Pennsylvania | The Beauty Around Us

An Overnight Getaway and Motorcycle Sale

On Thursday, March 30th, Bob placed an ad on Facebook Marketplace to sell his motorcycle. One day later Tomas, who lives in the Poconos, told Bob that he had cash and wanted to buy the motorcycle. Agreement was made to meet in Wellsboro PA to consummate the sale. Bob marked the motorcycle as “sale pending”.

We left home around noon on Thursday, April 6th, en route Wellsboro. We traveled with two vehicles. I drove the car, and Bob rode the motorcycle. We arrived in Wellsboro around 3:00 pm and checked into Sherwood Motel for the night. Bob wore chaps and a leather coat, but he said that the ride from Warren to Wellsboro was chilly. The temperature hovered in the low 50s. Thankfully there were only a few drops of rain during the ride to Wellsboro.

Shortly after checking in and getting settled in our room we walked the short distance (0.3 miles) to Timeless Destination, where we ate dinner. Timeless Destination is an Italian and all world cuisine restaurant. Bob ordered a Mushroom and Swiss Burger with salad and two beers. I ordered lasagna, which was accompanied with salad and bread. The restaurant wasn’t busy, most probably owing to the fact it was only 4:00 pm. The service was good; the food was delicious. I brought back to our hotel room half of my lasagna and some of the bread. Staying at Sherwood Motel earned us a 15% discount on our dinner order.

Back at Sherwood Motel we made use of the whirlpool tub, individually. It would be nice if the whirlpool bath was large enough for two people. Bob wasn’t impressed. He would rather make use of a hot tub. I would agree, but still found the whirlpool bath relaxing. Neither of us would want a whirlpool bath installed in our home.

This morning we walked across the street from Sherwood Motel and ate breakfast at Dunkin’ Donuts. After breakfast we returned to our room, where we relaxed for a few hours.

Around 10:40 am we met Tomas at Mountain Notary & Tag Service, which was located just around the corner from Sherwood Motel. Tomas gave Bob the agreed-upon cash to purchase the motorcycle. He, then, loaded the motorcycle into his trailer, while I counted the cash. After the motorcycle was loaded, Bob and Tomas went inside the notary & tag service building to effect the transfer of title. The sale and transfer of the motorcycle went smoothly. It surprised me that Tomas didn’t want to take the motorcycle for a test ride. Bob said Tomas didn’t have to, as he knows the motorcycle. Bob said Tomas was the perfect buyer.

The motorcycle Bob sold today was purchased new in April 2014. It is the first time since 1997 that Bob does not own a motorcycle.

From Mountain Notary & Tag Service we drove to Leonard Harrison State Park for a quick peek at Pennsylvania’s Grand Canyon.

Leonard Harrison State Park
Pennsylvania Grand Canyon

Bob took this picture of me at Leonard Harrison State Park.

From Leonard Harrison State Park we made our way back home. We stopped for lunch at Kaytee’s Family Restaurant in Coudersport. We both ordered fish ‘n chips. We have eaten in this restaurant a few times over the years. The service and food never disappoint.

We returned home around 3:00 pm. It was a quick visit, but enjoyable and productive.

A Friday Drive

We went for a drive on Friday (January 6th), leaving Warren PA around 9:30 am. It was a frosty morning, with a dusting of snow covering the ground and clinging to the trees.

Our first stop was at the Big Bend Recreation Area, at the base of Kinzua Dam where it meets the Allegheny River.

We walked from the parking lot the short distance to this pavilion.
The pavilion sits above the Allegheny River and overlooks Kinzua Dam.

Our second stop was at the Zippo/Case Museum & Flagship Store, located in Bradford PA.

Going to the Zippo/Case Store was the purpose for our drive. Bob purchased a Zippo Butane Lighter Insert. We wandered through the Zippo/Case Museum.

Zippo/Case Museum
An American Flag dominates this exhibit.

The American Flag contains approximately 3,400 red, white and blue lighters.

Zippo/Case Museum
An American heroes tribute

Zippo/Case Museum
“ZAC” is a 7-foot audio/kinectic ball machine.

We spent the majority of our time in the museum watching “ZAC”.

“ZAC”

Our next stops were at Allegany State Park. We entered the park via Interstate Road in Bradford. All of our stops were in the Red House Area of the park.

This snowy scene was near the intersection of ASP Route 2 and Ridge Run Road.

Red House Brook flows under a bridge, located between ASP Route 2 and Camp Allegany Rd.

All the bridges in Allegany State Park are beautiful.

The Thomas L Kelly Covered Bridge crosses over the Red House Brook.

Our last stop in Allegany State Park was at the Red House Wetland.

From Allegany State Park we drove to Red Lobster in Lakewood NY, where we ate lunch. We chose from the Dockside Duo menu. Bob chose Fish & Chips with Mozzarella Cheesesticks. I chose Parrot Isle Coconut Shrimp with New England Clam Chowder. Cheddar Bay Biscuits accompanied our meals, as well as Coleslaw. A slice of Vanilla Bean Cheesecake was our choice for dessert. We “doggy bagged” enough fish and shrimp for two meals and carried home the cheesecake too. Neither of have as big an appetite as we used to have.

Lake Wilhelm and Grove City Prime Outlets

We went for a drive this past Monday (January 2nd), leaving Warren PA around 8:30 am. Our destination was Lake Wilhelm, located about 70 miles from home. Lake Wilhelm is a feature of Maurice K. Goddard State Park. The weather forecast called for cloudy skies, mild temperatures and only a small chance of rain.

The day looked promising, as we made our way to Lake Wilhelm. It was foggy, but it looked like the sun would break through the fog. However, when we arrived at Lake Wilhelm, we found the lake covered in fog.

The fog didn’t look like it would lift anytime soon.

We decided to go to Grove City Premium Outlets. It was a good shopping day. Bob found a pair of cargo jeans that fit him perfectly. and he found a pair of waterproof hiking boots to replace a worn out pair. Bob donated his worn out boots and received a 20% discount. We had cover most of the time which was good, as it drizzled the entire time that we shopped.

After shopping, we made our way back home. The weather improved, as we drove home. 100% cloud cover changed to partly cloudy skies.

More Leaf Peeping

We enjoyed another day of leaf peeping. Tuesday, October 11, was a sunny and warm Autumn day. We drove to Wellsboro PA, where we enjoyed the scenic vistas at both Leonard Harrison State Park and Colton Point State Park.

The following photographs were taken at Leonard Harrison State Park. Leonard Harrison State Park is on the east rim of Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.

From Leonard Harrison State Park we drove into Wellsboro. We parked on the street in front of The Green. We walked across the street to The Native Bagel for bagels. My bagel was cinnamon and raisin with cream cheese. Bob’s bagel was Asiago cheese with butter. Both bagels were toasted and delicious. We also had a cup of tea (me) and a cup of coffee (Bob). We try to go to The Native Bagel, whenever we are in Wellsboro because we went there on our honeymoon.

After eating our bagels, we walked across the street once again and strolled through The Green.

The Wynken, Blynken, and Nod Statue is the centerpiece of The Green.

Leaving Wellsboro, we drove to Colton Point State Park. Colton Point State Park is on the west rim of the Pine Creek Gorge. The following photographs were taken at Colton Point State Park.

I took this picture, after parking at the first overlook.

This was the view from the parking lot, looking away from the first overlook.

This was the second overlook. Look toward the sky underneath the bare tree branches. You can see the overlook at Leonard Harrison State Park.

On our drive back home we stopped in Coudersport at Cream ‘n Sugar. Bob got a piece of chocolate cake with peanut butter icing. I got a small peanut butter cup ice cream. The ice cream was from Penn State Berkey Creamery. We were aware that ice cream was available on the Penn State campus and that it was a well known creamery. The ice cream was smooth and creamy … delicious. Bob wished afterward that he would have gotten ice cream instead of the cake, although the cake was good too.

We enjoyed our day trip very much so. It looks like we chose the day well to make the trip, as Wednesday was cloudy and today (Thursday, October 13), it is raining.

Leaf Peeping at Kinzua Bridge State Park and Allegany State Park

Wednesday, October 5th, was sunny and a typical fall weather day. We decided to go on a leaf peeping drive. We left home around 8:30 am and returned home at 2:00 pm.

Our first stop was at Kinzua Bridge State Park near Mt. Jewett PA.

The Viaduct, or Kinzua Bridge, once was the longest and tallest railroad structure at 2,053 feet long and 301 feet high.
The Viaduct was partially destroyed by a tornado in 2003.

The Viaduct was reinvented as a pedestrian walkway in 2011.
Stroll 600 feet out on the remaining support towers,
peer miles out into the Kinzua Gorge, and
gaze down through the partial glass platform
at the end of the walkway.

The foliage color is really nice this year!

The support towers taken down by the tornado still remain on the forest floor 19 years later.

Proof that Bob and I were at Kinzua Bridge State Park 🙂

Our second stop was at Allegany State Park, which we entered via Limestone Road near Bradford PA. It has been more than 5 years since we used that entrance point to the park. We used to enter the park via Limestone Road, when we wanted to avoid the park fee (not every visit but sometimes). We have purchased the NYS Park Empire Pass for the past several years and will continue to do so. We no longer concern ourselves with the cost to enter a New York State Park. The Limestone Road was just as rugged as we remembered it. We didn’t drive all over Allegany State Park, as we usually do when we visit the park. Instead we visited only Science Lake and Quaker Lake.

This tree by the fishing pier at Science Lake was quite vivid. This picture doesn’t even come close to the brilliance that my eye saw.

During our many visits to Allegany State Park, I take photographs mainly at the northern end of Quaker Lake near the Spillway Overlook. The lighting wasn’t good at that end of the lake, so I concentrated on the southern end of the lake.

From Allegany State Park we drove along part of the Allegheny Reservoir, past Kinzua Dam, and then home. The leaves are definitely changing colors, but neither Kinzua Bridge State Park nor Allegany State Park have reached their peak color. If time permits, we may make a return visit in a week to one or both of the parks.

Webbs Ferry

Yesterday we ate breakfast at Wendy’s Cafe in North Warren. I ordered a “Small Big Breakfast” (2 eggs scrambled, half portion of home fries, half portion of bacon and toast). Bob ordered an “Everything Omelet” (ham, sausage, bacon, veggies and cheese with home fries and toast). Breakfast was delicious and filling.

After breakfast, we went for a drive to and through Allegany State Park (near Salamanca NY). Before reaching the park, we stopped at Webbs Ferry.

Webbs Ferry is located in Pennsylvania in the Allegheny National Forest on the western shoreline of the Allegheny Reservoir.

This map shows the location of Webbs Ferry.

As you might suppose from the topographical map, Webbs Ferry is a boat launch for loading and unloading boats. We didn’t stop at Webbs Ferry to make use of its boat launch. From the parking lot there is a foot trail to a fishing pier. We climbed down two flights of stairs and followed a trail that wound through the woods to the fishing pier. If you prefer not to use stairs, the pier is reachable by walking the foot trail alone.

The Webbs Ferry Fishing Pier is 45-feet long.

The fishing pier is completely out of the water, preventing fishing and exposing needed repairs. The entrance to the fishing pier is blocked with caution tape. A sign indicates that the fishing pier will remain closed until repairs are done and a safety inspection is successfully completed.

The views at the fishing pier, though, made the hike down from the parking lot worthwhile.

View just left of the Webbs Ferry Fishing Pier

Webbs Ferry was our only stop. The drive through Allegany State Park was enjoyable, though, on such a beautiful day.

A Day in Erie

We spent the day Saturday, July 30, in Erie with my brother Jim, our sister-in-law Judy, and their dogs Piper and Ru. Jim and Judy arrived in Erie on Friday and spent two nights there. We met around 10:45 am near Sara’s Restaurant, along the road to Presque Isle State Park. We drove around Presque Isle, making a few photo stops.

Our first stop was at the Perry Monument. I didn’t take any pictures during our walk at Perry Monument.

Our second stop was at the North Pier Lighthouse and then the houseboats on our way back out to the main park road.

We walked first to the beach side of North Pier Lighthouse.

We then walked the North Pier to the lighthouse.

This houseboat, with a lighthouse, on Horseshoe Pond is my favorite.
According to this article, there are 24 houseboats on Horseshoe Pond.

Our third stop was at the Presque Isle Lighthouse.

We browsed the various artists’ wares for sale, but didn’t buy anything.

There is a fence surrounding the lighthouse property. The beach is behind me. There was a gate to the beach; however, it was locked. We tried to walk on the beach to where the gate is located. The beach is badly eroded.

Judy walking on a trail on a sand dune at Presque Isle Lighthouse beach. Some of the sand let go, and Judy slid down the dune. She had some difficulty getting back up, as the sand kept giving way. I didn’t go any farther on the trail, than where I am standing taking the picture!

While Judy, Jim and Bob attempted to make their way to the beach side of the lighthouse, I photographed the beach itself. By the way they didn’t make it to the lighthouse.

I believe if we had driven past the lighthouse a short way that we may have been able to walk back to the lighthouse.

From the lighthouse we drove to Smugglers Wharf, near Dobbins Landing, where we ate a late lunch / early dinner.

Smugglers Wharf Restaurant
Photo obtained from Library of Congress

It was the first time that any of us had eaten at this restaurant. We were not able to get patio seating. We were seated inside the restaurant with a view of Presque Isle Bay. We requested a table with a view, so that Jim and Judy could keep an eye on their dogs, who stayed in the car with all windows down. With the exception of Jim, we ordered seafood. Jim ordered chicken. Our food was good. The service was OK. Our waiter didn’t ask if we wanted anything other than water to drink or if we wanted any dessert. He saved us money because we didn’t order any drinks or dessert!

After lunch/dinner we walked around Dobbins Landing.

We enjoyed seeing an old pirate ship. The pirate was squirting water at those passing by. He didn’t squirt water at us.

The pirate on the old ship attacked the Skallywags Pirate Ship. There was ship-to-ship water cannon battles. It was a bonus that we were able to see the show unfold at Dobbins Landing.

Scallywags and Old Pirate Ship near Dobbins Landing

We parted ways at Dobbins Landing. We are very glad that we were able to meet up with Jim and Judy and spend the day with them. I can count on one hand the number of times we have spent the day together in Erie.