| "If your dog is fat," the old saying
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| | adjoining Succession and Flood Plain
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| goes, "you aren't getting enough
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| | Trails visit meadow, marsh, pond and
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| exercise." But walking the dog need not
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| | forest landscapes.Theodore Burr built a
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| be just about a little exercise. Here are
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| | bridge spanning the Hudson River at
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| 10 cool things you can see in greater
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| | Waterford, New York in 1804. He added an
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| Philadelphia while you hike with your
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| | arch segment to the multiple truss bridge
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| dog.FOLK ARTIn 1855, a hotel entrepreneur
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| | popular at the time, attaining a longer
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| built a new inn on Rex Avenue. To draw
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| | span. Patented in 1817, the Burr Arch
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| attention to his hostelry he constructed
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| | Truss became one of the most common in
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| an Indian from old barn boards and
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| | the construction of covered bridges. The
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| propped it up on top of a rock
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| | Larkin's Bridge, a 65-foot long, 45-ton
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| overlooking the Gorge. In 1902, when the
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| | "Burr Arch" covered bridge erected in
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| Indian Rock Hotel was long gone but with
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| | 1854 and rebuilt in 1881, was relocated
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| the silhouette still there, artist Massey
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| | to the northeast section of the park in
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| Rhind was commissioned to make a
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| | 1972. Larkin's Covered Bridge is the only
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| representation of a "Delaware Indian,
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| | remaining legacy of Milford Mills.In 1850
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| looking west to where his people have
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| | Albert Fink, a German railroad engineer,
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| gone." The kneeling warrior has gazed up
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| | designed and patented a bridge that used
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| the Wissahickon Gorge ever since. A
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| | a latticework of rods instead of cables
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| switchback trail leads to the Indian
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| | to reinforce stiffness. This construction
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| Statue where you can get close enough to
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| | was cheap and sturdy, making the Fink
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| pat his knee. And take in a breathtaking
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| | Truss one of the most commonly used
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| view.MONUMENTAL M0NUMENTSThe Multi-Use
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| | railroad bridges in the 1860s, especially
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| Trail rolls past reconstructed huts and
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| | favored by the powerful Baltimore & Ohio
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| parade grounds that transport you back to
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| | Railroad, Only one Fink Truss bridge
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| the Revolution. The National Memorial
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| | remains in the United States - an
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| Arch, a massive stone tribute dedicated
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| | abandoned 108-foot span in Zoarsville,
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| in 1917, stands out along the route. The
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| | Ohio. A wooden reproduction of a Fink
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| inscription reads: "Naked and starving as
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| | Truss is in a field at Warwick County
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| they are, we cannot enough admire the
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| | Park for you and your dog to climb.CANAL
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| incomparable patience and fidelity of the
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| | LOCKPennsylvania's first canal system was
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| soldiery. Washington at Valley Forge,
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| | cobbled together in 1815 using 120 locks
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| February 16, 1778." In the southern part
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| | to stretch 108 miles from the coal fields
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| of White Clay, reached by the Twin Valley
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| | of Schuylkill County to Philadelphia.
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| Trail, is the Arc Corner Monument marking
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| | Railroads began chewing away at canal
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| one end of the 12-mile arc which forms
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| | business in the 1860s and the last coal
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| the Pennsylvania-Delaware state line,
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| | barges floated down the Schuylkill River
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| unique in American political
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| | in the 1920s. Today, the only sections of
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| boundary-making. The circular divide
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| | the canal in existence are at Manayunk
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| dates to William Penn's directive of
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| | and Lock 60, built by area name donor
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| August 28, 1701, when Delaware was still
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| | Thomas Oakes, at the Schuylkill Canal
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| a part of Pennsylvania, known as the
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| | Park. In 1985 the Schuylkill Canal
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| Lower Three Counties. A little more than
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| | Association formed to keep the canal
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| 1/2 mile to the west is another monument
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| | flowing and maintain the lock and
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| marking the tri-state junction of
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| | towpath. In 1988, the area was added to
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| Delaware,Pennsylvania and
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| | the National Register of Historic
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| Maryland.AMERICAN CASTLESBreaking out of
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| | Places.CHAMPION TREESThe Taylor Memorial
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| the woods at several points on the
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| | Arboretum provides a 12-Tree Self-Guided
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| hilltops you are greeted with an
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| | Tour. The collection is especially strong
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| unparalleled view of Granogue, one of the
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| | in Far Eastern specimens and spotlights
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| more spectacular of the American castles
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| | three Pennsylvania State Champion trees:
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| dotting the Brandywine Valley's chateau
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| | the Needle Juniper, the Lacebark Elm and
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| lands.MOVIE LOCATIONSFlying concentric
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| | the Giant Dogwood. Also on the tour is a
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| circles outward from Philadelphia,
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| | Dawn Redwood, an ancient tree known only
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| Hollywood location scouts for Oprah
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| | through fossils until 1941 when a botany
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| Winfrey's movie project, Beloved, spotted
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| | student tracked down living specimens in
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| the Fair Hill terrain and selected it as
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| | rural China. Some of the first seed to
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| the backdrop for the film's rural scenes.
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| | come to America resulted in this tree.
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| A ramshackle 19th-century tenant farm was
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| | Liberated from their sun-stealing
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| constructed and much of the movie shot
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| | neighbors of the crowded woods, the
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| here. The producers decided to leave the
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| | "King" and "Queen" White Oaks have spread
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| movie set intact, to deteriorate
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| | out into a massive canopy of leaves. The
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| naturally. You can wander among the fake
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| | "Queen" measures seventeen feet around at
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| buildings and even knock on the styrofoam
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| | the thickest part of the trunk and the
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| stones.COOL FORTSWhere else can a dog
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| | "King" is closer to twenty. The two trees
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| climb into an actual battery and scan the
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| | are part of the "Penn's Woods" collection
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| Delaware River where gunnery officers
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| | of 139 trees standing when William Penn
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| once aimed guns capable of accurately
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| | arrived to survey his Pennsylvania
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| firing 1,000-pound projectiles eight
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| | colony.The arboreal oldsters reside at
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| miles like he can at Fort Mott State
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| | the last stop of the nature trail.
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| Park? Fort DuPont, named for Civil War
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| | bacterial infection. Awbury Arboretum in
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| fleet commander Admiral Samuel Francis
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| | East Germantown was the summer estate of
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| duPont, saw active duty in three wars
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| | 19th century Quaker shipping merchant
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| before becoming a state park. The 1-mile
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| | Henry Cope. Across the 55 acres are
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| River View Trail, a grassy loop path,
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| | plantings of groves and clusters of trees
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| begins in the marshland along the
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| | set amidst large swaths of grss fields in
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| Delaware River and finishes in shaded
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| | the English landscape garden tradition.
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| woodlands. The trail takes you past
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| | You can investigate more than 200
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| several ruins of the military
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| | species, mostly native, in your informal
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| installation, camoflauged to river
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| | explorations of the grounds. Old macadam
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| traffic, and features sustained views of
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| | paths lead to most areas of the
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| the Delaware River and Fort Delaware on
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| | odd-shaped property. Also on the grounds
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| Pea Patch Island.REMARKABLE BRIDGESIn the
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| | are wetlands surrounding an artificial
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| farthest northern section of Tyler State
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| | pond.BARNSWhile many of the Hospital
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| Park is the longest covered bridge in
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| | Farm's buildings have disappeared, the
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| Bucks County. The 117-year old Schofield
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| | unique dairy barn remains. Built in 1914,
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| Ford Covered Bridge burned in 1991 but
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| | it is shaped like a wheel with four
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| after five years of fundraising the
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| | spokes. The fame of the hospital's dairy
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| 166-foot, two-span crossing was entirely
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| | operation was widespread. In 1961 alone,
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| rebuilt by volunteers on its original
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| | nine cows produced 1.1 million pounds of
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| stone abutments using authentic period
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| | milk - more than 300 pounds of milk per
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| materials and methods. An elaborate,
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| | cow per day.The Visitor Center is a
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| reinforced wooden railroad trestle
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| | restoration of a 1923 Sears & Roebuck
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| bridges a ravine on the Glen Trail. The
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| | mail order barn. A century ago Sears sold
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| trail runs by a stream under the trestle
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| | anything and everything by mail -
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| and there are sweeping views of Wenonah
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| | including kits for building houses and
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| Woods from the top.A walk through
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| | barns. The kit, which could cost as
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| Brandywine Park provides a quick lesson
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| | little as a few hundred dollars depending
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| is the history of bridge architecture.
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| | on style, would include rough lumber,
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| The classical arch form is represented in
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| | framing timbers, plank flooring,
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| grand style with the magificent stone
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| | shingles, hardware, sash and paint.
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| viaduct across the river and numerous
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| | Usually shipped by train from the west,
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| reinforced concrete spans. There is even
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| | the barn kit would be loaded onto a
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| a small iron arch bridge over the mill
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| | freight wagon and hauled to the building
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| race. A prototypical 19th century pier
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| | site for assembly by local
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| and girder iron bridge transports trains
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| | carpenters.COOL ROCKSForty million years
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| over the Brandywine. And the pedestrian
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| | ago an igneous explosion occurred
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| footbridge across the water, the Swinging
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| | underground here and cooled very quickly
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| Bridge, is a little suspension bridge
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| | leaving behind a particularly fine
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| employing the same engineering principles
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| | granite rock. Tourists and students of
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| as the mythical Brooklyn Bridge.A
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| | geology alike made the pilgrimmage to the
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| floodplain is a safety valve for the
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| | Falls of French Creek to study the rock
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| release of a raging creek's overflow.
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| | formations. Granite quarries mined the
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| Along the Paper Mill Trail, just off the
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| | rock and granite from Saint Peters once
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| Creek Road Trail, is an exhibit on
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| | received an award at the 1893 World's
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| managing these protective wetlands that
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| | Columbian Exposition in Chicago as "a
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| create a unique wildlife habitat. The
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| | fine-grained polished cube, a good
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| stone double-arch bridge next to the
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| | building and ornamental stone." The
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| floodplain exhibit was built in 1847. The
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| | quarries closed in the 1960s and many
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| fall line on the Pennypack Creek was the
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| | pits can still be seen. Today the giant
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| natural choice for fording the creek back
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| | boulders in French Creek are ideal for
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| to Indian days. William Penn was not so
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| | your dog to sramble on - or just lie in
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| patient in waiting for the tide to take
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| | the sun. Mountain in State Game Land
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| the water away each day and in 1683 he
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| | #157. The mountain is essentially a ridge
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| asked that "an order be given for
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| | of diabase boulders and the trail to the
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| building a bridge over the Pennypack."
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| | top calls for almost continuous
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| Each male resident was taxed in either
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| | rock-hopping, a technique called
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| money or labor to build the bridge,
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| | bouldering. The basaltic rock provides
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| which, when completed in 1697, became the
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| | incredible traction.And our vote for the
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| first Three Arch Stone bridge in America.
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| | coolest thing of all on Philadelphia
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| Designated a National Civil Engineering
| |
| | trails - the "Ringing Rocks" in Ringing
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| Landmark, the bridge over Frankford
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| | Rocks Park where the rocks ping when
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| Avenue in Pennypack Park is the oldest
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| | struck by a hammer - or thud on "dead "
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| stone bridge still carrying heavy traffic
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| | spots.copyright 2006I am the author of
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| in America. Germantown Pike was the first
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| | over 20 books, including 8 on hiking with
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| road to be started in Montgomery County,
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| | your dog, including the
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| dating to 1687 when funds were allocated
| |
| | widely praised The Canine Hiker's Bible.
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| for a "cart road" from Philadelphia to
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| | As publisher of Cruden Bay Books, we
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| the Plymouth Meeting settlement. Later
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| | produce the innovative A Bark In The
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| extended to present-day Collegeville, an
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| | Park series of canine hiking books found
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| eight arch stone bridge was built to span
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| | at
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| Skippack Creek in 1792. An equestrian
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| | During the warm months I lead canine
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| trail crosses the bridge, which is the
| |
| | hikes as
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| oldest bridge in continuous, heavy use in
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| | tour leader for tours, leading packs of
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| America. Ashland Covered Bridge, built in
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| | dogs and humans on
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| the days before the Civil War; the
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| | day and overnight trips.
|
