Lebanon Valley Rail Trail - Part 2

It's another beautiful day for a ride. My wife and I returned to this trail. Once we got unloaded and ready to ride at the Cornwall Trailhead we decided to head toward Lebanon. During our last trip we had traveled in that direction for 3 miles and then turned around. So off we went. It was mid-morning. We passed many bikers, hikers, and joggers. We ended up in Lebanon after about 4.5 miles. The last 1.2 miles was paved macadam. We turned around and headed back to the Cornwall Trailhead. All in all, a pleasant ride, plenty of shade along the way and a short trip.

We decided to have a picnic lunch at the Middle Creek Wildlife Management Area near Kleinfeltersville. We made our way to the kayak launching area and found a picnic table that gave us a great view of the lake. Much to our surprise there was a "wild" turkey wandering around. I have wild in quotes because it wasn't afraid of us at all. In fact, it seemed to be begging for scraps. When it wasn't making it's calling sound it was absolutely quite, like in stealth mode. It kept inching it's way closer and closer to us until it was directly behind me at the picnic table. It was about 6" from me. We got kind of freaked out by it.

After lunch we decided to top off the meal with a stop at Boehringer's Ice Cream in Adamstown. So now we need another bike ride :-)

Keep on Trekkin'.

Walk and Bike Berks County: New SRT Maps and Berks County Trails

Walk and Bike Berks County: New SRT Maps and Berks County Trails


Keep on Trekkin'

The "Loop"

My wife and I have created our own little riding route we call "the loop" that starts and ends at our home (clever name). It about 9 miles (depending on several variations taken) and takes less than an hour. Today is a beautiful day and so my wife, my one son, and I headed out mid-morning to do the loop. We rode over to the Ken Grill Rec Center trailhead of the Angelica Creek Trail. This trail consists of several sections that connects to the Schuylkill River Trail. We enter this trail at the Brentwood trailhead and continue on until we get to West Reading where we pick up the Wyomissing Creek Trail. After you get to the Reading Museum the trail continues on public roads. The trail ends near Old Wyomissing Road. We ride this road until we arrive at the old quarry. Finally, we wind our way through Shillington back to our house. 

Keep on Trekkin'.

Shillington Park

This morning, my wife and I took our semi-regular hike through Shillington Park, near our home. As we walked along the trail, directly in front of us on the trail, we came upon 3 fox pups playfully enjoying the day. We stopped and watched them rolling around for a few minutes. It was so wonderful to see. Once they became aware of us they stopped and stared at us so we continued on our walk over the top of the mountain. As we were approaching the cemetery we saw an adult fox bounding ahead of us and then it disappeared into the woods. I had seen a fox running through the woods before but never fox pups. Just a fantastic way to start the day!

I wish I had a link to a map or something to share with you but I could not find one any where on the web. The park's not hard to find and it's relatively small with a few trails and several creeks in a mostly wooded area. If you google or mapquest it you should be able to find it.

Keep on Trekkin'.

Berks Awhile

If you like getting outdoors and you want a preview of some of the beautiful places in the area check out Berks Awhile. Mike Roush aptly calls his blog a "photo walking journal". There are lots of great photos as well as links and maps to many locations in and around Berks County.

Keep on trekkin'

Berks Conservancy

I've just become a Trail Ambassador for the Berks Conservancy. Their vision is "to be a cornerstone of excellence in the stewardship of the environment." They oversee a number of trails in Berks County that are really worth exploring. Visit Greater Reading Trails to see what they have to offer. As trail ambassador I have chosen the Angelica Creek Trail which is close to my home. If you love exploring trails and are looking for a way to help this is a great way to get involved.

Keep on trekkin'.