Tim Horton country

Found a big ol' brownstone Presbyterian Church this morning.  Miss our home church in Tucson, but worshiped well here, too.  On the way back, the car just automatically turned into a Tim Horton--just couldn't control it.  Reading the Sunday paper over coffee and a TH donut is about as good as it gets.

Deep in the woods of northwest Pennsylvania

The treasure of life, most appreciated as I get older, is clearly family and friends.  The phone calls, FB posts, e-cards, messages of good wishes made for a really nice birthday yesterday.  They all found us and felt good here in the deep woods of northern Pennsylvania.  I praise God for each of you. Thanks.  Sharing this summer with Will is a pretty neat gift, also.  Thanks hon. 

Bradford, Pennsylvania



More Petroleum industry history--You are looking at the oldest continueing oil well in the US.  And (no kidding) it is right behind the McDonalds restaurant in Brandford, PA--in fact the drive-thru for McDonalds goes right around it!  It has been pumping oil since 1876 and still produces today.




Bradford, Pennsylvania is also the home of an American icon--Zippo Lighters!  Anyone who ever smoked had a Zippo. They are still being made today besides being a huge collector's item.  Their free museum was a hoot.  (They also own Case Knives, which I don't remember as well but Will says he does.)



This mosaic flag is made up entirely of Zippo lighters.  So many companies distributed Zippos with their company logos on them for advertising over the years.  And that lifetime guarantee is still honored.  If your Zippo fails to work, send it in and they will repair or replace it.  I know Will still has one in his top drawer at home unused for many years.  They all have that same rectangular shape and that distinctive "click" when they are opened.

Apparently this car traveled around the country in the '50's advertising their "will light in the wind" feature.  The street lights in the town of Bradford are in the shape of a flaming zippo lighter.  Pure kitch.

The neighboring village of Eldrid has a really well done World War II museum and we spent several hours pouring over the exhibits, story boards, and timelines until our brains began to suffer from information overload.  Seems odd to find it tucked in the back woods of Pennsylvania but there was an munitions plant just out side of town for the British and American war efforts.  It was staffed mostly by women because, obviously the men were all off fighting in the war.

A cool, rainy day

 

It was a cloudy, drizzly day but we managed to find some interesting things between showers.  First we stopped at a pick-ur-own blueberry farm and got our fill of luscious, sweet berries.  My memories of picking blueberries in Minnesota are standing on our heads for these tiny little wild berries.  These bushes were 6 feet high and the berries were thumbnail size.  We would have picked more but it began to rain--we just might come back here before we leave the area.

Next we found ourselves in the little town of Smethport that was just filled with restored, Victorian mansions built by people who were getting rich as lumber barons and oil men.  Found the Kinzua Bridge in a state park.  It was the tallest rail bridge in the world when it was built in 1882's.  Next stop was a wonderful private museum about the Pennsylvania oil industry that began America's oil industry right here in this area.  The tour guide/owner made our visit so interesting.  We were the only two people in the place so she talked non stop about each aspect of petroleum production in 1870.  She was great, however she used a very loud voice as though she were talking to a room full of visitors instead of just us.  I think she was just excited to tell the story but it made us giggle.

Last stop was a peek at the huge Allegheny Reservoir.  Did manage to get back to the RV before it opened up and rained hard.

Rabbits!!

 

We've stayed at all kinds of camp grounds the last two months.  Some have been really nice, some less memorable.  We have learned--I think we already knew--that campgrounds are not necessarily as advertised.  Some of the highly rated ones in our campground directory have been less enjoyable while we have stumbled upon some real treasures.  All part of the adventure. We are near Allegheny National Forest in northwest Pennsylvania and have found ourselves in one of those less-than-A-1 campgrounds.  However, this one is unique!  Rabbits!!  Everywhere, domestic rabbits hopping all over!  You'd think that dogs would just chase them away--come to think of it, I don't see any dogs here either.  Hummm.  Rabbits are fun to watch, and they don't make any noise.

 

We did an early morning bike ride on another section of the Towpath trail this morning.  Hermit Thrushes were singing in the woods and bull frogs croaked from the wet lands as we peddled by.  Will biked within 6 feet of a juvenile Red Wing Hawk before he took flight.

Packed up by noon and crossed the border into Pennsylvania for our next stop. 
         When we checked in to campground Will asked the attendant if there were any fresh vegetable stands around.  She knew just where to send us.  She drew us a little map and we followed it through the countryside until we came to Henry's Fresh Produce.  We drove on the yard and Henry came out of his old, ramshackle house with a big smile on his face.  He opened the door to his garden shed and proceeded to show us his produce.  I asked him if he had any green beans.  No, he said, but wait a minute and I'll go pick you some!  So we picked up a basket and followed him to his garden where we all picked beans.  Then he picked me three green peppers, and an egg plant.  Now, how's that for fresh produce!!  I bought a few cucumbers that he already had gathered, and we brought home a feast! I breaded and fried the eggplant, cooked the beans with butter, and sliced the cucumbers for a yummy dinner.

Touring through Amish country

Holmes County in Ohio is the middle of Amish/Mennonite country.  In fact it is the largest concentration in the US.  Bigger than Pennsylvania--I didn't know that either!  This neat Amish farm (no electricity, buggy in the barn, shocks in the field) supports multiple generations in the very large house.  The Mennonite farms do have electricity and they use machinery and autos.  We learned all this and more at the Amish & Mennonite Heritage Center in Berlin, Ohio.

The prayer caps for women vary by church and "Order", the men's straw hats are made locally.

We spent a couple of hours on the way back at the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton.  Will is definitely more of a football fan so he got more out of it than I did, but I enjoyed it.  This is a likely place for this museum as football and Canton, Ohio go way back!

Biking on the Ohio & Erie Canal Towpath Trail

There are dozens of entry points all along the Towpath Recreation Trail and we picked one that was easy to find and not far from our location.  We biked north on the tow path, with the remnants of the canal on one side and sometimes the Cuyahoga River on the other.  Was such a fun way to spend the day.  We ended up going about 22 miles before we stopped at the Winking Lizzard for lunch. 

Now we had to get back!  Not to worry, we put our bikes on a train and rode on a scenic railway that also parallels the tow path.  The train brought us back most of the way and we only had to bike another 6 miles to our car.  Its called "Bike Aboard Service" and costs us a whopping $2.50. Great idea and lots of people were biking the trail one way and taking train back. 

Lots of remnants of the old canal, like this old lock, one of 155 locks on the route.  We both enjoyed the day.  Maybe we'll do another portion before we leave the area.

Apparently I got into some poison ivy--probably working in Steph's back yard and garden, I don't know where else.  I got a good dose of it because the rash is all down my arms and legs.  I have been pretty uncomfortable and it really looks awful. Every day I think its going to be better but has hung on now for over a week. Nothing I used seemed to cool the itch and burning until today I tried a paste of vinegar and baking soda and finally have a little relief. Going to be better tomorrow!?!

We’re in north central Ohio near the Cuyahoga Valley a bit south of Acron.  Was actually a day when we could enjoy being outside!  Maybe this heat wave is going to give us a break for a while.  I hope so as there seems to be some interesting stuff to see and do in this area.  We are very close to the old Ohio & Erie Canalway that ran from Lake Erie to the Ohio River before the Civil War.  The old mule tow path is now an 80 mile recreation trail and we hope to bike some portions of it.  We took a ride on a canal boat today that was pulled up the canal by a team of horses just like they did in the 1840’s.  We are also on the edge of Amish country so there is that to see also.

Zanesville

We left the Ohio River Byway and headed north.  We're in Zanesville, Ohio

 This is where Longaberger Baskets are made so out of curiosity, we stopped at the factory store. Notice the stunned look of horror on Will's face as he reads the price of a basket.  And these are seconds!!  But these are Longaberger baskets!!  (I don't think he gets it.)  Independent home consultants sell Longaberger products directly to customers, a direct marketing similar to Tupperware parties. Each basket is signed and dated by the maker and the company's stamp is on the bottom.

Two rivers converge here so they built a "Y" bridge to get across.  I don't know if it is one of a kind, but is pretty clever. We had to drive back and forth a couple of times to try it out.

The first minister of Putnam Presbyterian Church was William Beecher, brother of Harriet Beecher Stowe.

Entering Southern Ohio

Traveling down the Ohio River Scenic Byway from Madison, Indiana east along the Ohio River as it splits Indiana from Kentucky we eventually cross over into Ohio near Cincinnati. We stay on the Ohio side of the big river and view the ever present Kentucky on the other side. We pass tobacco fields, forests, mighty power plants, barges on the way to Lock & Dam sites, scores of sleepy little river towns and stop for the night at Portsmouth, Ohio.


It’s the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals that put this small city on the map. 58 huge murals to date depicting the history of Portsmouth and surrounding county from the ancient peoples who lived in this valley to the present day heroes; from the founding of the territory and the industries that sustained it to local legends and modern memorabilia, all in huge proportion.

Can you tell what is real and what is not?  The stone building in front of wall is real, the cat is not.

The heat index continues to be unbearable and makes a road trip challenging. Surprisingly our RV stays pretty comfortable while we are traveling down the road just with air conditioner from the truck. However, the minute we stop it heats up pretty quickly. Kind of takes the fun out of stopping to see stuff along the way. We stopped for lunch and started the generator and put air on in the coach which worked really well. And once we found a place to park the RV for the night and plug the coach into electricity and turn the air on we are good to go.

And then we got into our air conditioned car to view the murals and see what else we could find.

Time to move on

We made our way south to Madison, Indiana on the Ohio River.  Interesting town that achieved 19th century prominence with the arrival of the steamboat and brisk river trade.  Times were lively, the community prospered, beautiful buildings and homes were constructed and society blossomed.  The arrival of the railroad and the decline of the steamboat stemmed the boom and Madison slipped into a century of slumber. Now it has been restored and revitalized with over 133 city blocks on the National Register of Historic Places.  Madison was also an important site for the "underground railway" and many black slaves made their way north from Kentucky through here.

Eleutherian College--pre-Civil War site, educating all races and genders, established by abolitionists.

We stayed at another of Indiana's wonderful State Park's, Clifty Falls State Park is just outside of Madison.  Unfortunately the weather has not been cooperative and it has just been too hot to really enjoy the park.  95 and high humidity aren't good conditions to hike and explore.  We did what we could, however we did enjoy the park lodge for breakfast and a dinner.

touring Indiana

Steph had lots going on today so Will and I decided to take a road trip and discover some interesting sites in southern Indiana.  We had breakfast at the Brown County State Park lodge and then with map all plotted out, we headed for some back roads in Brown and Monroe counties.  Found the longest covered bridge in US just south of Salem, Indiana.

And Beck's Mill, a restored grist mill that unfortunately wasn't open today.  Was picturesque but would have liked to have gotten inside as the old equipment is fully restored including an old wool carding machine.

Nest stop was West Baden Springs Hotel which took our breath away!  Was built and had its hey day at the turn of the century and fully restored less then 10 years ago to its 1910 glory.  Is now a busy resort again.  Was where the upper crust health seekers and well-heeled high-rollers came to "take of the healthy waters" although the sulphur and lithium water is no longer offered--thank goodness. It is a jewel.  We had a good time just walking the halls, the huge atrium, the lobby--it was so hot and sticky outside that we didn't mind sitting and taking in all the minutia of detail. 

And then amazing upon amazing--just a mile down the road is French Lick, another restored early 20th century luxury hotel that has also been restored.  Gold leaf everywhere.  This one now has a casino tastefully added onto the old structure.  The $500 million historic restoration project (including Indiana's 11th casino) for West Baden and the French Lick structures are quite something to see--who would think Indiana!! These were two of the most fashionable hotels in the nation.

On the circle back to Bloomington we came across this sharp contrast--an Amish farmer bringing his team and wagon out to the field to gather some shocks of oats.

We pass this barn everyday when driving in from campground and has become an Indiana icon in my mind.  I remember seeing its rustic remains the first time we came to southern Indiana when Steph was here 15 years ago.  But the paint on the tobacco sign always appears freshly painted!

Summer evening picnic dinner with friends

 We've gotten the pleasure to know some of Steph's friends and this treasured couple came out to our park and had a picnic dinner with us one evening.  Sam and Rebecca are delightful and Steph has shared a lot of Bloomington life with them.

And this is Nel who you can see becomes the center of most attention where ever she goes.  She was most interested in our RV and what that might be like living in a house that travels down the road!