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Family Visit and an Elk Sighting

On Saturday (March 10) Bob, Raphael and I enjoyed lunch and conversation at Hoss’s Steakhouse in St. Marys, Pennsylvania with my brother, his wife and their 6-year-old grandson. Raphael had seen Jim and Judy in July 2008, when he last visited. It was the first time Raphael met Kaleb. Can you believe it? I forgot to take a picture of Raphael with Jim, Judy and Kaleb!

After lunch Bob, Raphael and I went to Benezette. Jim, Judy and Kaleb returned to camp, where they were spending the weekend. In Benezette we stopped at the Visitor Center.

Raphael in front of the Elk Country Visitor Center

We didn’t see any elk at visitor center. We drove up Winslow Hill and saw a large number of elk grazing on hill, too far away for a great-looking picture. We did see four elk on private property along Route 555. I photographed the closer of the four elk.

Elk

Benezette Elk

Yesterday, after admiring the variety of chainsaw sculptures at the Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous, Bob and I decided to drive to Benezette in the hopes of seeing one or more elk. Before sharing photographs that I took of the elk, I want to share with you what we did prior to arriving in Benezette.

Our first stop, after leaving Ridgway, was at Elk County Medical Center in St. Marys, PA. My friend Gretchen’s son, Trevor, was in the hospital after suffering a perforated lung. I met Gretchen through her blog, Gretchen’s Travels, and we met in person at last year’s Ridgway Chainsaw Carvers Rendezvous. You can read about that meeting here. We met Trevor at the Rendezvous as well. I guess we didn’t make any impression on him, though, because Trevor doesn’t remember meeting us! I did what I came to the hospital to do. I gave Gretchen a hug. In fact, I gave her two hugs. I wanted Gretchen to know that she had the support of her friend. Gretchen’s husband was at the hospital as well. Randy, it was nice to meet you finally! Trevor was admitted to the hospital on Thursday, February 16. Hopefully he will be released from the hospital today.

Our second stop was at Hoss’s Steak and Sea House, also in St. Marys. We enjoyed steak (me) and chicken and ribs (Bob) for lunch, accompanied by the bountiful salad and dessert bar. No one ever leaves Hoss’s hungry!

After eating lunch we drove to Benezette. We stopped at the Elk Country Visitor Center first. We didn’t see any elk in the field, as we circled around the parking lot. There could have been elk at any of the viewing stations; however, we didn’t get out to look. The weather had turned cold and blustery, and I had no desire to brave the elements! We continued on to the Winslow Hill viewing area.

Winslow Hill Elk Herd
as seen from Dewey Road

After photographing the elk herd, we returned to Route 555. Just prior to Route 555 we saw four elk, located a lot closer than the Winslow Hill Elk Herd!

These elk were grazing on private property
near the intersection
of Winslow Hill Road and Route 555

After viewing the elk, we returned home. What a wonderful Saturday we had! I hope your Saturday was just as enjoyable.

Our Saturday Drive

What a lovely week it was! I’m happy that we had the opportunity to enjoy the lovely weather this past Saturday. We drove to Benezette, PA, which is located an approximate 1 1/2-hour drive from our house. The purpose of a trip to Benezette was to visit the recently opened Elk Country Visitor Center.

We made two stops prior to arriving at the visitor center.

The Cross

Our first stop was along Mt. Zion Road, near Benezette, where we walked through a small wooden gate and walked across the field to this cross. There is a sweeping view of the countryside from the cross.

Mt. Zion Road becomes Gray Hill Road, as you continue into Benezette. Shortly after turning left onto Route 555, we saw three bull elk at a campground.

The first two bull elk that we saw.

The third bull elk that we saw.

After admiring these three elk, we continued to the Elk Country Visitor Center. We arrived at the visitor center shortly before its 9:00 AM opening time.

Elk Country Visitor Center

While at the visitor center, we watched a 4D theater presentation about the elk herd in Benezette. We experienced our first snowflakes while watching the multimedia presentation! We walked all three trails, which led to overlooks where elk may be seen. All three trails were short and easy to walk. We didn’t see any elk at the visitor center. We spent a couple hours at the visitor center. If we could have found more to do in the area, we would have stayed around until dusk. As it turned out we didn’t find anything to do in Benezette, so we started our drive back home. We made a few stops on our way back home.

We ate a late breakfast at the Hilltop Diner, located about 5 miles outside of St. Marys. Breakfast was a leisure affair; it was close to noon when we left Hilltop Diner.

We stopped at Straub Brewery in St. Marys, where Bob enjoyed a complimentary 5-6 oz. drink from the Eternal Tap.

Bob took this picture of the Eternal Tap.

We stopped at Clear Creek State Park, at Beartown Rocks. The main attraction at Beartown Rocks is the collection of enormous rocks and rock/tree formations.