Pennsylvania, my Pennsylvania...

We have totally enjoyed the Allegheny National Forest region in far northern Pennsylvania. This wild and very beautiful area is a place of mountains that were once higher than the Himmalayas, but have been eroded into gently sloping green mountains. Jade forests of birch, oaks, maples, firs, beeches, and more cover the Alleghenies, thick as otter fur. The Allegheny River slowly glides through the valley, catching the mountains' reflections. The forests' floors are made from waves of ferns, interspersed with wild roses, cauliflower fungi (they really do look like gray cauliflowers!), thimbleberries and much more. Glass clear streams flow through here, their soft whispers merge with the wind. Calls from robins, crows, cardinals, and the soft "THUD!" from pilleated woodpeckers hunting for bugs hide in the great silence. Firs, beeches, and ferns grow from boat shaped boulders. Cool air flows from crevices in limestone cliffs. These are the first forests I ever loved, Kate loves them too- but we both love many other places as well. There was one amazing electrical storm today... we stayed in our car and watched constant lightning while hail pounded the roof. There are down sides to this area. Kinzua Dam was built in the late '60s to control floods, and a Seneca community was evicted to make room for it. There are small oil derricks in the woods, we ran into a few yesterday (they weren't working.) Yes, there is fracking in the area, but not as much as in northeastern Pa. All this said... I would highly recommend a visit to this area. We've barely scraped the surface, and definetly want to come back. Tomorrow we will go to Pittsburgh to visit family. Expect entries from there in a few days.