Caledonia – September 2019

Nine of us joined Leslie for a ramble from her family's cabin, out near Caledonia Park. The cabin, built by Leslie's great-grandparents, was filled with interesting photos and artifacts. After the 6 mile morning walk followed by lunch, several of us put together one of the old wooden puzzles which proved surprisingly difficult.  Six, along with Leslie and her sister, Terry, spent the night. A big thank you to Leslie sharing the cabin with the rambles. And the weather was perfect!

Left to right in the photo:

Top row: Carol, Anna, Leslie, Deb, Leann

Second row: Christy, Marilyn, Joan

Bottom: Lisa, Kathy

Downtown York – August 16, 2019

For our August ramble, eight of us were lead by Jan Botterbusch on a 4 mile loop to see a variety of buildings designed by the Dempwolf firm, architects who greatly influenced the look of York. 

Maureen, Joan, Anna, Jan, Lynne, Peggy, Carol (Deb was the photographer)

We saw and learned about different styles (Romanesque, Baroque, Art Deco), materials (brick, stone, ceramic), types of buildings (homes, public buildings, churches) and Dempwolfs (founder John Augustus, brother Reinhardt and JA's son Frederick). 

Of the many churches the Dempwolf firm designed, we saw the first - St. John’s on West King St. - and the last - Union Lutheran on West Market St. 

We also visited the sanctuary of Union Lutheran where we marveled at the image-filled windows. Along the way we also passed the former homes of some of those rambling, so many personal memories were shared as well.  

Thank you, Jan, for a different kind of ramble!

Rail Trail Brillhart Station – July 19, 2019

It's been sweltering hot, but an early start, a shady path, and cheerful companions proved to be a winning combination for our Friday ramble.  We met at Brillhart Station and walked south on the rail trail, just beyond the Howard Tunnel.

We were back to our cars by 10:15 – the perfect time for five of the eight to have brunch at Janina's. Thanks to Lisa who made the trek from her new home in Carlisle to lead us on this summer ramble. Thanks also to Deb and Fran for supplying the photos.

Charlotte, Fran, Kate, Carol, Christy, Janie, Lisa (Photo by Deb) 

Spring Valley Park – June 21, 2019

Christy Fawcett hosted our Ramble in Spring Valley Park.   This park is the former farm of Poet Lee Anderson, who studied at Yale and painstakingly wrote poems that read like “symphonies”.  “He was a much loved and gentle man” and was worried about humankind destroying itself with “the bomb”.  One poem, call “Potosi” was named after the small community nearby—fellow Ramblers knew people from there.

This area is also famous for the Hex murder in 1928 where a trio assailed a farmer in Rehmeyers Hollow because they thought he had cast a spell on them since he was a practitioner of white magic.  They murdered and set his body on fire, were sent to jail for their crimes but not for long! Ana Ortman knows where the Hollow is located so get her to take you there, if you dare!

Carol Stowell
(717) 292-0708

Millbourne – May 10, 2019

A record number of ramblers showed up for what started out as a dreary morning to walk the grounds of Millbourne, the estate of Louis and Jody Appell. The weather gods were with us as the rain stopped and we rambled through the paths and gardens of this beautiful property. Thanks to Deb Lord for making the arrangements.

In attendance:  Deb Lord, Janie McKnight, Kate Haldeman, Kathy Young, Ana Ortman, Carol Stamer, Mary Burkholder, Jan Botterbusch, Rosa Luz Catterall, Charlotte Aldinger, Susan Bradfield, JoAnn Hankey, Sue Shannon, Carol Stowell, Christy Fawcett, Kara Smith, Sonya Smith, Kem Mirsky, Peggy Flannelly, Ro Sullivan.

Hollow Creek Greenway Trail – April 19, 2019

We may have had a record crowd show up for today's ramble!
(The dog belonged to the passing couple we asked to photograph the group)

We even had a wee rambler, Izzy, with her mom, Rita.

The creek flows through woodlands and open spaces on this lovely, level 3-mile out-and-back walk.

The Vinegar Ferry Mystery Ramble – March 15, 2019

The Vinegar Ferry Mystery Ramble

This name was coined after a series of mishaps with communications and directions (of course Vinegar Ferry Road was part of the story!) ... There were 9 of us but we started at 3 different locations--thanks to Carol's "leadership" (This is what happens when you put Carol, an Improv lady, in charge!) The good news is we eventually found each other either on the trail or at lunch at McCleary's Pub, recovering!!  We tried to figure out how many miles we walked but since we started at numerous locations, that was also a challenge!! Biggest estimate was 5, 6 miles.  Our First Ramble of the season in WARM 60's weather, no rain, and a group of ladies sharing stories and laughing about the silliness of it all.

Carol

Joan, Anna, Kate, Chris, Sue. Not shown: Carol, Kathy, Jan, Fran

North York Kauffman Park

After a dreary and wet February, we had springlike temps for our February Ramble.  Plenty of bright sunshine and 50+ temps had all 8 ramblers in very good spirits. 

We began our walk at the little known North York Kauffman Park.  We followed the eventual Rail Trail route to Pershing Ave to see where the new and existing trails will meet.  From there it was on to two urban gardens, Prospect Hill Cemetery, and North York back streets.  We ended up walking just over 4 miles, instead of the 2.5 miles as advertised.  Must have been the sun at our backs that kept us going.  Some of the group enjoyed a yummy lunch afterwards at District Thai on N George. A pretty great way to spend a February Friday!

Joan