Pocono Mountains May 2017 Weekend Getaway

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 5

We spent the weekend of May 5 through May 8 in the Pocono Mountains. As I have much to share with you, I plan to upload several blog posts about our Pocono Mountains weekend getaway. This is the third blog post about our weekend. You may read the first four blog posts by clicking on the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3 and Part 4.

We awakened at 5:45 am on Sunday, May 7. As we had done the previous morning, we ate breakfast at Triplets Family Diner. Bob had a feta cheese omelet with tomato slices and rye toast. I had French toast, one egg and bacon.

We enjoyed activities for half the day. It rained off and on all morning. Looking at the radar, the rain looked like fireworks — bursts of rain popping up all over and disappearing.

Our first activity of the day, after breakfast, was to visit Resica Falls in East Stroudsburg. This is a very pretty waterfall, located at a Boy Scout camp. The Boy Scout camp, Resica Falls Scout Reservation, takes its name from the waterfall. Resica Falls is on private property, but access is allowed by the Boy Scouts. Even though it seems like you shouldn’t enter at all, drive a little ways in and you’ll find parking for Resica Falls. The trail to Resica Falls was located a few steps from the parking area.

Resica Falls

Our second activity was shopping at The Crossings Premium Outlets Center in Tannersville PA. What a nice shopping center, nicely laid out and lots of shops!

We saw some outlet stores we had not seen before e.g. Beef Jerky Outlet, Toys ‘r Us Outlet, Chocolate Works and NEPA Crafters Outlet. We made a few purchases. We bought snacks at the Beef Jerky Outlet and birthday presents for our granddaughters at the Toys ‘r Us Outlet. We bought two pretzels, one covered with peanut butter chips and the other covered with chocolate chips, at Chocolate Works and a pair of skull ceramic coasters for my stepdaughter at the NEPA Crafters Outlet.

We returned to the hotel around 1:00 pm. We ate a picnic-style lunch in our room. While eating lunch, the electricity in our room went out. We called hotel management, and the problem was resolved expediently. The hotel manager brought us a new light bulb, too, as a bulb blew when the electricity went out.

Later in the afternoon Bob decided he wanted to go to Best Buy in Easton, PA. He had looked up on the Internet the availability of a charger for his Fitbit. Bob forgot to bring the charger on this trip and thought it would be a good idea to have a second charger to keep in the car. Bob ordered the charger online for pickup at the store. We drove to Easton and picked up Bob’s online order. Best Buy price matched Amazon’s online price. Bob paid $10.42, not the $21.19 charge at which the order was placed.

While in Easton, Bob checked GasBuddy, a smartphone app that helps drivers find the best gas prices nearby. GasBuddy indicated the best gas price was at a Mobil station in Phillipsburg, NJ. Fuel cost in Stroudsburg PA was $2.43/gallon. In Phillipsburg NJ the cost was $2.29/gallon. We had to cross a toll bridge from PA to NJ. There was no toll to cross into NJ from PA; however, there was a $1.00 toll to cross into PA from NJ. Bob avoided paying this toll by telling the GPS to avoid tolls on our route back to Stroudsburg.

Back in Stroudsburg we stopped at Jimmy’s Ice Cream & Creamery. We had our dessert before dinner. Back at the hotel I microwaved the leftover Chicken Parmesan from our previous day’s lunch. Bob and I made a meal of the leftovers.

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On Monday, May 8, we awakened at 4:30 am, which was understandable as we were in bed and probably asleep by 8:00 pm the night before! I read the Warren Times Observer online, while drinking tea. I took a shower and got dressed. We finished packing and loaded the car.

On Sunday, during breakfast at Triplets Family Diner, I asked our waitress what time the restaurant opens on Monday. I was told 5:00 am. After depositing our hotel key into the drop box, we drove to Triplets for breakfast. We arrived shortly before 5:30 am. The restaurant was not open. We left and began our drive home, stopping for breakfast at 6:30 am in Scranton at Denny’s Restaurant.

This concludes our weekend in the Pocono Mountains.

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I have several things to share with you from our drive back home.

So …

You guessed it! I will be uploading a few more blog posts… three more posts in fact.

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 4

We spent the weekend of May 5 through May 8 in the Pocono Mountains. As I have much to share with you, I plan to upload several blog posts about our Pocono Mountains weekend getaway. This is the third blog post about our weekend. You may read the first through third blog posts here, here and here.

From Raymondskill Falls we began our drive back to Stroudsburg, via Route 209 South. We stopped at Dingmans Falls Visitor Center. The visitor center and the falls are at the end of a 1-mile approach road off Johnny Bee Road, which intersects Route 209 near milepost 14, just south of the traffic light at Routes 209 & 739 in Dingmans Ferry PA.

Dingmans Falls Visitor Center
The visitor center had not yet opened for the season.

The visitor center’s 2017 operating schedule is May 26 through September 4. It is open on Wednesday through Sunday from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. The visitor center is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

From the visitor center we walked along a wooden boardwalk to Dingmans Falls.

The first waterfall that we saw on our walk was Silver Thread Falls.

Bob and I on the boardwalk trail to Dingmans Falls.

The walk to Dingmans Falls was a pleasant and leisurely stroll. It began to rain while we were on this trail. We were prepared, though. Bob carried an umbrella, and I had my L.L. Bean raincoat.

According to Internet sources, Dingmans Falls is 130 feet tall and is Pennsylvania’s second tallest waterfall.

We returned to the visitor center by retracing our footsteps.

We left Dingmans Falls Visitor Center at 1:43 pm. We hadn’t yet eaten lunch. It was raining. Rather than have a picnic lunch, we decided to eat a late lunch out and save our picnic lunch for later at the hotel.

We ate lunch at Alaska Pete’s Roadhouse Grille in Marshall Creek. This was a very nice restaurant. Here are a couple pictures of the view from our table.

It was Bob’s birthday, and he ordered prime rib.

I ordered Chicken Parmesan and brought back to the hotel 1/2 of my meal. Bob and I could easily share rest of my meal for lunch and our hunger would be satisfied. The rain stopped while we were eating.

We made two stops before returning to the hotel. We stopped at Walmart and picked up Earl Grey K-cups and creamer. Our room at Flower Field Inn & Cottages had a Keurig coffee maker. Coffee K-cups were provided, along with sugar and dry creamer. Tea K-cups were not provided. I wanted hot tea available for rest of our weekend stay, which was forecast to be chilly and wet. We stopped also at Best Buy, where Bob looked for a charger for his Fitbit. Bob had forgotten to bring the charger for his Fitbit. Best Buy didn’t have a charger available.

The reason that we decided to come to the Pocono Mountains, Stroudsburg in particular, was for Bob to meet up with motorcycling friends who are members of the Northeast contingent of the Vulcan Riders & Owners Club (NEVROC). There was a Bug Run scheduled for Sunday, May 7. Each year, in the Spring, NEVROC rides the Bug Run in memory of Don “Foggy” Conner, a fellow rider and member of NEVROC. Bob made plans to go on the Bug Run a few weeks prior. On our way back to Flower Field Inn & Cottages from Best Buy I received a Facebook message from Brian, one of our motorcycling friends. He said that Sunday’s Bug Run was postponed, moved to May 13th. As it turned out, that run was postponed also due to weather. The Bug Run finally took place on May 21. This was the second year in a row that Bob attempted to ride the Bug Run. Last year he did meet up with his motorcycling friends for breakfast. A Bug Run was attempted but stopped early because of rain. Perhaps one year Bob will be able to ride the Bug Run with his motorcycling friends.

We returned to the hotel around 5:30 pm, where we relaxed for rest of the day.

Stay tuned! More details and photographs of our Pocono Mountains Weekend still to come!

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 3

We spent the weekend of May 5 through May 8 in the Pocono Mountains. As I have much to share with you, I plan to upload several blog posts about our Pocono Mountains weekend getaway. This is the third blog post about our weekend. You may read the first and second blog posts here and here.

Our next stop, after the Pocono Environmental Education Center, was at Raymondskill Falls, which is located 2.5 miles south of Milford, PA. Raymondskill Falls, at a height of approximately 150 feet, is Pennsylvania’s tallest waterfall. I read that Raymondskill Falls is 4 feet shorter than Niagara Falls. What a beautiful waterfall, and it was relatively easy to get to! From the parking lot, facing the restroom building, we headed right into the forest. It was an easy hike through the forest to the top of the falls. It was somewhat of a rough climb down uneven stone steps to the middle overlook, but the hike was worthwhile.

Raymondskill Falls is a series of three cascading waterfalls.

More waterfall action at Raymondskill Falls

We followed a different trail back to our car. There were no steps on this trail, but the trail was steep!

By the way, there is no fee charged to see Raymondskill Falls.

From Raymondskill Falls we began our drive back to Stroudsburg, via Route 209 South. We stopped at Dingmans Falls Visitor Center — the subject of my next blog post.

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 2

We spent the weekend of May 5 through May 8 in the Pocono Mountains. As I have much to share with you, I plan to upload several blog posts about our Pocono Mountains weekend getaway. This is the second blog post about our weekend. You may read the first blog post here.

Leaving Bushkill Falls we intended to return to Route 209 North but inadvertently stayed on Bushkill Falls Road, which we followed to Route 402 before making a u-turn to return to Route 209 North. Later we learned that we could have reached our next destination, Raymondskill Falls, via Route 402.

Back on Route 209 N, before reaching Raymondskill Falls, we detoured purposely up Brisco Mountain to the Pocono Environmental Education Center (PEEC). What caught our eye, as we approached PEEC was the sphere on top of the main education building.

Pocono Environmental Education Center’s Main Education Building What is that sphere on top of the building? It is a skyPod.

The skyPod is a 10’ diameter ball that goes through
the roof of the PEEC building.

We had hoped to locate a picnic spot at the Pocono Environmental Education Center. There is lots to see and do at PEEC; however, we didn’t see any picnic facilities. Although there is much to do at PEEC, our stop turned out to be nothing more than a bathroom break. Inside the main education building is the EcoZone Exploration and Discovery Room, which is open to the public for self-guided tours on specified weekend dates. It wasn’t open, while we were there. The EcoZone looked interesting in that it offered visitors the opportunity to explore places such as a beaver lodge, a bat cave, an eagle’s nest, a fossil pit, and more on a life-sized scale. There are several hiking trails that vary in distance and difficulty located at the PEEC. The only one that interested us at the time, as we were chasing waterfalls, was a 3-mile loop trail to a waterfall (Tumbling Waters). The Center’s attendant said that the trail was moderately strenuous. We decided not to hike the Tumbling Waters Trail. We did return to PEEC on Sunday, intending to hike the Two Ponds Trail. This trail was described as an easy 1 hour (1.4 miles) hike, with the potential for seeing birds and wildlife along the trail. It was raining, when we arrived at PEEC on Sunday, so we decided not to hike.

My next blog post will continue our Pocono Mountains weekend getaway and, yes, we finally arrive at Raymondskill Falls.

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 1

We spent the weekend of May 5 through May 8 in the Pocono Mountains. As I have much to share with you, I plan to upload several blog posts about our Pocono Mountains weekend getaway.

On Friday (May 5) Bob came home from work at noon, and we were en route Stroudsburg PA at 12:15 pm.

Why did we go to Stroudsburg? There was a Bug Run scheduled for Sunday. Each year, in the Spring, the Northeast contingent of VROC (NEVROC) rides the Bug Run in memory of Don “Foggy” Conner, a fellow rider and member of NEVROC. Bob made plans to go on the Bug Run a few weeks prior. Our initial plan was for Bob to ride the motorcycle, while I drove the car. The wet and chilly weather forecast for the weekend prompted us to travel only by car. We could have cancelled our hotel reservation had we done so 72 hours in advance. At the beginning of the week, however, the weekend weather looked promising. Regardless of the weather and whether or not the Bug Run takes place, it will not be a wasted trip. We spent the weekend in the Pocono Mountains after all. There is lots to see and do in the Pocono Mountains.

We arrived at Flower Field Inn & Cottages at 7:15 pm. Bob and I stayed 3 nights at Flower Field Inn & Cottages in April 2013. Bob stayed there for 3 nights last year. The Facebook page indicates that Flower Field Inn & Cottages is permanently closed. We almost didn’t make a reservation because we thought the motel was closed. On the off chance, we telephoned the motel and were pleasantly surprised to find that Flower Field Inn & Cottages is still open. We spent 3 nights in Room 107, the same room that Bob had last year. The door was unlocked, key in room (as prearranged). We unpacked the car and unpacked our bags. The room is furnished with a dresser, small flat screen TV hanging on wall over the dresser, king size bed, sofa and coffee table, night stand, microwave, refrigerator, Keurig coffee maker, ironing board and iron, and a small kitchen island with two bar stools, small bar sink, toaster, and counter top electric range. The kitchen island is new. It wasn’t here last year, when Bob stayed here. The bathroom is of moderate size and has all the necessities, including a hair dryer.

We ate a picnic-style dinner in our room, after settling in.

With the exception of the last 20 miles or so, the drive here wasn’t too bad. We had some rain, but no heavy downpour. Bob was still happy to be in the car, though, and not on the motorcycle. The rain, coupled with temperature in the mid 50s, would not have made for a pleasant ride. Traffic wasn’t bad. It was very foggy for several miles toward the end of our drive. I am happy that the fog lifted after a few miles.

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We awakened at 6:00 am on Saturday (May 6), showered and got dressed. We walked the short distance (700 feet I think I read somewhere) to Triplets Family Diner. Bob ordered a 3-egg Farmers Omelet, which was stuffed full of bacon, sausage and ham, accompanied by home fries and rye toast and coffee. I ordered two scrambled eggs, bacon, home fries, wheat toast and a cup of tea. Breakfast was delicious and reasonably priced. We were back at Flower Field Inn & Cottages by 7:15 am, where we relaxed for the next hour.

We chased waterfalls on Saturday. Our first stop was at Bushkill Falls. From 9:15-10:15 am we hiked the yellow trail. The main attraction on this trail is the Main Falls, which the trail circles around.

Bob took this picture of me looking at the Main Falls.

Much of the trail around the Main Falls is made up of boardwalk and stairs.

Looking down, WAY DOWN, from the top of the main falls

I am out of shape. I didn’t realize how much out of shape I was, though, until Bushkill Falls. Step CLIMBING about killed me. I had to stop several times, while climbing the steps. I got dizzy a couple times and had to put my head down, leaning over the railing. I didn’t like the woozy feeling or the fact that I was having trouble breathing. I did it though! I am glad we opted not to hike the Red Trail, which was twice as long as the Yellow Trail and even more strenuous.

In my next Pocono Mountains Weekend Getaway blog post I will share more of our Saturday adventures with you.

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Posts tagged ‘Pocono Mountains May 2017 Weekend Getaway’

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 5

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 4

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 3

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 2

A Pocono Mountains Weekend Part 1