First Swim at Black Moshannon

My husband and I have really been hitting the circuit lately. The swimming circuit, that is. We've swum at four state parks in about two weeks, since Memorial Day, when all of the beaches opened (a few opened the week before that). Bald Eagle was first, followed by Whipple Dam, then Canoe Creek. On this day, we tested the waters at Black Moshannon State Park.

The very first thing we did was to sit down at a pavilion and enjoy the hoagie we had picked up at Hall's in Julian on the way to the park. Yum! After that, I walked around taking some pictures. Above is a shot of the swimming area, as viewed from the other side of the lake. You can see a children's playground area on the left. The bathhouse (for changing, restrooms, and showers) is on the right.

The water is covered in water lilies now, in shades of white and pale pink. There are more dragonflies here than you can count. In fact, as I took this shot, there were probably two dozen of the little fellas flying around me. (If dragonflies make you squirm, this is NOT the place for you!)

The water itself is dark, from tannins. That is, in fact, how this park got its name. The water is black, so that's the black part of Black Moshannon. The Moshannon (a variation of Moss-Hanne) part means moose stream. No, there have not been moose in these parts in many years. The elk are coming back in Pennsylvania, but are primarily able to be viewed in Elk and Cameron counties, which is to say, nowhere near Blackie.

If you have a choice of bathing suits, I recommend one in a darker color. I would not wear white in these waters, as they may stain it. Also: rinse off your suit after. The water itself, when I got in, was cooler than I expected. In the order of warmer to coldest water, so far, we have: Bald Eagle, Canoe Creek, Black Moshannon, and Whipple Dam.

Greenwood Furnace takes the cake locally for cold water temps, but it tends to run neck and neck with R. B. Winter; we have not visited either of those places yet. (And R. B. Winter has similarly dark waters, almost oily, though not nearly as dark as Black Moshannon.)

The elevation is higher at Black Moshannon than it is in town; it is sort of a high bog, which is unique and interesting, and reminds my husband and myself a bit of Dolly Sods, in West Virginia - a place where he hung out in his grad school days, but that we haven't been to in years and years. Anyway, this means it may be a bit cooler at Blackie than where you are coming from; take along a long-sleeve shirt, which may keep you a bit warmer if you need to, and will help ward off the bugs.

My husband encountered some small biting flies near the swimming area that bit through his cotton socks. At a different area, where we went to sit by the lake, there were some larger biting flies. So be warned and prepared. (He also came home with a tick, which was a big surprise that he discovered upon taking his shirt off around midnight; I'm not sure we've seen any there so far, but be ye warned.) On the other hand, we did not see any mosquitoes or gnats, which we attribute to the very good work of the local dragonfly population.

After our swim, we moved the car further down the lake, away from the more populated areas, and sat in our chairs and finished our books and enjoyed the lake views. (I'm in the midst of three books by J.D. Robb in the In Death series, which I adore; the good news is I have several more coming on Monday's Bookmobile!)

Finally, it was time to leave the lake, which we did reluctantly, for it was a real peach of a summer's day: sunny, breezy, pleasant. We grabbed our bags and chairs and cooler and got in the car, and he turned on the ignition. Right then, I looked out the car window and spotted her: my first Pink Lady of Black Moshannon!

The sunlight shone right on her as though she were dancing in a spotlight, and I leapt out of the car as though a fire had been lit under me. I had to have some photos of the first pink lady's slipper orchid (Cypripedium acaule) I believe I have ever seen at Black Moshannon. It was almost as though the heavens opened up and the angels sang, just for her and for me! You may see a photo of that pink beauty in the extras.

Welll now, THAT was a lovely summer's day! It is my custom to include a soundtrack tune. And since I have two pictures, I've got two songs. First is the Doobie Brothers, with Black Water. Second is for the pink lady in the extras, in her shining spotlight: Sugarland, with Shine the Light.