Walkin in the Woods

Last Tuesday held the promise of rain and the breezes were chilly. They gave me an idea of what would be soon coming. The furnace has already been turned on and I was wearing my winter flannels.

    Not one to let the possibility of rain keep me at home, I went out to take a walk. Naturally, there were a couple geocaches involved.

    In a small nature park near the Hampton Township Library, I found the first cache. It was a simple walk along a flat though bumpy path. Not a hundred yards from the car, I startled a flock of at least 15 turkeys. They hustled up the hillside and into the woods above. It’s always nice to seeing wildlife!

    There are times when geocaches hidden in the woods can be extremely difficult to find. This was not the case with this cache; it was about as easy as it comes! I had to climb a small hillside. The arrow on the GPS was pointing right at a large log. As I neared it I could see the cache lying beside it. I guess an animal had dragged it from its hiding spot inside the log. I signed it and then re-hid the cache, putting some sticks and bark on top of it to prevent it being exposed again.

    There was a second cache a few miles away. I was thinking about it as I returned to the car. I had tried to find this particular cache at least 4 times in the past 2-3 years, possibly even more. I knew this cache was going to be MUCH tougher to find than the last. The owner had even given me a couple hints, but it has remained unfound.

    After working my way to where it is hidden, I spent about a half hour walking around. The cache is hidden in an evergreen tree, about 6-9 feet high. I circled trees head bent back searching for anything that looked out of place. It is in the woods, so there are lots of small trees there. I had no clue as to what it looked like or what size it was. The listing on it for difficulty is 5 out of 5; it certainly lives up to its rating!

    Finally, I gave up. I know it’s there; I just couldn’t find it. I’ll be back again and then I WILL FIND IT!

    Only a few drops of rain had fallen, and the woods looked nice and inviting so I decided to walk a bit further. Not far away, in the Crouse Run Nature Reserve, across the stream was where a roadhouse called Bongiovanni's Gardens used to stand. The Rachel Carson Trail isn't far away from its ruins. Supposedly, Rachel Carson used to study the plants in this valley.  Most of the high weeds around what remains of the tavern were beaten down and I could see the ruins from the path I was on. Moving through the weeds I spooked a buck. It jumped up and turned around to glare at me. Getting closer, he decided that I wasn’t worth the trouble and he turned and leapt away, but not before I was able to snap a picture of him!

    Bongiovanni’s Gardens was located on the Butler Short Line and many of their customers used the electrified trolley to get to the roadhouse. The street cars allowed people from the city to come out to a country setting for picnics and outings at the tavern. Many popular artists such as Frank Sinatra and Sophie Tucker performed there. It was said to have the largest dance floor in the area. It apparently opened around the start of prohibition. The building was destroyed by a fire sometime in the latter half of the 1900’s.

    Not much remains today except some portions of sidewalk and a couple sets of steps. The cement foundation remains along with the pillars which used to hold up the floor.

    A near-by wall which helps hold up the hillside has become an easel for aspiring local artists. Surprisingly, there isn’t much trash in the ruins.

    While I was walking through the ruins, I once again scared the buck. He took off as soon as he heard me.

    After taking a few more pictures I returned across the stream to my car and headed home for lunch. My geocaching average was 50%, one found and one still lost, but it was a great day to take a walk in the woods. The best thing was, I didn’t bring any ticks home with me!

A final note, I'm sorry about the links spread out through this post. I made the mistake of clicking on an "Automatically add links in post" button. I didn't pick them and I don't want them! I can't find a way to remove them, They didn't bother to put a "Remove links" button. I HATE AI telling what I need!