August 20-22 2012 Delaware Water Gap, Pa

We packed up and headed to the mountains on Pennsylvania. The Delaware water gap is part of the Pocono mountains. The gap is a picturesque break in the Kittatinny Ridge of the Appalachian mountains. The park is threaded by the Delaware River. Wooded Mount Tammany and Mount Minsi rise abruptly 1,200 feet above the river at the Water Gap. A 27 mile portion off the Appalachian trail winds its way along the Kittatinny Ridge. Bill Bryson in his book ‘A walk in the woods’ about the Appalachian trail says this section is the prettiest.

Getting out was harder than it seemed like it should have been. We went to Costco to stock up and on the way back took a wrong turn in the spaghetti of exits and entrances and ended up on the Pennsylvania turnpike which is a toll road. Drove up to the entrance , no where to turn around, so on to the no ticket line, there was no one there for cash, so we proceeded onto the turnpike. Got to the next exit and found out we should have taken a ticket at the first one, since we did not have it we had to pay the maximum, which was $27.50.  What country hicks we are, don’t know how to use a toll road. Finally made to the Delaware water gap. Here is the bus at the campground at Dingmans Ferry. Nice spot, no one else in our loop, dark and would be quiet, except the bugs and tree frogs, sounded like the jungle.  Rained most of the night.

There is not enough federal money to keep the visitor centers open during the week. So the road to Dingmans  Falls visitors center is closed. It was a mile and a quarter  walk to it,then a quarter mile boardwalk to the bottom of the falls.  A 240 step staircase leads to the top of the falls. Dingmans falls are the second highest falls in Pennsylvania.  The walls of the Delaware canyon are very steep, the falls are in  wet lush  hemlock ravines. Above are Silver Thread falls-on the road to the visitors center and Upper Dingmans falls.

The view from the top of Dingmans falls to the boardwalk at the bottom, the crest of the falls.

John hanging out over the crest of the falls, Sue and John at the bottom of the falls.

a small falls at the bottom of Dingmans, reflections on  Dingmans creek.

Swan crossing, berries, jewel flower, seedpods, mushrooms, chicory, goldenrod getting ready to bloom, blooming goldenrod.

Raymondskill creek, John at Raymondskill falls taking a photo of his foot in front of the falls for his next Chaco’s album. Raymondskill falls are the highest falls in Pennsylvania. It is in three parts, the lower, middle and upper.

The falls to the right are the lower, the one across the canyon is another creek. John at the lower falls

John and Sue at the middle falls. The upper falls were smaller. Here is proof that I was in New Jersey. The road was closed, so we had to go across two toll bridges into New Jersey  the other side of the Delaware river and back in to Pa to see Raymondskill falls.

On the New Jersey side was Peters Valley Craft Center. It has several historic buildings that have been converted into studios for artisans. They teach classes there.  There is a gallery and craft store there. Here is a mosaic sculpture in the lawn, a raku bowl, the mail box, the inside of the gallery and John on the porch of the store.

Buttermilk falls

Reflections at the bottom of Buttermilk, there were steps to the top of this one too, here is the top.

a hemlock tree on the way down, they have shallow root systems, John photographing the falls.

monarda, berries, front view of a jewel flower, a knot on a hemlock , hemlock needles, asters, birch bark, yellow flowers

The orange lizard looking thing is an eastern newt. It has three forms , a legless aquatic form, this one the eft it is called, the legged land form, then the adult which is olive green aquatic form and has a paddle tail. Some  orange mushrooms- the mushrooms are about a 1/4 high

The Kittatinny Ridge and the Delaware river  in evening light