2009: The year in review

Places Visited (With my favorite post about them linked):

Allentown Parks:
Canal Park
- The complete park log with a history of the Lehigh Canal and explorations of surrounding areas
Cedar Beach Parkway
- This post has a great video of bats feeding at sunset in late summer
East Side Reservoir
- A forgotten park in the full beauty of Autumn
Fountain Park
- An early popular post telling the story of an anxiety attack while stuck on a ten foot high wall in the park.
Jordan Meadows
- A simple look around on a hot July afternoon
Jordan Park
- My most recent post about the conditions at Jordan Park which I devoted alot of posts to over the course of 2009.
Keck Park
- An early park journey and one of the only posts on Remember about Keck Park.
Kimmet's Lock
-Long before the Eagle Scout path created national news, I visited Kimmet's Lock and took a walk on the trestle bridge which remains one of my favorite journeys on Remember.
Lehigh Parkway
- The compilation of a few park logs that tell the story of the Lehigh Parkway.
Muhlenberg Lake
- I had such fun on a paddle boat in the lake.
Old Fairgrounds Playground
- A story of a volunteer clean up of an urban oasis. I was proud to be involved and it was evident that it made a difference in the neighborhood, even if it was for just one afternoon.
Percy B Ruhe Park
- A unique park that is vital to the community, and worth more than a passing look.
South Mountain
- What a place. I have yet to cover it completely, there are many stories to share. This a view of the mountain in autumn.
Trexler Park
- In many ways, this is the standard for Allentown parks. This post is a journey into the wilder parts of the park.
Trout Creek Parkway
- One of the most beautiful and forgotten parks in the city. It is sad to see it in such a state.
Union Terrace
- The grandest of WPA creations.
West Park
- This is the post that started it all way back in April.
The Fish Hatchery
- Complete with a crazy video of fish feeding.

The River Journeys

Over the summer I traced and documented the journey of two of the major streams that form the heartbeats of our parks. Sometimes difficult, oftentimes left bleeding but happy, these trips were incredible and eye opening:
The Journey of Cedar Creek
The Journey of Trout Creek

The Canal Parks:

The Lehigh Canal has dominated the history of the Valley like nothing else save the Bethlehem Steel. In the present day, the Canal is no longer the pulsing vein of manufacturing and industry. It is now the life blood of many parks and most importantly, the incredible D+L Towpath Trail.
Allentown's Canal Park
Northampton's Canal Park
Hanover Township's Canal Park
Sand Island Park
The Lehigh Canal

Further Journeys:

Bake Oven Knob
- The most majestic place visited thus far on Remember.
The Forks of the Delaware
- The intersection of the Lehigh River and the Delaware. Epic.
Jordan Creek Parkway
- A huge, wild, and beautiful expanse of nature in Whitehall.
Leaser Lake
- Traversing an empty lake and broken dam near New Tripoli.
Monocacy Nature Center
- A beautiful nature preserve in Bethlehem.
South Mountain (Bethlehem)
- All about mushrooms.
WPA Projects in Saucon Park and Monocacy Park
- Views of more fabled edifices.
The Lehigh Valley Zoo
- Penguins, Buffalo, etc..


Disc Golf
Lehigh Parkway
Wehr's Mill (Covered Bridge Park)


Riparian Buffers: 2009

My Favorite Post:

I wrote a special series of posts talking about the purpose of city parks, which remain my favorite work that I have done on Remember:

The Purpose of City Parks


Other Favorites:

Visiting a Ghost
- I had the incredible opportunity to tour the inside of the dilapidated Neuweiler Beer Factory in Allentown this summer. This is a post not to be missed.

I hosted a few meet-ups in the parks over the summer which were well attended. Let me thank everyone who came out one more time and if you haven't taken a look at these posts yet, make sure to.
The First Walk in the Park
A Walk in Trexler Park
Picnic in the Park

Without question, the most time spent and the topic most discussed on Remember in 2009 was the Cedar Beach construction projects.
The Construction So Far
- A recap of what had been done over the summer around the Rose Garden prior to the paving of the paths around the reflecting pools.
Planting a Riparian Buffer
- A documentation of a day long volunteer effort to plant a new Riparian Buffer along the Cedar Creek in Cedar Beach Parkway. I was so stoked to be able to help do this and I eagerly await spring to see it begin to grow.
CBP: The good, the bad, the ugly, and the What?
- Following our planting, the sad result of paving the paths around the ponds.

Miscellany:
Hamburger Barbecue
- This post remains one of the most consistently clicked on through google searches.
Ice Cream
- My very first post, long before I ever wrote about parks.
Italian Salad
-- My second post, when I thought I was going to be writing a blog about food.


Goodbye 2009. There were many posts I did not include above, but I think that I have offered a pretty good wrap up. Thanks for reading.