| We had been told about the 'Grand Canyon' of
Pennsylvania, so we modified our route to call in and see if it lived up to
the hype. We found a campsite close by, not far from Wellsboro in north
west Pennsylvania. They said there was a footpath to the canyon rim. There
was, about two miles long, the hard part was finding it amongst all the
fallen leaves. |  |
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The canyon itself is a State park, with a small visitor centre with a video
to watch and a gift shop and wildlife exhibition. There are several owls of
which this is one of the largest but unfortunately is unnamed. |
| This is the state bird of Pennsylvania, the ruffed
grouse. |  |
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Much rarer is be the northern bobcat. We saw a couple of live bobcats during
our stay at Bushkill a few weeks ago. |
| Another owl, this one in attack mode just about to
catch a mouse. They always look so fierce to me, I'm glad I'm not a mouse.. |  |
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An eagle in flight with a screech owl on the branch behind. |
| This friendly looking creature is a porcupine.
Unfortunately the only ones of these we have seen have been road kill,
although they are supposed to be quite common in some parts. |  |
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And a river otter. The lumber industry in the 19th century seriously damaged
the land and the rivers and the otters disappeared, but conservation efforts
have resulted in a noticeable recovery of the landscape and the otter has
recently been reintroduced. They are implanted with radio transmitters so
that the rangers can monitor their progress and survival. |
| The Grand Canyon! Impressive with the river 830ft
below the rim. However having seen the original I have to say this is a pale
imitation, but these mountains are much, much older, and the trees mask the
rock formations. But the clouds below the rim are just as we saw in Arizona
almost exactly two years ago. |  |
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We left the real Grand Canyon three days before it closed for the winter.
This one will stay open a little longer but the temperature has dropped 20
degrees in the last few days. Winter is definitely coming. |
| Note the track down in the bottom alongside the river.
This was a railway and is now a cycleway, but it was originally part of the
'Warriors' trail by which the New York tribes such as the Seneca travelled
down to the Carolinas for trade and other purposes. |  |
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A park has a statue commemorating the Civilian Conservation Corps formed by
Franklin Roosevelt in the 1930s to provide work. They built the park
buildings and much of the infrastructure that makes places like this
accessible to ordinary people. I hope the Americans fully appreciate the
value of this legacy and how much leadership this president gave. They could
truly do with another of his stature. |
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