Tuesday, January 30, 2018

This is My Pennsylvania - Wawa or Sheetz?

Go to this park.  Box is at 40.08208, -74.91279
 Head to the intersection of Oak Lane and Logan Walk.  
I found the quickest route was to park in this parking area along State Road.
 From this parking area, walk past the gate to the Hunting sign.  Turn left.
 Head down the trail, turning right when the trail curves.
 Continue walking down this trail.
 When you find this sign, head east on Logan Walk.
 See this tree? Ignore it.
 Instead, look across the trail at the downed tree.  Head to the root end.
 See this opening?
 Look what's inside!

This is My Pennsylvania - Slinky

Head to this strange little state park.
 Follow the road which meanders through the park until you see the sign for the Airplane Club.  Bear left and park in one of the six parking spaces on the left.  Then walk back to the kiosk.
 Take the short trail through the trees.
 The kiosk is naked on the front but has this explanation for the park on its backside.
 About halfway through the wooded section, note this big old tree a few feet off trail on the right.
From this tree, walk past the big tree behind and slightly to its left, to the Y tree with lots of exposed toes.  The Y tree is about 38 steps off trail.
 Check the backside of the Y tree and be very careful to avoid all of the deer droppings in the area.

Wednesday, January 24, 2018

The Empty Basket Series - Give Peace a Chance

Find this sign and the trailhead sign below
Take the left side of the Loop Trail.
Pass through the fence which runs on both sides of the trail.
When you reach this rustic looking bench, stop and take a break.  Then, look around you. 
See!!!  My lovely assistant, Three Flamigo's is looking around!
But you don't have to look as far as she did.  Just look for the tree which is directly to your right as you are sitting on the bench.
Carefully check in the palm fronds behind this tree.
Then, after you stamp in, take a walk a little further to the observation deck.  The morning we were there it was foggy but it was still beautiful.
 While you are walking, take note of all of the deer moss along the trail.  Three Flamigo's introduced me to this lichen so I did a little research and found this interesting info.  

"In parts of Florida you will see grey-green, cloud-like clusters of deer moss on the ground. Deer moss is a very slow growing lichen and large mats may take decades to develop. Fire kills this lichen, so if you see large carpets of Cladina, it is an indication that the area has not been burned for a long time.
Like all lichens, deer moss has no roots and gets all its moisture from the air – when the weather is dry it is brittle and crunchy, after rain it can be as soft as a cotton ball.
Architects and model railway enthusiasts often use deer moss to make realistic looking miniature trees and shrubs."  
 Spoiler alert!!!

Wednesday, January 17, 2018

Stained Glass #8

Welcome to my Stained Glass #8 picture clues.  Before we get started, I ask...no, I beg, when you are finished stamping in and ready to close the box, please push on all four corners of the lid to ensure that the box is completely closed.  You need to hear that snapping sound on each corner to help ensure the longevity of the box.  
Thank you!  Enjoy!
Please, please, please do not step in the ferns, it should not be necessary to reach this box.

Saturday, January 13, 2018

Bring Your Own Sunshine

Osteen Florida, RT 415
 Take the sandy road between the two landmarks in the pictures above to the parking area below.  Park at the gate on the left side of the parking lot.
Go through the gate.
 If you want a map, you can get one at this kiosk but one is not needed for this box. 
 Just follow the white blazes for about a quarter of a mile.
 When you see this cluster of trees on the right, close to the edge of the trail, take 22 more steps.
You will see an open area on the right.
 Go into the clearing 50 steps to the grouping of trees below.
 Look behind the palmetto on the left.
 About a foot off the ground on the backside of this tree.
Box is at 28.8905946786, -81.140564073
 Just an FYI, information boards at the kiosk.
 For my identification purpose, this is the tree between the palmettos.  I have identified it based on the orange scaly bark as a longleaf pine.