COOLBAUGH TOWNSHIP -- The leaves are changing and are even starting to fall at Tobyhanna State Park, but Mother Nature hasn't quite gotten the message. Monday was another day of near-record heat, but people at the state park in Monroe County didn't seem to mind.
"I used to come here as a kid all the time more than 40 years ago, and I remembered it being very beautiful. It's actually more beautiful than I remembered, which I didn't think was possible," Claire Delabar of Takoma Park, Maryland said.
With a light breeze and water like glass, people at the state park could not get enough of the scenery Monday afternoon.
"It's just pristine, everything. The lake, the beach, the sunshine, it's just fantastic," Delabar said.
Linda Krulikowski and her friends live in A Pocono Country Place but often spend their afternoons at the state park for lunch when it is nice out.
"We are enjoying the summer weather. Maybe the last week of Indian Summer. We thought we would come and relax. I love the sun. The girls like to sit in the shade. I'm on the beach," Krulikowski said.
Along with the near-record heat is the humidity. While some stayed cool in the shade, others wanted to get in the water. At Tobyhanna State Park, the beach is closed for the season, so no swimming is allowed.
"I suggest they leave the swim area open at least three weeks in September for people to come, because they don't have a lifeguard here anyway, the nets are up," Francine Diolosa of Tobyhanna said.
While some were not loving the heat, they made the best out of their afternoon.
"I don't like the beach. I don't like the sand, so the grass is good, and the shade is good for me," Ann Cavanaugh of Tobyhanna said.
"It will be nice at the end of the week to actually wear long sleeves and not be sweating all the time," Delabar added.
There will be a big cool-down later this week. By then, it will feel more like fall.