Larry A. Smail's Blog

I love rural roads!

I, once again, headed for Cherry Run to enjoy

Cherry Run

some   quality time with nature. I elected to fish a mile long section of Cherry Run that isn’t stocked with trout.  This decision was made for a couple of reasons. I have many memories of this section as a boy.  My great Uncle Charly Yount and Great Aunt Hazel owned a small farm here. I have memories that I cherish. Oh, how I wish I could spend a day with these two… the salt of the earth!       

A corn field stood here many years ago. Today small trees  cover the field. We would come here for great home-cooked meals. I helped butcher chickens here. My dad and I gathered ice along the creek to make home-made ice cream. These two wonderful people died around 1975. Like I said, I sure would love top spend a day with them again!!

Jake

I fished this section as a boy enjoying many hours catching chubs and a few trout. Today, I cast a line into this section maybe eight times. The water was clear and low. I could see no trout, but seriously I just wanted to walk along and remember. I returned to my vehicle by walking higher up the hill through the woods again searching my thoughts.

Dwarf Ginseng

I drove south and parked again. here I could see a couple of brown trout. I caught both and released them. One, however, went belly up so I retreived it and dropped the fish off at my relatives for consumption.

  The weather was rapidly warming as I walked about the steep hill destined for stripping  for coal. I dug up some Hepitica; ferns and Sweet William to replant at home.

Wood Turtle

I managed to see some critters today too! I saw mockingbirds, 1 deer;  a red fox; Wood Turtle (Commonly known as a Land Turtle locally.) three groups of turkeys; squirrels;  pileated woodpecker;  towhees; mallards; wood ducks; geese and many small birds.

Old stone foundation.

As the evening approached I spent two hours riding bike on the Rails To trails from Kittanning, Pennsylvania to Rosston.

Slug