Well, we got another few inches of snow last night, but far less than the doomsayers were predicting. Anyone run out of toilet paper yet?

I came in to work early this morning. It was worth it. With the roads nearly empty, I was able to fly along in my Subaru ... skidding everywhere, snow flying ... with no worries that the other drivers would ruin my fun.

Well, it looks like it's done snowing for the weekend, but it's too late to recover from a missed reading session.

I'm not terribly worried. We're still ahead of schedule compared to last year, but we're going to have one hell of a pile of stories to wade through come the first weekend in January.

Did do some pre-screening of stories yesterday. Nothing much to speak of yet, but I only read a fraction of the 50+ stories that are currently sitting in our slushpile. We'll get caught up pretty quick as long as the weather doesn't thwart us.

It was Memorial Day when the events on this web page occurred, and I'm just finally getting them up on the site now.

I hope nobody out there is hanging on my every word, waiting on pins and needles for me to update the site ... I'm simply not that organized, and I'm having a lot of trouble finding time and energy in my schedule to do so. Thus, the updates are sporadic, like the two today.

McConnells Mills is known for its beauty, as well as the rock climbing and kayaking that occurs there. If you're not the adrenaline type, you can still enjoy touring the old mill. Lots of history there.

I've heard a lot about the area with regard to kayaking, and finally made a trip there on August 12, 2007.

One of the things I'd heard was that there river wasn't worth running unless the water level is above 0'.

Parts of western Pennsylvania are being overrun with Emerald Ash Borer bugs. Apparently these things are not native to this area, kill ash trees dead, and spread like crazy.

There are a lot of ash trees in this part of the country. Should we get an infestation locally, there'd be 3 or 4 trees in my yard that would die.

Luckily, our state government cares. Unluckily, they're completely incompetent.

They've decided to issue a quarantine. This is good. It's currently illegal to transport wood around if you're in an infected area.

I just got back from a mountain bike excursion at Boyce Park.

The park is fantastic right now. It's been a dry spring, which is bad for kayaking and growing plants and the like, but actually makes mountain biking a lot more enjoyable (unless you're the type who enjoys getting muddy). So I encourage folks to get out to the park while the gettin' is good. See the updated information I've posted.

The Youghiogheny river is probably one of the most popular whitewater kayaking spots in this area.

The "middle Yough", between Confluence and Ohiopyle is mild rapids and is an excellent place for new paddlers to "cut their teeth." The "Ramcat" rapid in particular, is a popular place for beginners to practice.

A number of years ago, I ran this stretch of river in a canoe. It was a blast and I recommend the trip to almost anyone.

More information on the middle Yough.

There's no whitewater on Loyalhanna lake (since it's a lake) but it seems to be a popular place for fishing. I've seen a number of people with touring kayaks out on the lake.

Additionally, there's a little-used swimming area that I've used to learn my Eskimo rolls. In the fall, the water is a comfortable temperature, but I was out early in May and the water was mighty cold, despite the air temperature being in the seventies.

I've lived in Plum, very close to William D. Boyce Park most of my life.

Boyce Park has become a wonderful place for mountain biking. Trails range from very technical to fast rolling hills.

Boyce has an active mountain biking community, and new trails are constantly under construction. I expect that this page will get big over time, but at this point it's just a placeholder.

There's a little outfitter in Saltsburg, PA. It's a nice enough town, and they'll set you up with a shuttle if you want to launch from Saltsburg and paddle down to Apollo on the Kiskiminetas River.

I've yet to make this trip, but I plan on trying it out some time soon. I don't think the river will offer much above a class I, but it could be an enjoyable trip anyway. There are a number of bridges across the Kiskiminetas, so there's a chance there'll be some interesting waves to surf or something similar.