Historic Central Market in Lancaster, Pennsylvania

        

My sister (lower left) outside Lancaster's Central Market on
a cloudy November morning.

         
         Farmer's markets are all the rage.  Every city and town seems to be vying for the title of Coolest 21st Century Farmer's Market, describing themselves with adjectives such as "organic" "original" and "artisan".  But how about an authentic 18th Century Market?  
         Central Market in Lancaster, Pennsylvania is the hands-down winner in all of the above categories, providing market-goers with the bona-fide farmer's market experience in the same location for a remarkable 288 years.

         Here is how Wikipedia defines Central Market:

A public marketplace was deeded on this site in 1730 as part of the settlement of Lancaster. The marketplace was officially chartered by King George II on May 1, 1742, officially designating Lancaster as a market town. The Central Market occupies a portion of the original marketplace, with the first permanent building erected in 1757.

        You can't beat a farmer's market chartered by King George II.  And you can't beat the shopping at Lancaster's Central Market for all your holiday culinary needs.  The photos below provide a mouth-watering taste of Central Market's offerings.

Need celery?  This stand has you covered.

Gotta have a fresh turkey for your holiday table.

Don't forget the baked goods.

There's always room for whoopie pies!

Has this post whetted your appetite for old-fashioned country cooking?  If so, get out there and patronize a local farmer's market—even if it's one that hasn't been around for almost three centuries.

Scarecrow Bash, Del Norte, Colorado

         During its annual 'Scarecrow Bash' the town of Del Norte, Colorado invites local businesses to display their inspired creations.

         Enjoy a selection of this year's creative contest entries:

Vermont Maple Madness

Every "Mom and Pop" business in Vermont sells Maple Syrup!

         You’ve heard of the Five food groups.  

         The State of Vermont has added a Sixth:  Maple

         Vermont is the number one maple syrup producing state in the country.  They're proud of it, and while you’re touring the state they don’t let you forget it.  During my last couple trips to Vermont I sampled these foods:

         maple cream, 

         maple sugar sprinkles,
         maple-leaf sugar candy,
         maple creemees (soft-serve ice cream),
         maple shakes,
         maple malts,
         maple french-roast coffee,
         maple-bacon ice cream,
         maple-bacon cream cheese,
         maple-chocolate topping,
         maple ricotta,
         maple-mustard dressing,
         maple scones,
         maple sparkler (a dessert liquor),
         maple sticky buns,
         maple sugar-coated walnuts and, of course,
         maple syrup.
       
       
         Let’s see, have I forgotten anything?  Oh yes, maple lemonade.

         Not surprisingly then, maple syrup is for sale everywhere.  There are the large “touristy” maple farms sure, but every small farm stand and general store sells maple syrup too.  As does almost every other business.   I saw signs reading “Hay and Maple Syrup”, and “Farm Supplies and Maple Syrup”. I expected to see a business advertising: “Tires and Maple Syrup”.  Perhaps I did.

        All of this maple madness begs the question:  "Is there such a thing as too much maple?"  

        My answer is....."No".  When in Vermont, saturate yourself in the Sixth food group!
        Readers, do you agree?

If I could, I would probably bring a jug this size of syrup home with me.

Totally Above Treeline: Horsethief Pack Trail in Colorado's San Juan Mountains

Sheep—not horses—graze at the Horsethief Pack Trail trailhead.
In the distance, 14,309' Uncompahgre Peak dominates the skyline.
Read about our previous summit of Uncompahgre here.

         

         Sometimes the perfect day aligns with the perfect trail.  On the final Thursday of August in Lake City, Colorado the sky was sparkling blue, the temperature was a comfortable 72 degrees, and I was in the mood for a hike with big rewards and not too much effort. Tim had a place in mind.  

           "How about that trail near the top of Engineer Pass?" he said.  And I agreed.      

            Horsethief Pack Trail starts at an elevation of 12,400' and over the course of a few miles the trail gains and loses little more than a couple hundred feet of elevation.  A bit of exertion is required due to decreased oxygen levels at that altitude, but the real effort is getting to the trailhead.  The 16 mile dirt road leading from Lake City to Engineer Pass is rough; 4-wheel drive is needed for the final 6 miles and the going is slow—it takes over an hour to drive those 16 miles.

           But after arriving at the top of the world the arduous drive is forgotten.   The trail starts with 360° views of the surrounding mountains and keeps getting better.
           As Tim, Annie and I walked along, pikas and marmots serenaded us with their chattering and chirping calls.   Most likely they were scolding Annie but she didn't seem to notice.  Annie did notice, though, a group of camouflaged White-tailed Ptarmigan nestled in a rocky chute.  She flushed the birds but thankfully didn't chase them.
        The Ptarmigan scurried away to bed down in a nearby rock-strewn meadow, and Tim and I were treated to as fine a view as we've ever had of these alpine and tundra game birds.
         We hiked for a few miles, then stopped for lunch near a hillside rock cairn.   This would be our turn-around point, but the trail continues above treeline for several more miles.

         The perfect totally-above-treeline trail on the perfect day?  You decide.

The trail's beginning immediately affords views of several of the San Juan
Mountain's 13,000 and 14,000 foot peaks.

Annie loves nothing more than a cool high-alpine hike.

Tiny American Lake (center of photo) is a side destination on this hike.

Tim and Annie find the right spot for a  refreshing alfresco lunch.

Marmots surveyed and scolded us from the fields and rocky ledges.

A cute little pika watches us pass by.

One of the group of White-tailed Ptarmigan, showing off its summer plumage.
During winter the ptarmigan turn white, and are camouflaged by snow.

This photo shows the White-tailed Ptarmigan expertly camouflaged by the rocks.
Can you find the Ptarmigan?
Click on the photo to enlarge.  The black arrow (top left) points to the head of the bird.

Maine in August: The Way Life Should Be

       

The Way Life Should Be

     Maine's state slogan (above) is reflected in the photos (below).

Enjoy these pictures, taken during an August 2016 excursion on the Maine coast:

Portland Head Light—the most photographed lighthouse in America—on Casco
Bay at the entrance to Portland Harbor.

Portland's Casco Bay, home to lighthouses, schooners, and... 

...lobster boats.  A lobsterman sets his traps in Casco Bay.

Kayaks for rent on Bailey's Island.

Five Islands Harbor, Georgetown, Maine.

A lobster boat motors in to Five Islands with its catch.

There's a lobster shack on every cove.

The marsh near Wells is home to Billy's Chowder House.

And Billy's is home to the delicious "lazy lobster" dinner.

Life isn't just all about lobster, you know.
How about doughnuts?  The Holy Donut in Portland is one of Maine's delectable donut shops.

A lobster, a doughnut and a cup of coffee.
What's not to like?

Ahhhh.  August on Maine's mid-coast.

Remembering Kapoho Vacationland and the Wai`Opae Tide Pools

         Four months ago, on March 20, 2018, Tim and I walked into our rental house in Kapoho Vacationland on the Big Island of Hawaii.  
         "Feels like coming home," Tim said.  Agreed.

         The house, christened Punana Kiowai, provided rest and relaxation for three nights, a comfortable and welcome tropical refuge.  A variety of outdoor living areas graced the premises, including a naturally lava-heated pool.

         But the best thing about this rental was its location, mere steps away from a significant marine conservation area, the Wai`opae Tide Pools.  The Tide Pools formed when the ocean found its way into an ancient lava flow, creating a series of pools and passages populated by coral, sea creatures and tropical fish.  Tim and I first discovered this area on a 2015 trip to the Big Island and I have returned three times since then, renting a total of four different homes in Kapoho near the spectacular Tide Pools.

         We unpacked our bags, settled in, and the backyard pool beckoned.

These lava-heated pools were a common feature of many homes
in Kapoho Vacationland.

       “You know”,  I said to Tim as I floated in the warm water, “lava-heated means there’s lava flowing underground, probably close by.”

       As it turned out, the phrase Naturally Lava-Heated Pool was indeed a warning.  Nearby Kilauea Volcano was biding its time, lying in wait to reclaim the land.

       And reclaim the land it did.  By mid-June of 2018, our rental home, Punana Kiowai, as well as 320 other homes in Kapoho Vacationland, the Kapoho Bay, and the Wai`opae Tide Pools, lay buried under up to 20 feet of lava.   

       Kilauea, one of the most active volcanoes on earth, has been oozing lava for 35 years.  This spring, pressure building in underground vents caused thousands of earthquakes, then massive amounts of lava spewed to the surface and bulldozed its way over the land. 

       What is lost:

Gone.  This view of the Tide Pools from our 2015
rental home—Mika Lani, Jewel By the Sea—will never be seen again.
20 feet of lava now covers this home and the surrounding area.

Four-spot Butterfly Fish swim and graze on the impressive coral in the
Wai`opae Tide Pools.

A Yellowtail Coris (bottom), Peacock Grouper, and Moorish Idols (top)
swim in the tide pools in this photo from 2016.

A pair of Ornate Butterfly Fish.  I wonder if these two, and the fish in
the preceding photographs, made it out to the open sea before
lava filled the Tide Pools?

      
        Am I sad the Wai`opae Tide Pools no longer exist in our world?  Oh yes, immeasurably so.  But do I consider this an ecological disaster?  No.  This is simply a volcano being a volcano, doing what volcanoes do best: reminding us that we are not in charge.  

        I can't claim expertise about the geology of the Hawaiian Islands, but it seems possible that some day, maybe hundreds/thousands of years from now, tide pools may again form in the new lava along Hawaii’s eastern shore.  And I have learned one important geological tenet:

        The earth moves not in human time, but in geologic time.  And geologic time includes now.

Channel Islands National Park, California

         "There are a lot of old people here!",  I overheard a third-grader utter this remark as he passed our tour group on Santa Cruz Island.  Several third grade classes were visiting Channel Islands National Park on a one-day field trip from mainland California.

         But did those third-graders hike the 4 mile round-trip to Potato Harbor and back?  No, they did not.   Did some of the "old people" tackle this trek?  Yes we did.

Potato Harbor Overlook.

        Like the third graders I was here to learn about Channel Islands National Park.  And to that end, I signed on with Road Scholar for a three-day learning vacation based in Ventura, CA—gateway city to the Channel Islands.  The trip included lectures about the archeology and biology of the islands, as well as an excursion to Santa Cruz Island—the park's largest isle.

        The five islands comprising the park—Santa Cruz, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, San Miguel and Anacapa—are reachable only by boat or seaplane.   Their relative inaccessibility, along with primitive and sometimes harsh conditions, limits visitation.  Despite sitting 25 to 70 miles off the coast of southern California in proximity to 18-20 million people, the park receives only ~300,000 visitors annually.

Scorpion Harbor, where the boats dock.
Anacapa Island can be seen in the distance.

        The Channel Islands are rich in human and natural history.  North America's oldest human skeleton — 13,000 years old— was found here and was once an Indian from The Chumash Tribe.  The Chumash inhabited the islands for many years before being "re-located" by early European settlers.  The islands were then used for ranching and military operations—which devastated the island's ecology —before being designated a National Park in 1980.
        Today the islands are regaining their natural diversity.  San Miguel is home to tens of thousands of Elephant Seals and Sea Lions who breed and hang out along the coastline.  Anacapa Island is home to the largest pelican rookery in the United States and the largest breeding colony of Western Gulls in the World.  The waters surrounding the islands are also protected, and are among the most nutrient-rich and bio-diverse in the world.  So let's hear it for nature making a comeback!

Yellow Coreopsis thrive on the islands.

The Island Fox.  These foxes only live on the Channel Islands—they
are found nowhere else on earth.

        As our group of not-so-young-anymore tourists boarded the boat to ferry us from Santa Cruz to the mainland we noticed the third-graders gathered 'round a national park service volunteer.  I hope they learned as much as I did.  And I'm hopeful they'll return to the islands someday, perhaps when they, too, have joined the ranks of sight-seeing seniors.

Campground under the Eucalyptus Trees on Santa Cruz Island.

The park service provides an excellent website about The Channel Islands.  Learn more here.