Two Lane Adventures: 2024

Good Sunday morning its the 16th of June. Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there! Happy Father's Day to my Dad, and my Father-in-law! We miss you two everyday! Happy Father's Day to my loving husband, Charlie, our sons Tim, Mathew, Christopher, Tony, and our son-in-law, Jason ... you all are great fathers and even better Dads! Happy Father's Day to all the Dads out there! Enjoy the day dedicated to you! I love this quote from Michael Jordan about fathers.

"He was there when I didn't understand, he was there when I was wrong, he was there when I cried, he was there when I lied. For some reason my dad was always there, when I needed him the most. His love was never-ending." —Michael Jordan

It was a much cooler morning at 50°, but sunny! It's my 168th walk of 2024. My fourth and final walk at Tompkins Campground in Lawrenceville PA. Today it was finally dry enough to take one of the mowed paths. It took me down close to the lake and along the lake for a long while.

The mowed path wrapped around the interior of the park and around a pond that is maintained by the Friends of THC (Tioga, Hammond and Cowanesque) Lakes. My quote for the day is "Never forget the three powerful resources you always have available to you: love, prayer, and forgiveness.” — H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

We had a list we had been building a list of items we needed from the store, so we decided to combine our trip to Walmart in Mansfield with our drive by Ives Run to see if our spot was open yet. So, we took Route 15 south to Mansfield PA. I went into Walmart and got the items we needed. Then we tried to head over the Wellsboro on Route 6. I say tried, because there was bridge construction just outside of Mansfield. We drove out of Mansfield to the north and thought we had found a way across the river. Nope, it was a dead end... but it had a great bike path next to it. It was a Corps of Engineer location, Lambs Creek Recreation Area.

In 1979 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers saw value in this corridor near the Tioga River, which was part of the Erie Lackawanna Rail Line. It once passed through the village of Lambs Creek, which is no more. The Corps paved the former rail line and created the Lambs Creek Hike and Bike Trail. It still owns and maintains the trail today, with help from some local volunteers. It is located at the southern end of Tioga Lake, just north of the borough of Mansfield, PA. The Lambs Creek Graffiti Bridge is the most "famous" portion of this recreation area. It's a decommissioned and well-graffitied bridge that sits above the Tioga River. This trail is an old road that was once used to cross the Tioga River at Lambs Creek Recreation Area, but is now closed. Since its closure, locals and other folk have decided to decorate the bridge with words of wisdom, caricatures, and other colorful artsy designs.

Charlie asked a walker and we followed his directions and found our way around the bridge that was out and got back on Route 6. We headed into Wellsboro and onto PA 287. Our next stop is Ives Run. We drove through the loop and our site is not open yet. The check-out time is late here, 3pm. So, it would have been a bonus if it was vacant at noon! We went back to Tompkins and we waited patiently. We have been wanting to enjoy some ice cream from Tompkins Twist, just down the road from the campground. So we took advantage of our delay in departure and stopped. We enjoyed some hand dipped Sunset Ice Cream. Charlie had a medium butter pecan in a dish and mine is a small chocolate peanut butter cone. They are serving Sunset ice cream because of the local Williamsport connection and because “there really is a difference in the taste between brands. This is the best there is.”

At 2:30 pm, we departed Tompkins and we moved again, but only 15 miles, back to Ives Run. Our 14-days in a 30-day period clock reset on June 14th. This is our home for the next 5 nights, then we move south in Pennsylvania.

It was beautiful at 62° and sunny this morning! It's Monday, June 17th and my 169th walk of 2024. My first walk back at Ives Run for our 5 night stay. It's located in Tioga PA on Hammond Lake. Since it has been dry for a while, I took the mile walk out to the primitive camping area called the Pines. Last time I walked out there, it was a bit wet and the road was very slick. Todays walk was much better. These sites are close to the water, but offer no services. I love how close you can get to the water here. My quote for the day is “Forgiveness is healing... especially forgiving yourself.” — Alyson Noel

The only wildlife I saw this morning, was this little guy! The chipmunks are plentiful here at Ives Run! Chipmunks are part of the squirrel family. Chipmunks eat both plants and animals (omnivores). Their diet includes seeds, nuts, berries, fruits, flowers, mushrooms, insects, worms, snails, frogs, bird eggs, and small birds.

We have been trying to connect with Paul & Linda Everts since we have been in the area. They finally made it happen! They were heading back down Route 15 and stopped at Ives Run to visit. We made room at the end of the site for them to park their truck. We can see the road from our site. We were watching for their truck and never saw it. Then someone was pulling into our site! It was Paul & Linda in a cute little red sportscar. I think Paul must have had a mid-life crisis... LOL. We experienced a park wide power outage and then a surprise thunderstorm. We sat outside for a while, but had to retreat into the camper. No fire tonight!

67° and sunny this morning! It's Tuesday, June 18th and its my 170th walk of 2024. My second walk back at Ives Run. I walked the dirt road to Pine, the primitive campground yesterday. Good choice, we had thunderstorms last night, my walk today was on the paved roads. My quote for the day is "To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance." — Oscar Wilde

Florida weather has arrived in Pennsylvania it certainly is hot, hot, hot! We are in the 90's today!

It's funny what a small world it is. We were talking to a couple and they we from a town close to where we are headed next. They also winter in Florida in a park we are familiar with. She mentions the town they are from, Hughesville. I mention that we have a friend from Hughesville. She asks who? I say Jack Laubach and her face lights up! Her husband and her know Jack and Jackie. In fact her husband graduated with Jack. This winter, Ron & Susan were staying in Blueberry Hill in Bushnell and they were playing Bingo. They were talking to the couple across from them and they find out they are from the same small town in Pennsylvania. That couple was Jack & Jackie. What a small world! Scotter is the little guy in the basket. Maybe Sammy needs a basket like that.... maybe Janet?!

While we were talking to Ron and Susan we had another power outage. At first it was like a brown out. Charlie and I were afraid that we had an issue with the electric in our coach. But, then everyone lost power. There was a tree on fire on a line. We learned that we are the last of the line for Pennsylvania Power and Light. When the power came back on, all was good with our coach! Yeah!!!!!

Florida has arrived to PA, 74° and muggy at 7 am! It's Wednesday, June 19th and my 171st walk of 2024. My third walk back at Ives Run.

I walked the Railroad Grade trail, because I thought it would be cooler. Well, the bugs had the same idea! I did see a small rabbit. I am sure it was a baby.

As I walked along the edge of the quiet marsh, deep in thought, I was startled a big, long-legged bird. It was a Great Blue Heron. I did not expect to see one in Pennsylvania! Herons are predators, feeding on fish, frogs, crayfish, snakes, insects, and small rodents, that they find in shallow water and along the shoreline. Herons swallow food whole.

They inhabit both freshwater and saltwater areas. In Pennsylvania, they are found on lakes, reservoirs, ponds, rivers, wooded streams, bogs, marshes and swamps, where they typically stand at the water’s edge or walk slowly through the shallows. Herons, and many other species of wildlife, benefit from Pennsylvania Game Commission waterfowl projects and habitat preservation and enhancement work on State Game Lands.

Being on the road in a Class C RV, today was the "favorite" day of all RVers without a washing machine... it was a trip to the laundromat! We have tried two different laundromats in Mansfield. Since we are closer to Wellsboro, we are heading that way. The first laundromat, looked a bit sketchy from the outside, so we headed to laundromat number two. It was good, a bit pricey (25 cents for 5 minutes of drying), but clean. The most unique thing was there was video gaming machines in the laundromat! Sorry, here they call them skill game machines. The legality of skill games was reaffirmed again in 2023, when Pennsylvania's Commonwealth Court unanimously ruled that Pace-O-Matic's Pennsylvania Skill game is a legal game of skill in the state.

On the way back, we saw a beautiful doe in the wood line. I love all of the wildlife that we can see here!

Even thought it is warm, well that is a lie... It's HOT!! We had 3 bundles of wood to use, give away or load back up again. So, I decided to have a fire! This is great wood that we get at Tompkins! Five bundles for $20 and it is always dry and burns so well! It took us just about 2 1/2 hours finish off our wood.

It's Thursday June 20th and Florida has still invaded Pennsylvania. It was 71° hazy, hot and humid at 7 am! It's my 172nd walk of 2024. My fourth walk back at Ives Run. I stayed close to the water, hoping for a breeze.

Today we took a side trip to Coudersport, PA. We had three stops we wanted to make. Our first stop was the "Moon Tree." What is the Moon Tree you ask? Potter County was honored with a Sycamore seed that traveled to the Moon on Apollo 14 with Astronaut Stuart Roosa.

The "Moon Tree" is planted at Coudersport Area Recreational Park (CARP) in Coudersport. The tree was originally supposed to be planted in the courthouse square on Arbor Day in 1976. but the weather was too cold for the ceremony and rumor has it that the tree was not healthy enough to survive outside at the time.

So instead of being planted it was first kept in the commissioner's office and then, when it was beginning to "wilt", it was given to Carol Patterson, who nursed it back to health in her tree nursery in Colesburg.

The tree was planted at CARP in the late 1970's and has been thriving there ever since. Today, the tree is located near the tennis courts in the park, not far from the Allegheny River. It stands about 30 feet tall.

Our second stop was the Eliot Ness Museum. I can honestly say that stopping here was not on my radar, but if we were going to drive over an hour to see the Ice Mine, I would need to include more to make it worthwhile! I found the museum and thought it would fit the bill. I had done some reading up on Eliot Ness and was trying to understand the Coudersport connection. All I learned was he had 3 wives and died in Coudersport.

We were met outside the museum by the Museum Curator, Steve Greene. Since I prepaid for our tour, he greeted me by name and I found him very personable! We went inside and before we started our self guided tour, he gave us a brief history on the 3 parts of Eliot Ness's life. One - His time in Chicago and Al Capone. Two - His time as Public Safety Director in Cleveland. Three - His time in Coudersport. I could have just listened to Steve's stories for our whole tour!

For anyone reading this that is younger than 50. Special Agent Eliot Ness is one of the most famous federal agents in the history of law enforcement. Leading a team of "ordinary" agents, he did the extraordinary. Against all odds, he and his team, often called "The Untouchables" stopped organized crime in Chicago, a city that was dubbed the "Crime Capital of the World." Cartoonist Chester Gould launched a comic strip based on the crime stories published in the daily headlines. Using Eliot Ness as his model, Dick Tracy was born. For decades, Eliot Ness and his fictional alter ego, Dick Tracy, would influence American ideas of detective work, crime-fighting and heroism.

The real Ness' success was no accident. He demonstrated to everyone that he possessed great intelligence, keen ability and above all else, honesty and integrity. At a time when bribes to politicians and law enforcement officers were frequent, Ness and his team were not to be paid off. They were out for justice.

After fighting organized crime for 10 years as a federal agent, he resigned from his position to become the Cleveland Public Safety Director, in charge of the police and fire departments where he, again, successfully headed a campaign to clean up corruption and modernize both public service institutions.

We learned he was only a resident for Coudersport for less than one year. so, why is the museum in his honor here? He came to Coudersport on a business venture and his business partner was not as honest as Ness and as the business venture was failing his partner left and Ness was left to try and salvage the monies that people had invested. While all of this was going on, Ness was introduced to a writer, who felt there was a great story in the life of Eliot Ness. They met many times in the local hotel bar in Coudersport. One day, Ness came home and dropped dead of a heart attack at 54 years old. It is believed that the stress of the failed business was just too much.

Ness never lived to see his success. Since the book of his life was conceived in Coudersport, that is why the museum is here. Downtown Coudersport is also the the location of as festival celebrating the historical and cultural significance of Eliot Ness. Local merchants, historians and volunteers work together to take the heart of Potter County back to the Prohibition Era for a weekend. Townspeople and visitors even dress in Roaring '20s attire! It's held annually in July, but not in 2024. I forgot to ask Steve why.

We saw this house in town and asked Steve about it. The guy that is storing it is in his 70's and this picture was taken in 2017 and the restoration does not look much different in 2024. The old truck belongs to Steve or his Dad, I forget which. You can find out more info about the museum here. There is also a Facebook page dedicated to the museum! Thanks Steve for an awesome morning of crime fighting history!

Our last stop in Coudersport was the Ice Mine. Ice is mined you ask? No, its a strange phenomenon. It was discovered in 1892 by silver prospectors. What else do you do on a 90 degree day in Pennsylvania? You go to the Ice Mine!

It's not really a mine, or even a cave, but a vertical shaft about 35 feet deep, 12 feet wide and 14 feet long. During the summer months, ice formations appear in the shaft. Yes, I said ice forms in the summer months! As winter approaches the ice in the Ice Mine begins to melt.

Scientists believe that the shaft serves as an air duct for release of cold air trapped in the rock masses above in Ice Mountain during the winter months. Frost action and weathering in the hillside have broken the ledges into a mass of slabs and blocks of rock which are overgrown by the forest and other vegetation. Cold weather during the winter cools the rock mass to low temperatures and the voids between the blocks are filled with cold air.

Winter air flowing into the mine opening is dry and therefore little ice forms. However, in the spring-time, outside air begins to warm, air circulation at the opening changes, and dense, cold air flows downhill out of the rock mass. Moisture in the air and surface water freeze at the mine opening as they meet the flow of frigid air. This freezing continues well into the summer until the flow of cold air from the rock masses ceases due to warming and the downhill circulation stops.

We finished our day with a meal at the Famous Wellsboro Diner and a bit of grocery shopping at Tops.

It's an Old-school American restaurant with a dining car–style interior and exterior. The Wellsboro Diner's architecture is as authentic as its homemade food. The diner remains unchanged from the time it opened as Schanacker's Diner in April 1939 at the town's busiest intersection.

The Huffington Post called it one of “The Best Classic Diners In America.” They are serving stacked hot roast beef sandwiches, delicious burgers, fresh-baked cookies, cakes, mile-high pies and breakfast all day!