Wandering Aimlessly
Destination: Ricketts Glen
by Phil Burkhouse
Taking a road trip to view wildlife is always a risky wandering. Wildlife is unpredictable, and oftentimes you arrive to hear the old adage—“Should have been here yesterday.” Although you plan your wanderings to yield the highest percentage of success, it is still advantageous, when wildlife viewing is your goal, to take lady luck along on your journey. Waterfalls viewing can also be risky, but it is not nearly as fickle as wildlife viewing. Waterfalls have nowhere else to be on the day you arrive, but, unless you plan carefully, your cascading falls could look more like a water fountain.
Mary and I have about a dozen favorite waterfalls in our three-county area we visit each year. Living in our area you need to time your waterfalls excursions in coordination with water levels because many of our freshwater stream falls can become nonexistent during dry periods. We always try to coincide our waterfalls wanderings just after a period of heavy precipitation.