Maggie Flartey

The week before Irene hit, a customer stopped in the office about 45 minutes earlier than her appointment. She wanted to kill some time while waiting for her real estate agent. She asked me where can she could go that was close to see something of interest. Just 15 minutes from my office in Blakeslee is the Frances E. Walter Dam. It has some wonderful views. It's never crowded. So I suggested it to her and gave her the directions. She was in our office a week later and I asked her about it. She said it was awesome, she was a little nervous because you are on the top of the dam as you drive over it on a small two lane road. And you have to go to the other side to turn around. On the road leading to the dam, there is a picturesque stream and a picnic table nestled in the woods, close to the road near a small waterfall. Sometimes my husband will meet me for a picnic lunch there.

The project is about 1800 acres and it was designed by the Army Corp of Engineers to dam up the Lehigh River. With an 80-acre reservoir there is a boat launch area (no ramp), and there is a 10 hp limit. Swimming is not permitted. On the far side of the dam is a picnic area with plenty of tables and areas for charcoal grilling. You can enjoy hiking along side the Lehigh River. Fishing is good, as is hunting, in season, on adjacent Pennsylvania Game Commission lands. When they have dam releases, the Whitewater rafting downstream is very popular. Information on whitewater releases can be obtained by accessing the Philadelphia District Web site and checking under Francis E. Walter Dam. The watershed above the dam has been glaciated, resulting in scoured summits and valley walls and a number of ponds and swamps. How about some Frisbee Golf? The course is free and open to the public - bring your own Frisbee.

The Dam is easy to access. Just off the northeast extension of the Pa Turnpike, exit 95. Take Route 940 east about 1.5 miles to the entrance. From I-80, take exit 277 and head east on Route 940 about 1.5 miles. I guess this is the next place to take my grandsons - although they still want to go back to Boulder Field in Hickory Run State Park.

I found this site with some great pictures of the dam. http://www.google.com/search?q=francis+e+walter+dam&hl=en&rlz=1W1ADRA_en&biw=859&bih=468&prmd=ivns&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=CNtgTpmHJcycgQfI2-ipAQ&ved=0CF0QsAQ

Need a rental for the weekend? Go to www.PoconoVacationsOnline.com and check out our inventory.

Don't wait for the weekend to visit the Poconos. If you can, Tuesday and Wednesday of this week will be glorious. Perfect weather to Golf, Kayak, Hike and Bike or just soak in the lake. Temp will be in the mid 70's and perfect! Wonderful to be alive. One of the best things in this crazy real estate market is you can take time to "smell the roses" or the lake, in this case. That's me and Annie, one of my associates, doing just that! And if you need a place to say, check out our rental website: www.poconovacationsonline.com

Here is a 25,000 Acre Playground that you absolutely need to spend some time at.

Summer is winding down and many of the visiting tourists have gone home to get ready for fall and the upcoming school year. It's a little quieter in the Poconos this weekend so I want to suggest you visit Brady's Lake - wonderful for a quite walk around the lake or an easy mountain biking trip. The area consists of 25,000 acres and a 200+/- acre lake dedicated for fishing only - no swimming or beach areas are provided.

Built for the ice industry in the 1890's, ice harvesting was profitable up through the 1930's when the use of electricity eliminated the need to ship ice to the surrounding metro areas. When you walk around the west side of the lake you can see the remnants of one of the icehouses. The ice was cut from the lake, dragged by horses to the icehouse where it was stored. In the summer the ice was moved by rail cars to the cities. The trail is easily walked, up a hill and through some open fields. After about 3 miles you encounter an old railroad bed. Turn left and you will hook around and return the the lake. Turn right and you will eventually come out in Thornhurst. This time of year you will easily find wild blueberries and raspberries to snack on while you are walking. This is a great trail for easy to moderate mountain biking. From the entrance off Route 940 around the west side of the lake and back is about a 12 mile ride. You'll encounter some small hills, open fields and wildlife. I've spotted deer, turkey, grouse, turtles and an occasional black bear.

Unless you are biking, I suggest you stay away from the right side of the lake. Just recently I took my grandsons for a walk and rock throwing trip to Brady's only to discover they are timbering on the right side of the lake. The quite, tree covered trail is 25' wide and torn apart. Too bad. Does anyone know when the state allows companies to timber, how the companies get a contract and where the money goes? If you are biking on the right side of the lake, about 2 miles back you can find some trails that will continue northeast and eventually come out at Route 423. The timbering doesn't go back much more than 1 mile, anyway.

Keep this place in mind if you enjoy cross country skiing in the Winter. And the sportman can take advantage of the great hunting. I've recently seen more Kayak's on the lake, especially since the lake does not allow anything but electric motors, it really is a picturesque, tranquill spot for your kayak.

Check out the fall, winter and spring hunting season schedules so that you can be safe and visible to the hunters.

It's known as State Game Lands #127 and here is a link to the topo map: http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/gateway/PTARGS_0_2_126465_11363_0_43/http%3B/www.sgl.state.pa.us/zoom_maps.aspx?rgn=Northeast&sgl=127

Our company has more than 100 rental properties, all within 15 minutues of Bradys that you can rent for the weekend. Check them out at www.poconovacationsonline.com

It's that time again for the biggest draw in the Poconos over the next three days, NASCAR. Drivng down Route 115 towards the racetrack has the "carnival feel" as you pass all kinds of vendors. Saturday Country recording artist, Lauren Briant, will sing the National Anthem for the Good Sam RV Emergency Road Service 125, NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race. Later that evening she will perform a free concert in the Pocono Raceway infield for infield and RV guests at 7:00 PM -9:30 PM. A fireworks display will follow the concert. The BIG race is Sunday at 1:00. If this is your first time to the area, the years have refined the egress to the track and there is
little delay in getting there. However, most of the local residents not going to the race, either stay home or go out of the area for the day. With 100,000 extra people in the area, things can get a little congested. Visit
the racetrack site for more details at http://www.poconoraceway.com/

You can always find a great house online at http://www.poconovacationsonline.com
Close to the racetrack and near all the other attractions in the area including golf courses, Camelbeach, Quiet Valley, Eckley Miners Village andthe Casinos.

Looking for something else this weekend - there are tons of local carnivals hosted thorughout the
villages and towns. Local foods, fun rides and a great place to take the kids or grandkids for a few hours. My grandsons took their first ride on a Ferris Wheel with their friend Dylan. All three of them felt like "big
guys" doing it on their own. They are 4, 5 and 6 years old.

Last week's Blues Festival was a joy to attend. The music and weather was perfect for "The Blues" in the Poconos. And they used the snow making machines at Blue Mountain ski slope to mist the crowd and keep them "cool." Here is Joe Nemeth performing - what a suit!

The Blues Festival in the Poconos has been a tradition for more than 20 years. Although there is a change in location to Blue Mountain Ski Resort, the event will be better than ever. I have enjoyed the music year after year. I am excited to see that Shemekia Copeland will be the headlining closing act for the event. She is a consistent award winning blues artist every year. Most recently she earned the 2010 - Blues Blast Music Awards: Best Female Blues Artist and 2010 - Living Blues Reader Award: Female Blues Artist of the Year. If you want to see something special make sure you don’t miss her performance. I had the honor of selling Shemekia some Pocono Real Estate a few years ago. It gave me the opportunity to meet and become friends with her and her family. That's pretty cool - to sell a home to a great blues singer. By the way, if you want to rent a vacation home, Shemekia's is a great townhouse close to the ski slopes. Just give me a call.

Tickets to the Blues Festival are inexpensive: Adults - $35 each day, Ages 6 to 12 - $10 each day, Under 6 is Free!

The festival had been billed as one of the biggest blues festivals on the East Coast, drawing more than 12,000 people a year. 2 days, 2 stages and 15 national acts. Don’t miss it. Check it out at http://www.skibluemt.com/SkiBlue/info/special-events/pabluesfest.aspx

Camelbeach last week was the place to be in the heat. I didn't make it but hope you made it there. Here is Dylan enjoying the day. And don't forget - if you are looking for a great vacation rental - go to www.poconovacationsonline.com.