How Cold Is It? The Saga Continues

The polar vortex came and went last week, but not before setting off a winter weather Trailheads throwdown. I posted a photo last week shared by the folks at Pennsbury Manor showing ice on the Delaware River. From the opposite corner of the state, I received a tongue-in-cheek note from Linda Bolla at the Erie Maritime Museum and Flagship Niagara, a frequent contributor to Trailheads. With her permission, I’m including an excerpt and a couple of Linda's photos:

Ice_Fishermen_Erie_PA_January_2014_by_Linda_Bolla
Flagship_Niagara_agitators_keep_ice_at_bay_by_Linda_Bolla
Top: Ice Fishermen, Erie Bay
Bottom: Agitators keep the ice away from Niagara's hull
Photos by Linda Bolla, January 2014
"Oh, Amy – do you really think that puny ice sheet at Pennsbury Manor impresses anyone up here in the great northwest (insert coyote howl)? Erie has led the pack all this year as #1 Snowiest US City…and as I write, we’re still well ahead of Buffalo, despite their latest efforts to unseat us….We Erie folks all know in our hearts that when Paul Allman Siple (see PHMC historical marker in front of the Erie Maritime Museum) devised the “Wind Chill Index,” he was not thinking about his adventures with Admiral Byrd in Antarctica, but rather was fondly remembering his boyhood in Erie, walking to school on a typical winter’s day.

"The U.S. Brrrrrr-ig Niagara would be held fast in the ice were it not for strategically placed agitators keeping the water moving alongside her hull. The crew is working diligently on off-season maintenance tasks, often outdoors. Even as I write, we are experiencing a bit of a heat wave (38° F), which has not totally discouraged ice fishermen, who prefer it a bit brisker. Erie Bay had frozen all the way over earlier this week, when temps were closer to -10° F, and will refreeze next week."
Thanks, Linda, for the response. I am hopeful that this does not escalate into a full-on Trails of History [censored] contest. Unless it would increase readership—then I’m all for it.


Mobile_Energy_Education_Training_Unit_from_Drake_Well_Museum
Drake Well Museum’s Mobile Energy Education Training Unit (MEET-U) received some good news coverage this week when it visited the Learning Enrichment Center in Warren County.

Upcoming programs:
Friday, Jan. 17 (i.e. tonight)
  • 3rd in the Burg, opening reception for the Susquehanna Art Museum Doshi Gallery’s new exhibit, “Lost World/Found World,” State Museum of Pennsylvania, 6-8 pm, admission free
Saturday, Jan. 18
Sunday, January 19
  • Fireside Tales, Daniel Boone Homestead, 2 pm, $2 suggested donation per child
Monday, January 20
Saturday, January 25
  • Folk Art & Friendship: Make a heart-shaped tin basket, Landis Valley Village & Farm Museum (registration required)

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