Wissahickon Trails

Yesterday we went back to the Wissahickon. We all agreed that it was not the BEST experience, but we got a good understanding of the disadvantages of the trail route we took. It was very steep, rocky, muddy and unpaved. It was difficult to hike, and it lacked sufficient signage. We saw how a user of the park could easily get lost there. Here are some suggestions that we think would improve the trail:

- Trashcans/ Recycling bins along the trail

- Signs (trail markers, caution & wildlife info)

- Benches for resting

- Hand rails (for difficult areas)

- Maps of the trail along the trail

We visited several landmarks including Hermit Cave. It was a small hutch that a small religious group (cult) hid in to protect themselves from the end of the world. The hutch was small, dark, and smelled really bad. One notable feature in the cave was that there was a white cross on the back wall. Another landmark we saw was the 'I wish I was Fishin'/Flowers memorial. We think it was a memorial for someone who died in the park. Lover's Leap was another place we went to. It was basically a cliff overlooking Lincoln Drive. We passed by a golf course too. That's where we took a rest, and watched people play for a little while.

**Photo courtesy of ushistory.org

Katrina Tempest in Crecent City

The following link will direct you to a game that Laura showed us on Wednesday that went along with the movie about Hurricane Katrina. Enjoy :)
http://tempestincrescentcity.ning.com/game

Wissahickon Valley

For About 1 1/2 centuries, the Wissahickon Valley has been considered a hot spot. It offers tourists the only red covered bridge in a major city. By wandering upper trails you see the Indian And Toleration statues in the craggy gorge walls. Valley Green Inn since the 1850s has been a place to dine. Wissahickon is known for having the city's first drinking fountain. Wisshickon Valley has also, for years, harbored beautiful scenery that tourists are interested in seeing.

Courtesy of http://www.fairmountpark.org/WissahickonValleyPark.asp

-Quan man

Trail markers and Erosion at Fairmount park.

While we were at Fairmount Park, there were many trail makers around. We also saw many areas along the creek that suffered from erosion. This erosion was caused by floods that damaged the soil over time. Most of the trail markers around the park, that we saw, pertained to pedestrians or hikers on foot. They also had help markers if you got lost. These would allow you to call park officials and they would know where you were according to the number on the marker. The signage and trail makers in the park were good but we think that more signs could be added and placed in better areas.

By M.B

Wissahickon Valley Park

After taking part in the walk through half of Wissahickon Valley Park, I have been opened to a different environment to my city I call my own. After walking through the park, I had many questions and concerns that I took into my own hands to do research on, some that maybe even people that are reading this particular blog will be interested in. Did you ever think what goes on in these special parks? Why they are recognized and labeled "Special" over many other Parkways? Well here goes some insight onto what Wissahickon Valley Means to Philadelphia.
Wissahickon Valley park is one of the largest city parks in the world, that stretches 1,800 acres which is a part of Philadelphia's 9,200-acre Fairmount Park, alone the Wissahickon Creek runs through its entire seven-mile lengh. The park extends from Chestnut Hill in the north to Manayunk in the southwest. The friends of the Wissahickon, FOW, which is a non-profit organization, has been giving back, dedicated to working and advocating for the park since 1924. Nevertheless, FOW is one of the oldest and largest of more than 80 Friends of Park groups in Philadelphia. They also conserve the forrest and creek, restore trails, and preserves the Park's historical structure for the Fairmount Park as well.

After learning new things more about the Wissahickon Valley Park makes me appreciate it more when I drive by it, knowing the information I know.

-Natasha Connor

Vegetation

During the time I spent in the park yesterday, I noticed that men were working in the park removing plants growing alongside the river. They said it was poison ivy and they had to take it out because it was taking over the land and kept the other plants from growing. The men also said that having the plants there was hazardous to pedestrians because people could hide in the vegetation and jump out and mug people.
-Barbie <3

This Week:

Monday: We listened to a woman who talked about the advantages of Twitter. She explained how to use it and how to get people to follow us, and how to draw attention to our blog. We also got to mess around with google sketch up. We made models of either our bedroom, dream bedroom, or dream house. It was fun, and we'd like to work with sketch up again.
Tuesday: We took the R6 to Wissahickon and Kevin took us on a tour through the park. We walked up the trail, while Kevin explained how the park was eroding.
Wednesday: We watched a movie called When the Levees Broke. It was about hurricane Katrina and its devastating effects on the city of New Orleans. It was sad to see how so many people died because the government hadn't taken immediate action to help the victims of the "natural" disaster.
Thursday: We took another trip to the Wissahickon Park and walked down Kelly Drive. Dr. Masucci, Sadie and Lily toured us through the park pointing out several things that could be improved to make the park be more accessible to the parks users.

Ben Franklin Experience

In this blog each individual will express a little bit of information and keys that they learned while walking the parkway:

Laquan Dunbar: "I personally learned how to look at different statues in a different light and how to learn how symbolic they are."

Daneisha Williams: "I learned people use the parks in many different ways, some in which to harm or help the environment."

Bianca Rios: "I learned that the city has many historically enriching monuments that to contribute to our wonderful city's beauty."

Shaquan Perry: "I learned how important the landmarks and statues live beyond the history that we know."

Marcel Bowens: "My personal experience at the park was tiring, hot, but at the same time I learned that sculptures are really important to Philadelphia's history."

Naomieh Jovin: "During in our walk through the parkway I learned new things about the history of Philadelphia such as, how the parkway has changed and the civils rights movements."

Natasha Connor: "As I walked through the parkway, I realized how structured the surrounding were and how the city is made up of various organized green and building spaces."

This is a map of the route we took: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3022308

Ben Franklin Parkway Trip

Google Sketch-Up

On Tuesday, to start off the day we played the category game as well as the question game. Then, shortly afterward we walked over to the Anderson Building where we were exposed to the Google sketch up program; we learned that you can make 3d models and figures of houses and cars...etc. Also, we came to our individual computer lab to try out the Google program ourselves. Each individual started off creating indifferent masterpieces as well as adding their own creativity. Following, Ms.Laura explained to each group about the next assignment,Walking to the Ben Franklin Parkway. We are going to be interacting as well as checking out each historical landmarks as well as taking photos of them to add to our presentation and next blog.

Historical Landmarks

Monday, we started off by playing games we played a game called questions where you ask someone called a question and you cant answer it and you must say another question. Then we played a game where Aadill made these signs out of pen. We had to research these four historical landmarks they where the OIC, Jesse Fausset, Church of the Advocate and the universal negro improvement association. Then we went to all of those places and then recorded our personal opinions about the places in journals.

An Inconvenient Truth :'(

On Friday we watched the movie, An Inconvenient Truth. It was about how global warming is affecting the earth. We learned that many of Earth's landforms are being destroyed. The polar ice caps are melting, glaciers are disappearing and lakes are drying up. The movie was narrated by Al Gore. IT WAS SO LONGGGGGGG!!!!

Community and Social Media

This is a video that we watched about social media. It tells a story about how social media expands a small community by sharing different ideas, tips and comments on how to make different flavors of ice cream better.

What We've Done

The first day, Monday July 6, 2009, we introduced ourselves with an ice breaker which involved creating toys from scratch. We also played Two Truths and a Lie. We had lunch at the "Sexy" Green Truck and we loved it! The following day, we were introduced to Google Maps and played a trivia game. After that, we went on a scavenger hunt throughout Temple University's campus. Here we are today creating gmail accounts, our blog, and posting our very first entry. We're excited for the coming weeks so keep coming back to see us!