Park Adventures - August 6-8

COSTCO was the first order of the day being that it was right on our path.  We always enjoy a COSTCO stop, being able to replenish some of our favorite things and, when on adventures, even indulge in a frozen yogurt – despite It being well before noon! 

The night’s destination was Locust Lake State Park in PA.  Off the highway only a couple miles, the road was a bit challenging.  Pulling in, we were welcomed by lovely Debby who was full of information and smiles.  We drove in over the beautiful lake and found a site right next to the camp host, Mike, who matched Debby’s welcome.  Nice start!

We got settled and picked our hike for the afternoon taking the only serious trail offered and finding it pretty wet and overgrown but quiet and lush.  Next on order was grabbing the bikes and heading to the swim beach where most of the families had already made their way to their sites and we enjoyed the late afternoon in the refreshing, clear water with the sun sinking behind the hills.

So far we were pretty pleased with our choice of Locust Lake.  When we heard they were serving homemade ice cream at the camp store, it upped the review points even more!  Having started our day with a COSTCO yogurt didn’t stop us from planning an evening walk around the lake to enjoy a cup…it’s why we hike every day – RIGHT?!  What a way to end the day – eating ice cream while watching the sun set over a sparkling lake with just a peak through of rainbow as a cherry on top!

Enjoying a leisurely start, we got on the road to check out the nearby Hometown Farmers Market touted by Mike and Debby as a “must do”.  A weekly event in this remote PA town, the market is a combo farmers and flea market.  On first approach I was met with sunflowers as big as my head with a bunch being $3!  This promised to be fun!  We were awed by the masses of produce – cantaloupe and cabbage as   We wandered through buying amish bakery, locally sourced meats and some fruits and veggies that could not be resisted!
big as basketballs and piles of corn taller than us!

The stop for the night was Dingman’s Campground in the Delaware Gap park.  A large park just hours outside NYC, it was clearly a BIG weekend destination.  Being Wednesday, it was very quiet and we had our pick of nearly any site.  We wandered the campground with thunder rumbling all around.  Deciding the rain wasn’t overly a risk, we decided to chance a hike to Dingmans Waterfall.

The falls were nearly 2.5 times the promised distance from the campground!  Having committed to  Dingman Falls doesn’t get a lot of respect from the area’s locals.  Most of the comments were on the “meh” side so our expectations were not great.  Much to our delight, the falls were quite impressive – to US anyway!  We climbed to the top and enjoyed the views from all angles before the thunder began rumbling again.
the effort, we stayed the course.

With the 2.7 mile return walk ahead, we started our hustle back to our site.  About half way back, the trees started to rustle, the sky grew dark and within a short time the rain was falling.  And then falling harder.  And then with more enthusiasm!  Taking it in stride we tucked our phones and my hearing aids in a bag in our pack and finished a wet and sloshy hike home!