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Lottery Numbers for Sunday, July 3

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FNCB employees recognized for service

<p>Far from city lights, deep in the heart of the Pennsylvania Wilds last week, I tilted my neck back and watched the stars and planets come out.</p><p>&#8220;There&#8217;s Saturn; that one&#8217;s Mars,&#8221; a ranger at Cherry Springs State Park told a large group. &#8220;That&#8217;s Jupiter, and that&#8217;s the constellation Scorpio.&#8221;</p><p>My friend Barb and I were on our annual girls-mini-vacation to &#8220;The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania,&#8221; and while our headquarters was the town of Wellsboro, as usual, we spent a lot of time in the nearby state parks.</p><p>This time, in addition to hiking in Tioga County&#8217;s Leonard Harrison, Colton Point and Hills Creek state parks, we drove further west to Potter County&#8217;s Cherry Springs, said to have the darkest sky east of the Mississippi.</p><p>Courtesy of a special park program that evening, we viewed Saturn, Mars and the Pleiades with a telescope, but I thought it was more impressive &#8212; magical even &#8212; to look directly at the sky.</p><p>By the time the ranger aimed a laser pointer at the Big Dipper, and explained Native Americans had once seen it as three hunters chasing a bear, I felt as carefree and content as a kid at camp.</p><p>And, like a kid, I decided to tally how many of Pennsylvania&#8217;s 121 state parks I&#8217;ve visited. It&#8217;s at least 25. Eventually, I&#8217;d like to hit the other 96, and add to these park memories:</p><p>Most amusing animal encounter? A pair of raccoons circled the campsite where my husband and I had pitched a tent near the Clarion River in Cook Forest, boldly drawing closer and closer until we chased them away.</p><p>Second most amusing animal encounter? Mark and I awoke in Colton Point State Park to discover a critter had gnawed clean through a strap on the backpack I had leaned against a tree. We suspected a porcupine when we found a quill.</p><p>In one of my earliest park memories, I&#8217;m hiking the waterfalls trail at Ricketts Glen State Park near Red Rock with my Brownie Girl Scout Troop and my dad who, as one of the adult chaperones, was horrified to see a troop leader sporting high heels.</p><p>Family stories about that scenic and steep trail (where sturdy footwear is the better option) go back even further, to the 1940s.</p><p>&#8220;Uncle Herman walked me around the whole trail when I was 9. That was the first time,&#8221; my mom told me a few years ago, when she was in her early 70s. &#8220;And this will be the last.&#8221;</p><p>She and I had hiked from Route 118 to the summit that day and she was too tired to trudge back down, so we begged a ride from some nice folks.</p><p>But, what? She never wanted to hike past the gorgeous waterfalls again? The finality of her tone hit me like a blow.</p><p>Still, it wasn&#8217;t the end of the world. No, World&#8217;s End is yet another state park, in Sullivan County, and yes, I&#8217;ve been there.</p><p>Anyway, Mom may not be scrambling past the falls anymore, but I&#8217;m thankful she can still enjoy easier terrain with her grandchildren, maybe showing my nephew the rock ledge where the captive Frances Slocum reportedly spent a night (at Frances Slocum State Park in Kingston Township) or watching my niece dig in the sand at Hickory Run&#8217;s lakeside beach, near White Haven.</p><p>These outings with a new generation go into my mental scrapbook, along with the cherished memory of my husband&#8217;s proposal in Lehigh Gorge State Park. That took place in 2000, sometime after my sister&#8217;s husband proposed to her in a state park and before my cousin&#8217;s husband proposed to her &#8212; where else? &#8212; in a state park.</p><p>Hmm. It almost sounds as if my family and friends spend more time outdoors than in.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption"><strong>Beyond the Byline</strong> Mary Therese Biebel </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_marytheresebiebel.jpg</photo0><caption0><strong>Beyond the Byline</strong> Mary Therese Biebel </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Fun, adventure of Pennsylvania state parks