Hyner View Vista

   The vista at Hyner View takes in a wide view of the forested Pennsylvania mountains and the West Branch of the Susquehanna River as it runs through these rugged mountains of the Allegheny Plateau.  Hyner View is one of the many spectacular vistas in Clinton County, Pa.

This photo is looking down river.  The view here is so wide it took over four photos to get it all.

 Here is the next photo to the right  -  looking out across the river.

   This next photo shows the Gold Star Mothers Bridge as it crosses the West Branch of the Susquehanna River.  The village of Hyner is on the right side of the river just beyond the bridge and North Bend is out in the distance beyond the curve in the river.

 Here is the next (to the right) photo of the view from Hyner View.

What a view!
Oh, and to add to that view... often there are hang gliders soaring around, since this is a popular hang glider jumping-off place.

The C.C.C. Monument At Hyner View

   I stopped at Hyner View the other day to take in the view and watch hang gliders jump off the mountain.  At the time I was there no one was hang gliding, so I took some photos of the C.C.C monument at Hyner View.

 Here is a photo of the plaque on the monument base.

 Here is a photo of  the view from Hyner View looking down one of the hang glider ramps at the Susquehanna River and the Gold Star Mothers Bridge.

.  The village of Hyner is on the right, just up river from the bridge. North Bend is there in the distance.
  I'll post some hang glider photos in the near future.

Boaters On Bald Eagle Creek

   We own some waterfront real estate in Clinton County, Pa.  We often see the flash of paddles or hear motor boats passing... that's why we know many people enjoy boating, canoeing, and kayaking on Bald Eagle Creek.  In fact, we ourselves often go canoeing and boating on Bald Eagle Creek.
   Here is a photo of some friends fishing while we slowly motor along. 

   Bald Eagle Creek makes a nice canoe run much of the season.  Folks often put in up near Bald Eagle Lake and float to Mill Hall.  That stretch takes a few hours to float. Some folks go on past the boat access, portage the dam, and take out near Lock Haven.   That whole run makes a good day trip. There are some riffles and swift water along the way that make it a fun run.  The fishing is good as you float down stream.

Yep, let out a fishing line behind you as you float down stream... 

 There is an interesting string of little islands that start about a mile above the Route 150 bridge.  These islands are boom cribs from the Bald Eagle Boom Company's log boom.  You can see a couple of those boom cribs in the photo below.

 Below the Mill Hall Fish and Boat Commission access at the Route 150 bridge the water is pooled behind the paper mill dam.  This makes a nice, boat-able, 2.5 mile section on Bald Eagle Creek.

   This boat-able stretch is upstream and down stream from the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission Access at Mill Hall.
 Kayaks may be the most common thing we see on the water.  Here is a photo of a few kayakers coming around a corner... I took the photo to try to capture the "flash of the paddles".

Well, maybe it worked.
Here is a photo of Bald Eagle Mountain reflecting on the creek.

 Oh yes, we do see Bald Eagles along the creek.

By the way, once in awhile there is some available waterfront real estate in Clinton County, Pa.
Feel free to search for properties on my website www.danasellsproperties.com

Cranberry Swamp In Clinton County, Pa

 Not everyone goes slogging around in Cranberry Swamp Natural Area.  The swamp is in an out-of-the-way area surrounded by mountains, forests, and a few cabins in Clinton County, Pennsylvania.  

Only a few intrepid nature lovers get to enjoy Cranberry Swamp's intriguing community of insects, wildlife, and interesting wetland plants.
For example: once I was out on the swamp and one area was a sea of Rose Pogonia Orchids. These little bog orchids can grow abundantly in certain conditions.   See the photo of Rose Pogonia Orchids below.

   Not only does Cranberry Swamp hold many natural goodies for the nature lover,
but it also has on display some early logging remnants from Pennsylvania's logging history.

Some folks would call this a ghost forest, or stump field, because of the scattering of old stumps that remain from the logging that cleared this area in the early 1900's.  In the photo of the old stump (below) the early lumberjack's axe-cut face-cut is plainly visible on the left side of the stump.  While on the right side, the flat back-cut from the cross-cut saw shows up nicely.

Forest fires and the swamps acidic conditions probably played a role in preserving these old stumps for a hundred years.
   Here is a photo of Cranberry Swamp looking out across a full-sun area on the sphagnum/sedge area of the swamp.

   Here is a photo looking the other direction at a portion of the swamp where some trees and bushes have managed to take hold and grow despite being part of the wetland.

Here is a photo I took one day when the cranberries were in full bloom.

 Yes, the name, Cranberry Swamp, certainly fits this small wetland in the mountains of Clinton County. 

A Few Photos From The Sentimental Journey Fly-In

Here are a few photos from the 2013 Sentimental Journey Fly-In.
There are impressive rows upon rows of Piper planes as well as other makes of light aircraft at the fly-in in Lock Haven Pa.

   What fun it is to walk the rows of planes and look over the variety of models present at the fly-in.
Even more fun is watching all the flight action.  Good flying weather at Lock Haven's Sentimental Journey Fly-in results in a very busy airfield.

I like to stand at the flightline and watch the Piper Cubs come in for a landing.

   Another fun part of attending the fly-in is the chance to chat with pilots from all over the country.  Some of the pilots gladly explain unique details about their airplanes

Some of the pilots are great storytellers. For example, this pilot told my boys how he discovered his Piper Super Cub looks exactly like the Hobbyzone Mini Super Cub RTF ... it even has the same number.

Notice the tent?  There are alot of tents set up under the wings of the airplanes on the field.
    Wednesday through Saturday during the Lock Haven fly-in our skies are filled with the hum of airplanes and the glint of the sun reflecting off the wings.  Many of the planes are Piper Cubs that have made the trip home to where they were manufactured... right here in Lock Haven.

Somehow, this all seems like the way it should be in Lock Haven, doesn't it?

Sentimental Journey Fly-In At Lock Haven

Today was the first day of this year's Sentimental Journey Fly-in at Lock Haven, Pa.

  I mentioned in my last post that this airfield would fill up with all kinds of light aircraft during the Sentimental Journey Fly-in.
 As you can see there are alot of yellow planes, along with a variety of other aircraft on the field.

 The weather today was simply gorgeous and so the skies were busy with all day long with many flights of various kinds of airplanes.

With the variety of aircraft in the air, perhaps you could describe it as a "patchwork" of planes in the sky.  BTW, the plane in the photo below says, "Patches"on the side.

 Of course, the idea of the Sentimental Journey is to celebrate the Piper aircraft since their "roots" are in Lock Haven.  That's one reason you'll see plenty of bright yellow planes the rest of this week.

 Isn't this grand?

There are a few more days left for the 2013 fly-in, so drop by if you can.
The vendors are open 9-5.
There is an aerobatic show every day.  On Thurs at 6.  On Fri at 4:30    On Saturday at 3.
The Piper Aviation Museum is open at 9a.m as well.

Mountain Vistas On Grugan Hollow Rd

   Clinton County, Pa has some beautiful mountain vistas.  Three of these vistas are on Grugan Hollow Road in Sproul State Forest.  Here is a photo of the Pennsylvania Mountains from an unnamed vista just west of Kendig Vista.

 This part of Clinton County is in the Allegheny Plateau.  Notice how the mountain tops are mostly flat with rugged valleys that are carved down into that high plateau.

 I took the next photo to illustrate the flat, expansive plateau with its network of steep-sided valleys.  This photo is from Kendig Vista which is marked with a sign along Grugan Hollow Road.

 
   East from Kendig Vista there is a spot right on Grugan Hollow road where you can see Hyner View.  Hyner View is the light colored spot on the edge of the mountain in the distance.... about 1/3 of the way into the photo from the left.

Route 120 and the West Branch Susquehanna River are out of sight in the deep valley near the center of the picture.
   What a pleasure to look out through the trees and over the Mountain Laurel to...
.... take in the views of our Pennsylvania mountains.

.... and Clinton County's great expanses of State Forest.

Blooming Mountain Laurel

  Clinton County has its share of Pennsylvania's state flower, the Mountain Laurel.  The lovely Mountain Laurel is in full bloom right now.  Here is a photo of some Mountain Laurel bushes blooming along a woods-road near Cranberry Swamp, Clinton County, Pa

 Here is a photo of clusters of white Mountain Laurel.

 Here is a patch of Mountain Laurel in the woods near the Eagleton Mine Camp Trail.

 Some laurel bushes have white flowers while other laurel have flowers tinged with pink like ones in the photo below.

Mountain Laurel's flowers have an interesting pollination mechanism.  The flower's ten stamens are spring-loaded.  When touched by a bee they are released like a catapult and plaster the visiting bee with pollen.

 Here is a photo of a bumblebee visiting Mountain Laurel flowers.  In the photo below there are untripped flowers to the bumblebee's right and left as well as a trail of five flowers with sprung stamens behind the bumblebee.

I went into more some detail about Mountain Laurel's pollination system on my nature blog.

If you have a home here, are just passing through, or if you come to visit a cabin in Clinton county, be sure to get out on the mountains and take time to enjoy the blooming Mountain Laurel.

Upcoming Sentimental Journey Fly-In At Lock Haven

   Next week this airfield will fill up with all kinds of airplanes when many light aircraft flock to the William T. Piper Airport for the 2013 Sentimental Journey Fly-in.
   June 19-22, 2013 the William T. Piper Airport in Lock Haven, Pa will be bustling with activity.

  There will be plenty of planes that are the bright Piper Cub Yellow on the field and in the air at the Sentimental Journey Fly-In.  Perhaps some older planes will be painted Lock Haven Yellow.  In fact, there will be rows and rows of light aircraft of various types, colors, and ages.

 Photo credit: M. Piper

The sky over Lock Haven will be busy during the four day event, at least, if the weather cooperates.

The Piper Aviation Museum is right beside the airport.  See their website for information about the museum, the Piper aircraft, and the Sentimental Journey Fly-In.  www.pipermuseum.com

Come celebrate the history of Lock Haven and its Piper aircraft legacy at the Sentimental Journey Fly-In.

Introducing...

Introducing... 'Clinton County Snapshots'... a blog about Clinton County, Pennsylvania. 

'Clinton County Snapshots' will contain photos along with short articles about Clinton County, Pennsylvania's:

• scenery
• local events
• places of interest
• local history
• local businesses
• real estate (I'm a real estate agent... search here for real estate in Clinton County, Pa and nearby)
• and of course the great outdoors  - the West Branch Susquehanna River, the Clinton County, Pa mountains, the area wildlife (if you love nature please visit my other nature blog, Nature Posts)

 Here is a snapshot showing part of Clinton County from a vista on Riansares Mountain.  This view is looking northwest into East End Nittany Valley and toward Lock Haven.  Bald Eagle Mountain is the long, dark ridge on the far side of the farm fields.... the most distant ridges are the Allegheny Mountains.

   Incidentally, how did this mountain, Riansares Mountain, get its name?  Well, in the mid 1800's, thousands of acres of Clinton County were owned by the Queen of Spain.  Her husband's name was Don Augustin Fernandez Munoz, Duke of Riansares.... and they, at one time, owned some of this mountain.

   Local legend has the Duke visiting the area in the spring of 1870.  Perhaps he actually stood right near where I took this picture.  Henry Shoemaker says, on pages 292 and 293 of  More Allegheny Episodes: Legends and Traditions, Old and New, Gathered Among the Pennsylvania Mountains,

"... Into the virgin forest on Cherry Run, they headed their horses up a steep trail to the summit of the highest point on the 50,000 acre domain, Mount Riansares. There on the windswept eminence, the party dismounted, and on the rocky crest, gazed at the vast regions north, south, east and west, great areas of which once had belonged Maria Cristina, Queen of Spain. The tall stranger, standing on the topmost crag, the April wind blowing his long cloak, his stern features softened as old memories seemed to flit through his mind... As his keen Spanish eyes took in the vast and imposing panorama of dark green hills -- it was before the days of forest fires and the pine and hemlock had not been cut, and the scope and majesty of it sunk into his breast, he exclaimed. "It is indeed a realm fit for a Queen...""

    Ah yes, you will see some more of the "scope and majesty" of the area in future posts... right here in 'Clinton County Snapshots'.

  If you would like to be updated when I post new 'Clinton County Snapshots', you are welcome to become a "Follower" by joining in the "Followers" box (upper left), or you can have the new posts sent to your email by submitting your email in the "Follow by email" box in the upper left.