Day 8 of Traveling North via the Blue Ridge Parkway 2017

Wednesday May 10th, 2017

We left Jack & Jackie in Fantasy Island Campground in Sunbury. We will see them in less than 3 weeks! Getting out of Sunbury was very busy … We had to travel south on 11 to be able to cross the Susquehanna River and go north on 15.

We crossed a body of water and saw a historical marker for the Pennsylvania Canal. We had to learn more about that. The Susquehanna Canal division created a mule-towed navigable channel 41 miles along the west bank of the main stem of the Susquehanna River between a lock near the mouth of the Juniata Tributary River and the canal basin at Northumberland. 

Meeting the West Branch Canal and the North Branch Canal at Northumberland, it formed a link between the public and private canals up river and the main east–west Pennsylvania Canal route known as the Main Line of Public Works which was devised to connect Philadelphia to Pittsburgh, southern New York, northern Pennsylvania and Lake Erie using most of the far reaches of the Susquehanna's tributaries.

In Lewisburg Pennsylvania, you can enjoy a hike on the Buffalo Valley Rail Trail. It is the result of investment by the Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority, Union County, Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and the Federal Highway Department. The trail had a quick start thanks to the support of the PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, who awarded a matching grant for the acquisition of the 60-foot-wide abandoned corridor and an additional $3.7 million in federal monies made available through the Federal Highway Transportation Enhancements Program. These grants, along with contributions from local citizens and Union County, have made the Buffalo Valley Trail a reality for all to appreciate. Lewisburg Area Recreation Authority acquired the right of way from the West Shore Rail Road for the rail line from Northumberland County to Mifflinburg in 2009. The rails were salvaged in 2010. Construction began in the spring of 2011, including 9 miles of finished trail, trailheads, facilities and parking areas at both ends, and interpretive signage along the route. Phase II included the creation of a formal trailhead at Vicksburg on the one-time site of the train station, as well as extending the trail from its eastern terminus to Route 15 and creating a segment in the Borough, connecting along the North South rail line down to Market St. The trail is mostly paved at both ends but the middle section has a gravel surface. Lewisburg is home to Bucknell University and supports a vibrant and quaint downtown area, with eateries, bike shops and other boutique retail popular with trail users.

Also in Lewisburg, you can visit the Slifer House Museum. Eli Slifer commissioned a mansion to be built circa 1860 for his family’s estate on 188 acre farm known as the “Delta Place.” The Italianate mansion was designed by the famous architect, Samuel Sloan, and the family moved in when Slifer became the secretary of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He was named an honorary colonel by Governor Andrew Curtain for his role in gaining troops and ammunition for the Civil War. 

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A physician, Dr. Lamont Ross, purchased the home and land in 1908, and established his medical practice there to serve the needs of the community. The mansion was sold in 1915 to trustees of the United Evangelical Home, a board assembled by the Central Pennsylvania Conference of the Evangelical Association. In 1916, the house opened as the United Evangelical Home, a home for seniors in need of care and housing. The house later became the administration building for the Evangelical Home, later called The United Methodist Home, and first community hospital, which had been located in one of the two dormitory buildings built behind the mansion. The house was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places and opened to the public as a museum in 1976. With the hard work the Slifer House Museum was restored and furnished with artifacts of the Victorian era and Civil War. Some heirlooms were returned to the museum by descendants and friends of the Slifer and Ross families. Original items from the Evangelical Home, Orphanage and Hospital are also stored there and on display. The house tells the visual history of the people who once lived there, as well as what life was like for people of different social classes in Pennsylvania during the Civil War and through the turn of the century.

In Allenwood, Pennsylvania there lives a neighbor in a purple house. I had to capture a picture of it for all my purple loving friends! I am sure when it was first painted the colors were much more vibrant!

North of Allenwood, a ½ mile off Route 15 you can enjoy the Four Friends Vineyard and Winery. It started out as a small vineyard, with help from good friends they planted 50 Delaware vines, and 50 Cayuga vines, by hand, using shovels and picks. Since then they have modernized somewhat, and added more vines each year, with the help of more good friends. That is how the "Four Friends Vineyard" namesake was created. Owners, Ken & Tina Day have enjoyed producing a wide array of wines from extra dry, to sweet table wines. Their goal is to have a wine to please everyone’s unique taste.

In Montgomery, Pennsylvania during the fair weather months, you can enjoy an outdoor movie at the Pike Drive-In Theater. It opened in 1953 during the “golden age” of the drive in. Built as a single screen theater, it was expanded to a 3 screen in the 1990’s. It is the last open air drive-in in the county. Current ownership purchased the business in 2006, and over the past 8 years, they have made numerous improvements to this drive in theater. Here is a little history about Drive-Ins. The First Drive-In Theater was invented by Richard M. Hollingshead. He worked out the details of designing a drive-in theater by mounting a 1928 Kodak projector on the hood of his car and hanging a sheet for a screen in his backyard in New Jersey. Richard placed a radio behind the screen for sound, then started to test his idea. One main problem that became apparent was that with cars parked behind each other, the cars at the rear would not be able to see the whole picture, due to the car in front. Richard lined up cars in his driveway spacing them at various distances and placing blocks under their front wheels he was able to find the correct spacing and the correct angles to build ramps for the car’s front tires to park on. Shortly afterwards Hollingshead was granted a patent on the design. Hollingshead opens the first Drive-In Theater Tuesday June 6, 1933 on Admiral Wilson Boulevard at the Airport Circle in Pennsauken NJ, a short distance from Cooper River Park. It offered 500 slots and a 40 by 50 feet screen. He advertised his drive-in theater with the slogan, "The whole family is welcome, regardless of how noisy the children are". The first film shown was "Wife Beware". The facility only operated three years, but during that time the concept caught on in other states, and later parts of the world.

Buckhorn Mountain is located along Route 15 and shares a popular legend throughout the Allegheny Mountains, The White Lady. The folk legend begins with newlyweds getting in a deadly accident on the mountain's treacherous roads. Both Wopsy Mountain and the Buckhorn Mountain have several dangerous curves. The dangerous curve has caused many experienced drivers to lose control, especially when the mountain is snow-covered and the roads are slick. The husband dying instantly. The wife regains consciousness only to find her beloved husband's decapitated body. Legend says the woman disappears into the woods, wandering around Wopsononock Mountain. She heads west towards Buckhorn Mountain. Yet, she always disappears around the deadly curves. She's been seen there many times by people traveling down the steep mountain road. Most sightings only last a second when you suddenly see someone in white on the side of the road ahead but once you approach the area there is no one in sight. The creation of the interstate has taken us off some of the back woods ... but do you believe in ghosts? Take a drive and find out!

Tioga State Forest derives its name from the Seneca phrase "meeting of two rivers." It covers over 160,000 acres in Bradford and Tioga counties. The forest hosts the Pine Creek Gorge, also known as the "Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania." Tioga features awe-inspiring views and miles of clean, cool streams, like Cedar Run and Babbs Creek and is one of eight state forests located in the PA Wilds region.

We crossed the Pennsylvania / New York state line and noticed some new New York State tourism signs. Of course, it has been a few years, since we have traveled north this way, so they might not be too new!

Nothing says “Welcome to New York State” more than the greeting you get when you cross the state line … bump, thump, bump, thump …. From the terrible roads! There are many things I miss, but the roads are not one of them!

Old Route 15 runs along the new Route 15, soon to be the Interstate 99 corridor. It is sad to look over and see the small towns along the old Route 15 dying slowly, with all the traffic rerouted. It is another testament to the status of today’s society … they are in a hurry to get everywhere. The days of a slow Sunday drive are gone. Perhaps the next generation can slow it down and stop and smell the roses!

From Route 15, we got onto I-390 for several miles. Just before we got off the highway, we came across the signs of the longest season in NYS … Construction season!

When you say New York State, most people think this!

When I say New York State, I think this!

We arrived in Cohocton, New York ... our temporary home for the next 18 days. Then onto our next Two Lane Adventure!