Hiking the Forest Cathedral

 

It seemed safer for the Grandma who was yelling at her little ones to take MeMe for a walk.  We walked out of the hustle bustle of the Campground into silence, dark tree trunks and a thick carpet of ferns in the sunny spots.

Surprised at how tranquility  settles around you in a place like this?

Shouldn’t be; it happens every time.

These are good places to retreat to after a conversation with your credit card security sleuth.

 

 

The trees in here are BIG!  There are the large White Pines , the tallest in the Northeast at 183’ many at 150’.

The Forest Cathedral Natural Area has been designated as a registered National Natural Landmark.

 

 

Some have been converted to useful objects –especially useful after a long uphill.

 

Another day, another trail

 

The Allegheny Plateau is blessed with steep river valleys and an abundance of railroads converted to bike trails.  Without an internet connection or a desire to research into the night, it’s just pick one and ride.  Today Al wanted to “see the countryside”, so we picked a place with both trout streams and a trail – the Clarion—Little Toby trail.  The map program chose a circuitous route – lots of back,back roads through tiny towns and “camps” a minimum of noteworthy scenery. 

The trail was OK, a little “industrial” at its start, pretty along the Clarion with patches of wildflowers in the sunny spots and lots of rhododendrons in the shade.

 

 

We had a section of Rail with Trail as we paralleled the main line, then a climb along pretty Little Toby creek.

The storms threatened before we reached Brockway, but we saw the huge Brockway Glass complex and blocks of great Victorian homes on the drive back (on real highways).

Campground is crawling with KIDS.  What did you expect, its summer? Troupes of tots, brigades of bicycle cavalry, wandering groups of thugs in cut off tee shirts and lots of harried grandmothers screaming “One..TWO …”   It’s been hard keeping MeMe in her camp chair.

Cook’s Forest State Park

We escaped the land of Lawn Ornaments (Gaslight Campground) at 8:30 and headed for Cook’s Forest State Park;  We wanted to see the BIG Trees.  The showy display of rhododendrons was just a bonus.

We hadn’t done enough research (or consulted our friend and muse) so we were surprised to see how developed the area is.  Lots of cabin rentals (little cabins), canoe rentals (slow, low Clarion river) , inns and theaters, shops and such.  It’s like the Poconos without the comics.  The crowd isn’t the National Park-outdoorsy-gear-hanging-on-the-jeep  gang we are used to.  It’s more “my husband is an Eagle Scout and he wants us to do this.”  They, however, seem to be having a ball and may soon buy a car rack…
The trees are BIG -- White pines saved from the axe by Mr. Cook until some far-sighted citizens and a  responsive legislature bought it in 1929.  The network of trails through it is extensive and heavily used, but start at the uphill end and we found that most turn back before reaching the “Forest Cathedral”.
Our attempts to capture tree pictures were less impressive than we hoped.  Perhaps tomorrow we will do better or someone will leave a new Nikon on our doorstep. It is different from our other “Big Tree Place” –Joyce Kilmer Forest in North Carolina. Here it is the same tangle of fallen trunks overlapping like giant Pick-up-sticks, but here there is  no understory.  (Clearly off-trail bushwhacking is possible, even desirable, here, Joanie). 
Our (handicapped) campsite is nice. ( I have been walking with a limp when outside.) We have a shower room and laundry 30 yards away and a dumpster perhaps a little too close. They assign these when the rest are full.  Pat told them, “ We aren’t handicapped, but we ARE Old.”

Patty has a new boyfriend;  we are going over to have “marbellos” with him later tonight.

Sandy Creek Trail

Sandy Creek trail runs 7+ miles up to Van, Pennsylvania  along a seamless ribbon of asphalt through deep green forests , over soaring metal trestles, spanning clear rocky streams and even through a cool tunnel.

FROM THE BELMAR BRIDGE

PRETTY BASIC RAIL TRAIL.  But  suppose you want a slice or maybe an ice cream; now that’s a different matter. Now we have to get off our railroad and on to the other one.  Yeah, that one, the one we just bridged over.  Well, you say, “Railroads didn’t just  do that.”  (No pizza back then?)














So it was, dear reader, that we (meaning Al) schlepped two bikes down and back up these monster steps to provide you this novel photo op. No pizza was on offer, just murderous traffic in Franklin. We were happy to escape with our lives.




Oh, we (meaning Al) are honored to serve.







 

  Gratuitous landscape shot

Cool people and Cool tunnels

It was hard to leave our new Birthday Bash friends; we hung around moving from site to site as we had all weekend and traded a few more stories  and collected contact info.  As the crowd thinned , Silver trailers wound around the lake and out toward the exit.  The Scottie group was pulling in and the last word we had our Scottie friends Bill and Nora are bidding on a like new Airstream in Denver. They may soon have a foot in both camps. 

It was a short 50 mile tow to the Gaslight CG in Emlenton PA near the terminus of the Allegheny River Trail (ART).  We set up and after lunch drove to the Trailhead. 
The original railroad followed the river closely but ice jams and slides led the owners to cut three tunnels through tight bends in the river to shorten the run and make it safer. This section includes  both the Rockland Tunnel and the Kennerdell Tunnel. 

 
This IS a different trail; see, Patty has her new Bash shirt on. She likes the pleasant river views , the honeysuckle and the cool breeze blowing through the tunnels.
The 28 miles after several days of intense sloth and overeating was plenty!  We returned to camp, ate and talked about our week. 

ADVICE FROM DR. WHIRL
Bill Whirl shared a quote which we think bears repeating and should become part of our family “vocabulary.”
from Kurt Vonnegut
I had an uncle, my late Uncle Alex. He was my father’s kid brother, a childless graduate of Harvard who was an honest life-insurance salesman in Indianapolis.  He was well-read and wise.  And his principal complaint about other human beings was that they so seldom noticed it when they were happy.  So when we were drinking lemonade under an apple tree in the summer, say, and talking lazily about this and that, almost buzzing like honeybees, Uncle Alex would suddenly interrupt the agreeable blather to exclaim, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is”.  So, I do the same now, and so do my kids and grandkids.  And I urge you to please notice when you are happy, and exclaim or murmur or think at some point, “If this isn’t nice, I don’t know what is.”
We had many occasions to use that phrase this week and I hope we can make a habit of noticing when we are happy.

Birthday Bash activities

The fourth of July is Wally Byam’s birthday and all good Airstreamers celebrate this day in their own way, some with pomp and ceremony and others with lots of cake and hand cranked Ice cream.
 We joined a great bunch for a tour of McConnells Mill set in a gorge of Slippery Rock creek.  In its last days it was a multiple turbine mill, grinding all kinds of meal and sawing lumber.

Patty and Nicholas watching the falls.

Nicholas signing register.

 

        

Al cranking, Donald waiting...

Back at camp, home made ice cream was being hand cranked and all the pies were on display.

Bill and Nora and Pat recalling something

ANOTHER party animal

Coopers Lake Campground

Slippery Rock Pennsylvania.  Site of Birthday Bash Two

THE SETTING: The entry road is winding and leads through open fields with scattered trailers, but follow the Bash signs over the top of a hill and spread out below is a beautiful lake with silver Airstreams nestled under shade trees and in little clusters around the lake. 
The Parking is pretty free form, but Obie the Clown is there to help pick a spot and get us settled. We are a late arrival, but the place they gave us is shaded and has a great view of the lake as well as the parade of little people biking and walking along the shaded path between.  On a little rise are white tents for food serving and eating. It is breezy and cool.


THE FOOD, OH THE FOOD: Breakfast is sumptuous and provided by Frank Yensan and his merry band –- eggs to order, bacon, sausage, sometimes hash but always pancakes with real maple syrup. Lunch, if you have any inclination, is on your own, but 6 PM brings the potluck.  Friday we feasted on everybody’s favorite food and lots of it.  Saturday it was supplemented by wonderful pulled pork and hamburgers/hot dogs for the kids. Vegetarians were happy—there must have been 20 different salad choices-- and then there was dessert, lots and lots of dessert.  Sunday will bring home made ice cream and cakes for Wally’s birthday followed by yet another potluck.  Is the picture getting  clearer?
THE SCHEDULE: is a vague suggestion.  People do what the want, with emphasis on visiting, watching kids play and admiring the trailers.  Stories are swapped, favorite campgrounds are disclosed freely (carry your notepad) and most Airstream issues can be addressed by somebody.  The trip to the Nuclear facility was a real treat and impromptu.  Roy offered at campfire and had a nice turnout.  Some went to Pittsburg  last night to see the lights from Mount Washington while most of us sat around the campfire to listen to Antsy Mcclain sing about “Living in Aluminum” VIDEO OF ANTSY MCCLAIN
ACTIVITIES: are centered on the young—there are 41 kids and grandchildren here and they can run, ride and play freely; the venue is safe and everyone is watching out.  We soon learn the names of all the kids, if not exactly where all of them are camped.  we match up parents and kids at meals.
 





















Saturday we watched everyone Tie dye shirts and most hung them to dry on their trailers; it looked like an art show. Sunday many are being worn around camp.

  There was model Rocket building going on at the same time and  Sunday we spent the morning in the big fields shooting them off to “ohhhs and Ahhhs”.




Sunday afternoon Obie the Clown demonstrated his makeup routine , so kids and adults who are afraid of clowns could see the transition from the familiar grandpa we know to full blown OBIE.  The magic show that followed had the little tots fully engaged and the adults roaring.
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