be our first stop.

The walk along the Juniata would have been very lovely with all of the early spring flowers except a fierce wind blew steadily. We saw some low lying lightly colored Dutchman's Breaches here an there along the trail as we started out. The trail had some other visitors and we got to meet the president of some Juniata trails society who told us that this was set to be the day of their annual walk on the trail.

RGBisMe found the letterbox without any problem and he picked up a really cool hitch hiker there. We were able to move it, as well as 3 others, along that day. We walked out the canal trail the way we had come in, packing out two huge bags of trash but barely making a dent in all of the river and highway litter.

We maintained a mystery box of ours that was in good shape but quite lonely and went on to replace South of the Border. RGBisMe determined that rock was still in place and went to find another one or two. As I brushed some debris aside to seat the replacement letterbox I touched what felt like another rock. It turned out to be the original letterbox! No one had logged in since 2007 but it was in great shape. This was a terrific surprise and now we have a replacement for it... just in case.

We then stopped for lunch in Newport in a cute coffee shop Toolman Luke had told us had vegetarian menu items. Although Espresso Yourself Cafe is not entirely a vegetarian restaurant it has an extensive vegetarian and vegan menu. RGBisme and I both opted for the 1/2 sandwich and cup of soup. He got a Santa Fe wrap and I got a vegan Reuben. They were both amazing! Along with the Potato Rivel soup we were stuffed with some of the best vegetarian food we had from a restaurant in a long time.

We drove on to check on Torchlight. The 4Rhines (now Loyalsock Skippers) had a report that it might be missing since Monday. Because we had been with Mososo Kruppe who had found it just a week prior we really thought it should be in place. We told them we would take a replacement log since the old log book was quite full. It was as secure as when Mososo Kruppe found it and we swapped out the log.

We toyed with hiking up to check on our Uncle Wiggily letterbox but opted to press on to Harrisburg and plant our new Miss Penn urban microbox. On the way to plant it we checked on one of Silent Doug's Capitol Tiles boxes because we wanted to hide a hitch hiker in it but that box seems to have gone missing. Natty Bummpo's 4th @ 3rd is still in place though.

After planting Miss Penn we drove on to Hummelstown to enjoy letterboxing in Shank Park, Gelder Park and on the Hummel Nature Trail. We sadly were again unable to leave the hitch hiker because the Hitch Hiker Hostel we went to seems to be missing. It was our second visit to it so we are pretty sure it was gone.

Some ticks made themselves known in Shank Park and we checked over our pants as we exited. The wind still was pretty strong and we were getting hungry by the end of the day. We weren't as familiar with the roads we were on as we left Hummelstown but had two restaurants in mind as we drove through the Harrisburg area. The one that we ended up stopping at was the Macaroni Grill.

After a huge supper and carrying away many left overs, we started for home. It was about 10 PM and we phoned DaBraLady as we were passing through her area. She insisted that we get together and we picked her up. We started at J. P. Edward's and ended dancing to Johnny Unit at our old haunt, The Bierhaus. I pulled out my cards and read for a bunch of kids before we left town.

We didn't make it home until after 1 AM and that is when I found a tick deeply embedded into my thigh. Much fun and jumping around to the music at The Birehaus had caused it to dig in pretty far. It was not fun getting it out but RGBisMe got it head and all. It was a very full day and a real change from sitting and answering a phone for hours.

Sunday was a sunny day but quite honestly we just recovered from the day before. Laundry, gardening and yard work was the theme after a morning of answering emails and trying to get the Miss Penn clue to work. I am still having some problems with links but decided to blog our weekend before I went back to that frustration. The day ended with a happy text that Ravenboy is back in the country. Welcome back and I am looking forward to a new week of adventures after helping WPSU meet their goal of $85,000.

Four Coffees to Go

Maybe I should have said, "eight coffees" since it was both Maga11 and myself that toured downtown Lewisburg Coffee Shop Series. It was a very mellow Thurday and many of the trees that lined the streets still had some dazzling color to them. We decided to park in a central location and branch out and back to walk to the cute cafés in this letterbox series.

First was our walk the Cherry Alley Café. On the way we passed near our second destination and an art store, Brushstrokes, that I had to pop into in search of true indigo. A close Prussian Blue was all that I was able to find. Maga11 talked to the clerk about oil paints that clean up with water. There was a nice supply of Mastercarve carving material and carving tools but I am set for stuff like that.

We found the first cafe and walked right in. I placed our order and Maga11 found the letterbox. With a cup of coffee and chai, we sat down and sipped and stamped. This first box had been out for a while longer than the other three so reading through the log book was even more fun. We loved the way it was hidden and the drinks were some of the best we had. We only got smalls because we had to pace ourselves. Cherry Alley Café got my vote for best shop on the tour. The menu items and atmosphere were matched by the friendly staff and free wifi. We regretted not being the first to have logged our finds on location.

Back we went to Mya's Cafe. Maga11 and I had set up for the art's festival in this town a few times. It was always a chilly show because it was in April. I can remember standing on the street and freezing in the rain one year. Today was nothing like that as a mild breeze blew off of the Susquehanna. Town was not totally dead at this lunch hour but we were lucky enough to never have to wait in line at any of the coffee shops.

When we got to Mya's, I was excited to see the lunch menu and we thought we would check out the specialty item. Maga11 & I switched roles (not rolls) as she ordered a snack and I searched for the cleverly stashed letterbox. We met at a table in the center just before the shop started to get crowded. Maga11 had pruchased a couple of little slices of cheese cake and I opened the box. The log wasn't as full but about half of the finders had written nice messages. The stamp was nice but I wasn't sure what it was since I couldn't find the design for sure on anything around the store. This was a much busier café being on the main drag. The wait staff was friendly but needs to be educated on how to pronounce "gyros" from whence the name "heros" came for what some call a hoagie or sub(marine) sandwich. The cheese cacke, which granted was not labeled so maybe wasn't technically cheesecake, had a thin layer of creamcheese on the top and the bottom was more like ricotta cheese. It was so-so.

We were getting full but decided from the clue description that we would try for some soup at our next location, Zelda's. The store front says "Zelda's on the Park" and it is just off of the park. We were glad to walk through the area to digest our topsy-turvy piece meal dessert. We arrived, again no line, and the soup menu had plenty of choices including a vegan chili. Maga11 ordered a tomato bisque and I broke form and ran and got the letterbox. I think I forgot it was her turn or maybe she wanted to sit down. Sorry, Maga!

The café was very groovy and put together in a very self service way. Wifi was available here too. We chose a bad table to sit at because it was by a door the wait staff went in and out of and the back of my seat was whacked with the door many times. Our soups were a little acidic but not all together disappointing. I make my chili acidic too as a rule. This letterbox was my favorite in the way it was hidden and the stamp. The people who had found the series directly before us, Acme Amblers, are to be commended for gently cleaning the stamp in a thorough way.

Last stop, onto campus for 7th St. Cafe. Campus was quiet and although the sky was getting grey we enjoyed the walk. It was still mellow and the leaves on the ground were bold splashes of color. The 7th St. Cafe was a little more stark but the outdoor patio over the stream was a nice way to finish the day. We were able to enjoy stamping and reading the logbook without feeling rushed to leave and took our time before walking back to our car.

Thank you Kelly & Ben for this enjoyable series. We ate our way through town in hope that when we stopped at Wenger's Grocery Outlet on the way home that we wouldn't as hungry as we usually are.

Our Creations

I was just reminded of how it felt to have my efforts overlooked when RGBisMe was given credit for something I had put a lot of work into. It probably happened because I had forced him into the role of correspondent on the project on which we both had spent hours on and it was a real zing to me when our combined efforts were acknowledged with just his name.

This is one reason our trail names use "posse" - our past times are combined efforts. In the mundane world, our last names are hyphenated. We each bring individual strengths to everything we do together. We like living together and working together. Our greatest and most rewarding achievements have all been collaborations.

All of our artwork is collaborative. It is a rare item that you will encounter if it has not had the touch of both RGBisMe and myself and then it is usually a gift for the other. If one of us conceives a piece the other may spend time actually doing the design work then back into the hands of the director for the actual building/ carving/ painting /sewing before finishing touches bounce back and forth between us.

Some of the confusion lies in that I am the one who frequently documents most of what we do. I am the corespondent and the more visible representative for what we create and share. RGBisMe is frequently "The Man Behind the Curtain" and it hurts both of us very much when he is not recognized for the huge amounts of time and energy he puts into our achievements.

Both of us try to credit each other with exactly what we have put into finished pieces, it is in our nature to give proper recognition. We realize that not everyone works this way and it can be confusing. For the record, if you aren't told otherwise, we are to be credited as a couple or family.

Poe Evermore

Our good group got together for a letterboxing triathlon this past weekend. We properly fueled up at Mad Mex where they were shocked and appalled that we were nothing like the PSU students who know how to consume plenty of alcohol before lunch time. The waiter nearly passed out because PA PAddler is such a lightweight when it comes to libations and was afraid to offer him anything other than prune juice.

It must have been that prune juice that put the sour look on PA Paddler's face and made him build a cootie barrier between him and the rest of the innocents at the lunch table. Hunter Jumper decided to order from a unique menu; a palette of well organized entrées that she had brought for everyone's enjoyment. When she has tasted every item, she intends to put the binder up for auction on eBay. The owner's approval is pending but, because jbzfarm generously picked up the lunch tab, I have no doubt you will see it listed sometime soon.

Serious storms threatened the area all day but that didn't keep anyone from hiking Mt. Nittany. I left the camera behind in case we got caught in a down pour but all we had were a few rumbles off toward MILESBURG. It was our reservations that evening at the Elk Creek Cafe that called us from the ridge top before every letterbox was found.

Mososo Kruppe and PA PAddler took advantage of the sampler of microbrews. Consensus was that Elk Creek Copper Ale is the best. I must try it next time out. They also agreed that the Brookie Brown was quite good, the Winkleblink was like soda pop and the Big Trout Stout was a little flat for a stout beer.

Appetizers were enjoyed after exchanges and PTs were swapped. I enjoyed sharing Of Things Arcane and Mososo Kruppe allowed everyone to see if It could be your Luck Day! Some cute parody stamps were passed around and ideas started to pop up for future carving. After the food was tucked in the markers and stamps came out again much to the surprise of the wait staff and manager. We have yet another new group name, the Elk Creek Coloring Club. More t-shirts and patches are being designed, put your orders in now - supplies are limited to those who are chaff (and chaffed).

A nice blues band kicked in at 8PM but some of us needed to find accommodations for the night. We packed up our markers and stamps and went outside to watch what seemed to be a most ill fated parking job before driving back home. Jbzfarm went off to their remote and romantic campsite, 4Rhines had a nice room booked at the Stephen's Motel (they were very happy with this) and the rest of us had paid for places at 2201.


Trying to get a jump on the next morning we decided to put the bikes on the car and inner tubes in the hatch back but not before we got a call from jbzfarm. The road that lead to their campsite was blocked with one of those notorious PA black and yeller gates. They decided to take us up on an earlier offer of pitching their tent in our back yard.


The next morning I woke to be treated to bagels and cream cheese; jbzfarm beat us to the punch and went out to get a bag of breakfast goodies to fuel us for the bike ride. The 4Rhines came over and some kick @$$ cosmos were mixed in my kitchen. I have never had the scent of vodka and triple sec dominate my kitchen at 9AM and I got a little giddy just smelling them. Hunter Jumper mixed them with precision and packed them into her cooler for the afternoon.

Our caravan met on the far side of the Coburn tunnel and as we exited our vehicles I felt the need to grasp the door handle so I would not levitate. There was a whirring noise that sounded like space aliens were trying to beam us all up. It was all around us over head although it looked like any other beautiful day in Penns Valley. This was my introduction to the never ending call of the 17 year locusts. The volume of the noise was almost annoying and quite spooky. We joked about them a bit as we got onto our bikes and prepared for a few miles on the rail trail toward Ingleby and beyond.

There were letterboxes to check out along the way. One letterbox had quite a steep and rocky climb to a view of Penns Creek and the Coburn trestle below. The happy hikers were careful not to mention to Stonefly (until later) that there was snake skin quite nearby. Successfully logged into one letterbox, we started down the trail for another .25 mile to pause for the same reason. It was this area that the cicadas were most vociferous. Undulating waves of drumming cicadas serenaded us as we pedaled on to Ingleby.

Five letterboxes were logged into along this trail before we had to turn around. Just like the day before, we had to leave a box unfound because we had plans to meet the rest of our party at a different location. Mososo Kruppe and Dabralady were going to be meeting us a few miles farther down Penns Creek to put in for the float.


Finally, the nine of us were all at one place at the same time; we have to make sure this happens at least once a year or terrible and monstrous things will certainly happen. Inner tubes were inflated, libations were chilled and a local fisherman waved to us as we put in near the trestle. The day was just right and water temperature (don't go by the initial look on Dabralady's face) turned out to be very nice.
PA Paddler and Hunter Jumper were the bar keeps and when the rapids allowed they served up a few potent treats. I rode in what PA Paddler called my dingy and tied RGBisMe to me for a while. The rapids kicked up again and I set him free so that he wouldn't get tangled and he spilled the last of the iced beverage we had been sharing.

RGBisMe and I daudled on the far bank for a while, trying not to give away the location of a letterbox that was right along the creek. Eventually we saw them exploring the correct location and went over to check it out. It had taken on a little water but the baggies had been closed down just right by the last finders (thank you wanting snow and Ms Beachys) so everything was in good shape. A humorous moment came when Puddleby tossed Stonefly their signature stamp and it stamped him squarely in the chest before he caught it.

More of Penns Creek was enjoyed after the letterbox and we each managed to get tossed out at least once. Mososo Kruppe saved my inner tube from escaping once and Puddleby had hers shoot out from under her at about the same time Mososo Kruppe took a tumble from hers. Dabralady ended up with a mashed shoulder and RGBisme and I had banged up shins.


The walk through the Paddy Mountain tunnel was so much fun and before we knew it, we were back at our vehicles. It was like we had defied some law of time to be immediately back where we had started. Nine letterboxers having too much fun and defying laws. Being one of nine, I look forward to doing it again.

Wheat/ Chaff

When you separate things out, like skimming cream from milk, is what is left behind more or less worthwhile? One can easily argue "less" because the cream has been taken out and all that is left is milk. Some then assume that the cream is more worthwhile but I argue that it too is less. The integral whole has been divided. Cream is just as much a lesser entity as the skimmed milk.

In classrooms where children have been divided out by academic abilities it may be to a student's advantage to be able to learn at their own pace. The ones who have challenges in certain subjects can have some extra care while those who excel in similar subjects can finally be challenged. It sounds like a win/win situation if all you are focusing on is academics. Many times the academically advanced can have serious challenges in social interactions; a lot of book worms need a helping hand in blending well with others and speaking with decorum. It is then, I feel that a good mix of personalities can make for more wholesome growth.

Does chaff have worth? Of course it does, it serves the purpose of protecting the wheat with it's scaly casing. Wheat would not be nearly as desirable if it were not for the chaff. So when threshing time comes and you cast off what you deem unworthy of your needs or focus, remember that there is more worth to cast offs than you might be giving them. It all depends on your perspective.


Ibberson, Old Saw Mill Trail...