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Depending on how you measure it, one could make a case that the summer is two-thirds over. This is really the perfect time to assess what you'd plan to do this summer and renew that commitment over the next month.

For my own part I paddled down the Delaware River, rafted the Lehigh River, and boated on Lake Wallenpaupack. I attended concerts at Penn's Peak and the Sherman Theater, sampled Pennsylvania wine during the Split Rock Resort's Wine & Food Festival, enjoyed music at the Milford Music Festival, listened to the US Marine Corps Band during Mount Airy Salutes Our Troops, and attended my first NASCAR event during the Pocono 500 in June.

My passion for golf has lead me to tee it up at; Split Rock Resort, Hideaway Hills, Mountain Manor, Cherry Valley, Glen Brook, Skytop, Evergreen, Great Bear, Woodloch, Shawnee Inn, and Jack Frost National. While that seems like a lot, there is still more than a dozen to go.

There are still some other things on my to do list, that as yet, I have not gotten to: visiting Bushkill Falls, hiking part of the Appalachian Trail, mountain biking around Jim Thorpe, and attending some of our county/community fairs or festivals.

I'd like to hear from you. What have you done in the Pocono Mountains this summer? What else do you want to do? And lastly, why do they call this the "dog days of summer"?

One beautiful sunny day last week a group of twenty staff members of the Pocono Mountains Visitors Bureau took the opportunity to float a seven mile section of the Lehigh River from Jim Thorpe to beyond Lehighton. Our guides for the day came courtesy of Whitewater Challengers. With headquarters in White Haven, PA they offer float trips on various segments of the Lehigh River. Additionally, they have camping, kayak clinics, and trail biking opportunities. They did a marvelous job directing us through the rapids, over the rocks, providing both a lunch on the river and great buffet after the float. It really is a very beautiful stretch of the river running through parts of Lehigh Gorge State Park.  

The day was designed to foster teambuilding among the staff. Individuals were assigned rafts so that it would encourage interaction between people who don't interact on a daily basis. If other group's experiences were anything similar to ours, there is no doubt that a day on the river brings people together. Whether it was a matter of negotiating the rapids or water fights on the calmer parts of the river, I'd estimate everyone had a great time, and came away feeling better about the people they work with, and more positive about their relationship with them. 

What other kinds of teambuilding experiences have you had in the Pocono Mountains, or would you suggest?