Thursday, July 07, 2011

A run, crick or stream? A gap, notch or saddle? Which is it?

We're parked next to the Red Run at the moment. That got me to thinking about the difference between a run, creek, stream, etc. The following is from Wikipedia. Now I know. Mostly it's a regional difference in what such things are called.

"Kill in southern New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, and New Jersey comes from a Dutch language word meaning "riverbed" or "water channel", and can also be used for the UK meaning of 'creek'.
Run in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Maryland, or Virginia can be the name of a stream.
Branch, fork, or prong can refer to tributaries or distributaries that share the same name as the main stream, generally with the addition of a cardinal direction.
Branch is also used to name streams in Maryland and Virginia.
Falls is also used to name streams in Maryland. Little Gunpowder Falls and The Jones Falls are actually rivers named in this manner, unique to Maryland.
Stream and brook are used in Midwestern states, Mid-Atlantic states and New England.
Crick is used in some parts of the United States."

Earlier on this trip we passed through both gaps & notches. I was wondering about that as well. Here again is Wikipedia.

"There are many words for pass in the English-speaking world. In the United States, pass is very common in the West, the word gap is common in the southern Appalachians, notch in parts of New England, and saddle in northern Idaho."

Yesterday & earlier today we just poked around here & there. Stopped by a roadside stand and bought some zucchini and sweet corn for next weeks family get-together.
Took a look at an old covered bridge that is being refurbished. Right now, we're "camped" in a field by the Green Dragon Farmers Market & Auction. We've been here before. It's one of those places we enjoy returning to time & again. You can pull onto their site anytime after noon on Thursday and stay until noon, Saturday. No charge. Right now it's us and one other RV. We'll be heading out first thing Saturday to meet up with the girls.
I have a weather alert app. on my iPhone. I keep getting these Air Quality Alerts. Code Orange means that "air pollution concentrations within the region may be unhealthy for sensitive groups including children, people suffering from asthma, heart disease or other lung diseases and the elderly." The main recommendation is to not breath any more then necessary, don't exercise, etc. Mostly this comes from coal fired plants in PA & WV. A truly clear day in the Susquehanna Valley is quite rare.
Just now I got a severe weather & flood watch warning for this area. Hopefully, it will pass us by. We're parked in the shade next to a small run/stream/brook, or whatever. If it starts to rise, there is some nearby high ground we can move to. Right now, the MyRadar app., shows the majority of the storm to the south but the thunder is very noticeable.
iPhones & such can get addictive real quick. A year ago I couldn't imagine what I would do with one if I had it. Now it's become a valuable travel tool.

Another nice day. As long as we don't get washed away.







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