Summer Passage ...

“Summertime is always the best

                                      of what might be.”

                       ~ Charles Bowden

                               ~ journalist

                                  ~ 1945-2014

A verdant trail at French Creek State Park, Elverson, Pennsylvania looks like a passage to summer on a gorgeous July evening, a gateway to the beauty of my most favorite of seasons.

The 7,526 acre park straddles northern Chester County and southern Berks County along French Creek and is located in the Hopewell Big Woods.

Set amidst the old, quaint and picturesque farmland of southeast Pennsylvania, French Creek State Park offers two lakes – Hopewell and Scotts Run – extensive forests and almost 40 miles of hiking trails. Adjacent to the park lies Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site that features a cold-blast furnace restored to its 1830s appearance.

French Creek State Park was chosen by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and its Bureau of State Parks as one of “25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks.”

Lush Summer ...

“I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all ...”

                        ~ Jack Kerouac

                                 ~ 1922-1969

All seasons have their own special beauty, yet I have to say I’ve always been a summer person.

And what more could anyone who loves summer ask for than a quintessential summer evening – verdant, lush and warm – just before sunset on the Saucon Rail Trail, Hellertown, Pennsylvania.

It’s the perfect, sun-dappled place for dreaming and remembrance … a place that seems to paintbrush the words of Jack Kerouac, “I felt like lying down by the side of the trail and remembering it all …”