Day Twenty Four - Twenty Nine - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Tuesday 5/21/2024 - Sunday 5/26/2024

Tuesday May 21st for my morning walk, I took the Railroad Grade Trail. It's a 2 1/2-mile trail that begins on the north end at the Ives Run Recreation area, along side of Crooked Creek. 

Walking on the sometimes pot-holed, rough crushed stone surface I was rewarded for my efforts by arriving at this seemingly secluded marsh area. 

I wish I had Tammy's bird app, because I could hear a variety of songbirds, plus geese, bull frogs and rabbits. The trail is along a stocked trout stream. Part of the trail is in the Bryant Hollow Wildlife Management Area. The south end of the trail is near Route 287 and Hills Creek Road.

Also on Tuesday, our friend Ted Decker and his wife Linda arrived. It's been a couple years since we have camped with them. The last time we camped with them, they had a Bernese Mountain Dog and a Aussiedoodle. They had to put their Bernese Mountain Dog down, so now they the the 125-pound Aussie-Doodle, named Bubba, and an 8-month, 80-pound Bernedoodle, named Bernie. The Aussiedoodle, actually remembered us. He has plenty of Aussie in him! It was great to see Ted. But, seeing him hurts my heart. His 2nd wife, Sharon, was my best friend for years! We did so much together and had so many good times! She passed away in October of 2011 in a tragic motorcycle accident. We were in Florida and I never had a chance to say good-bye.

I have so many memories with Sharon, but the one that I always brings a smile to my face. Is our son's Senior Skip Day. Sharon wrote a note for Teddy and I wrote an excusal note for Chris. A few days after the Senior Skip Day, the boys told us they had Saturday detention for taking part in Senior Skip Day. But, we had given them permission! The boys were like, it's good. We will do the detention. Sharon and I got to talking and we knew it was not right that the boys were in trouble, because we "authorized" their absence from school that day. Saturday morning we dropped the boys off at the school for the detention. We walked them to the room where they were to have detention and we left. Only to return half way through their detention time. We told the boys to take the car and go home. Sharon and I were going to serve the 2nd half of their detention. You should have seen the teacher that was the monitor for this session. He did not know what to say. We sent the boys on their way and Sharon and I sat in Saturday detention for 3-hours at the high school n place of our sons!

We enjoyed a campfire and time with friends.

On Wednesday May 22nd I took a portion of my walk on the Mid-State Trail. The Mid State Trail is a 327-mile hiking trail. It is the longest hiking trail in Pennsylvania, and one of just three to traverse the state from one border to another. Pennsylvania's Northern Tier was shaped by massive continental glaciers, The Tioga Region of the Mid-State Trail takes you through deeply wooded high plateau, and really rural low hills. 

The views continue to be spectacular. The terrain becomes more varied around each bend and over every knob. At one point the trail is intersected by Ives Run, needless to say, I turned around! The Tioga Region of the Mid-State trail links the Tioga State Forest; State Game Lands No. 268 and No. 37; Hills Creek State Park; Tioga-Hammond Lakes; Cowanesque Lake, and over a dozen private landowners through Tioga County.

On Thursday May 23rd, for my morning walk, I took the dirt road to Pine Camp. It's the primitive camping area that offers great views and access to the water, but no services! The sites are mostly shaded sites, and some near a beautiful forested hillside with lots of birds and wildlife. I won't walk out there again though. The dirt road becomes very slick when it gets wet. Even thought it has been a few days since it rained hard, you really had to watch your step!

I captured a picture of this unique bird. My friend Brian Jones, told me it was an Eastern Towhee. If you listen closely to the song of an Eastern Towhee, it sounds like it's saying “Drink your tea” with the end of the word tea drawn out. Once you learn this phrase and hear the bird's song a few times, the phrase sticks in your memory making it easier to identify the bird the next time you hear it. Some cultures believe that Eastern Towhees are symbolic of good luck coming in the future. 

That afternoon, part of our NY Camping FRamily arrived today. Dana & Dawn with their 100-pound chocolate lab named Walter arrived! It was great to see them again. We were lucky and they came to Florida in February for a few weeks this year! 

For my walk Friday May 24th, I walked the Fishing Pier Trail, for lack of a better name. It is short handicapped accessible trail to a fishing pier on Crooked Creek. The fishing spot is located on a jetty, just before the creek enters the lake.

I saw my first deer this morning. I think I startled it. But, she turned around and looked at me!

Ted & Linda got around early today and left. Linda was not feeling well. Dana & Dawn were ready to visit Shutter Homestead today for our first wine slushies of the season. But, we held off until Karen & Royce arrived! We could not wait until Sheila and Rob got here, because the place would be closed by then!

Shutter Homestead is an event space, wine tasting and wine sales place close to Ives Run. Rhonda used to be a Harvest Host location, that is how Charlie & I got to know her. She is a people person. She loves meeting new people and has never met a stranger. Her business is an outlet for a New Jersey winery, Bellview, which was founded in 1903. 

You taste wine and purchase it her families barn that was built in 1827. She has worked hard to keep the barn standing, to support her business. But there are sentimental reasons too, the property has been in the family since 1910. The barn is part of their family heritage. Their great-grandfather and all their relatives have worked, played, and lived on the property. It's their tenth season. We love to sit outside with wine slushies. They are pet friendly with a leash. You can bring food, sit and enjoy the property. We feel like we are family when we are there!

On Saturday May 25th, everyone made a big deal out of this day... it's just another day. So, I got up and did my 146th walk of 2024. I took my favorite trail so far, the Railroad Grade Trail. 

The highlight of my walk was getting to see a Eastern Red-Spotted Newt. I have not seen one of these guys in a few years. The last one I  saw was in NY at Park Station campground in Chemung County.

Doing my research I learned that the juvenile newt is the one that is a bright orange-red coloration with a row of larger, black-bordered orange spots on each side of the back. The larger spots resemble an eye, which is the meaning of their scientific name "Notophthalmus". Once they become an adult, they have an overall greenish coloration with small black dots scattered on the back and a row of several black-bordered reddish-orange spots on each side of the back. It is a native salamander to New York State and eastern North America that can live for 12-15 years! 

It was a leisurely morning and around 12:30 we piled into 2 cars and headed back to Shutter Homestead for Birthday slushies! We managed to enjoy our wine slushies while sitting outside. We even got home before the rain came!

We would not let the rain dampen our plans! 

We adapted and overcame. 

We enjoyed dinner with friends, birthday cake and a campfire. In honor of the "special" day... Karen even had some special wood to burn! LOL

On Sunday May 26th, it was a very foggy start to the day. But, a little fog could not stop me from exploring another trail. 

I checked out the C. Lynn Keller Trail. The trail's 9 miles lifts you into a crisscrossing of trails in the forest and you overlook Hammond Lake. The shortest section is a 1.3 mile Stephenhouse Trail loop. But I tried to take that the other day, from the other entry point and that is where I ran into having to cross Ives Run! 

So, I decided to check out the road to State Game Lands No. 37. It was good road, but it just keep going up and up and up. So, when it turned and I just saw more uphill, I turned around!

 

It was a great day with friends. We ended the day with a chimney log from Royce and a great fire, food and dessert! 

Day Nineteen - Twenty Three - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Thursday 5/16 - Monday 5/20/2024

Our first full day at Ives Run is today, Thursday May 16th. It's our 19th day of our summer adventure. I did not set an alarm, but I was awake by 6:30, so I might as well walk! It was in this campground almost two years ago that I committed to my journey of change. Walking these roads holds so much emotion for me.

Ohhhhh, it's just a day for us to take our time and put a few things out and get set-up comfortably, because we are going to be here for a while! We have almost a week until any of our friends show up to camp with us! The most important thing we did today was wash the car! There is a small self-service wash not too far from the campground, so we headed out with a very dirty car and came home with a nice clean car! 

  

On Friday May 17th, I took my normal walk. I enjoyed the beautiful flowers and flowering weeds that are in this park! We had a couple errands planned. Charlie needs a haircut and we need to do laundry! I found a barber in Mansfield and a laundromat close by. He dropped me off to start the laundry and he went to get a haircut! 

He was back so fast, I thought maybe he needed an appointment. Nope, Cora got him right in and she did a great job! Need a haircut while you are in Mansfield PA, check out Head Hunter Barber Shop! The laundromat was good. It was clean and all the machines appeared to be in good working order. $3 for a standard load washer and $ .25 for 8 minutes in the dryer. However, it did not have a customer restroom. So, go before you come to the Mansfield Laundromat on East Main Street!

Charlie did kick back and enjoy the sounds of nature, we are still in shorts but it is cool enough for a long sleeved shirt!

On Saturday, May 18th I enjoyed my morning walk and the beauty of this area. Let me tell you about Ives Run. The campground has almost 200 reservable campsites. It is located on the eastern shore of Hammond Lake. The surrounding land paints a scenic picture of rolling mountains and open fields. It's named for the tributary that flows into the lake.

The partially forested campground sits in the pristine setting of the Endless Mountains region of Pennsylvania, along the Allegheny Plateau in the Appalachian Mountains. The Tioga-Hammond Lakes Project consists of two separate dams and reservoirs. One on the Tioga River and the other along Crooked Creek. The lakes formed by both dams are joined by a gated connecting channel. The Tioga-Hammond Lakes flood control project was constructed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The project was operationally complete in 1978. 

Hammond Lake has 685 surface acres of water. Hammond Lake, which sits 5 feet higher than Tioga Lake, is a source of “good” water. By allowing that water to flow into and mix with the acid-mine-tainted waters in Tioga Lake, it improves the water quality in Tioga Lake enough to support aquatic life, both in that lake and downstream. Tioga Lake, with 498 surface acres of water.

Since it is a bit cool for us, we have been enjoying a fire everyday around 4pm or so. I love the campfire most when camping.

For my walk on Sunday May 19th, it was a great way to start to the day! Later in the morning, we ventured into Wellsboro to shop at Tops Friendly Market. The story of Tops began in the early 1920s when Ferrante Castellani moved from a village outside of Rome, Italy to Niagara Falls, NY, where he opened his very first grocery store. He opened two more stores under the name Great Bear Market. In the 1950s, he met Thomas Buscaglia. Excited by the growth of modern day "supermarkets", Castellani and Buscaglia partnered with a group of independent Bells store owners, in their early and expanding retail grocery enterprise.

In 1962, the group opened its first true modern supermarket, a 25,000 square-foot store on Portage Road in Niagara Falls, NY. The name Tops was suggested and the team chose that name because they were determined to give customers the best shopping experience possible. In the lingo of the 60s, that meant it was 'tops'. The 1970s saw Tops continue to grow in Western New York and thrive where competitors struggled. By the mid-70s, the company had expanded into the Rochester area. Store growth continued throughout the next decade and during this time, Tops opened its first Pennsylvania location in Bradford, PA.

In 1991 Tops was acquired by Ahold. In 2007, Ahold announced that they would sell Tops Markets to Morgan Stanley Private Equity. In 2010, Tops acquired The Penn Traffic Company, a deal which resulted in bringing 64 new stores into its family. In July 2012, Tops announced its purchase of 21 Grand Union Family Markets stores. In November 2013, six members of Tops' executive team, led by Chairman and CEO Frank Curci, purchased the company from Morgan Stanley Private Equity, returning it back to complete local ownership.

In February of 2021 Tops Markets and Price Chopper/Market 32 announced that they entered into a merger that created a powerful alliance between the two storied independent supermarket chains. It nearly doubled their collective Northeastern footprint. Tops Friendly Markets operate 149 full-service supermarkets including five operated by franchisees under the Tops banner, along with 59 fuel stations, across New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont. They are headquartered in Williamsville, NY, and operate two distribution facilities in Lancaster and West Seneca, NY.

My favorite thing about Tops is the deals. We went to restock Charlie with coke. They had buy 2 and get 3 free. So, 5 8-paks of Coke for the price of 2. Does that say groceries are over-priced or what?!

My favorite story about Tops deals involved our dear friend Jackie Sperring. She is a dedicated Wegmans shopper. I don't know how she ended up in Tops in Avon. But they had a buy 2 half gallons of Friendly ice cream and get 3 free. Jackie had to ask an employee if this really was true. They confirmed it was a real deal. Her next call was to us to see how much room we had in the freezers at the fairgrounds!

For my walk on Monday May 20th is was foggy. This was my view of the sunrise. 

When I got to the water's edge, you could not even see the area surrounding the lake.

Away from the water, closer to the end of my 4-mile walk, you could still see the fog in the distance against the mountains.

We spent the rest of the day getting ready for our friends, Ted Decker and his wife Linda. They will be coming in on Tuesday and staying for 3 nights. We have not seen Ted and Linda for a couple of years. The last time we camped with them was the summer of 2022 at Park Station in Chemung County.

Stay tuned to follow us on our #TwoLaneAdventures

Day Eighteen - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Wednesday 5/15/2024

Our last drive for a while, we are headed from Hagerstown Maryland to Tioga Pennsylvania. Ives Run Corps of Engineer campground will be our home for a few weeks! We departed Antietam Brewery along Route 11, heading north. We missed our opportunity to see friends from our community in Florida. Darwin & Linda Grosh live about 30 minutes from the brewery. But, I did not learn this until 9:30 pm and we could not coordinate a breakfast time today. We will get together the next time we are in the area for sure!

Route 11 parallels US 81. We prefer the two lane roads verses the interstates! Soon enough, we were in Pennsylvania on Route 11. We turned onto Route 15 north. We have been on this route many, many times.

North of Harrisburg, Route 15 runs along side the mighty Susquehanna River. In the middle of the Susquehanna, a top an old bridge support stands Lady Liberty! Yes, you read that right... the lady that has greeted people in the New York harbor, has a twin sister that sits in the middle of the Susquehanna River. 

I love seeing her there and I always try to capture a picture. Follow this link for a detailed description of how she got there! 

Further along Route 15, you come into South Williamsport. Any avid baseball player knows what this town is home to....

It's home to the World of Little League, the Peter J. McGovern Museum and Official Store. The complex offers a fun, interactive, and educational experience about the history, service, goals, and initiatives of Little League Baseball and Softball. The museum features more than 300 artifacts organized for research and educational purposes and are used in exhibits.

Held each August at the Little League International Complex, the Little League Baseball World Series is an iconic youth sports event that welcomes 16 teams from around the world to compete for the chance to be named World Series Champion. It's still a free event to attend! There is no charge for parking either! How many things can you name that are free to attend anymore?!

I have fond memories as we pass the McDonald's in Williamsport. Fond memories at a McDonalds?! Yes, a family friend Walt Aydelotte, helped us get the old wooden wall phones my father used to bring back to life to someone who shared his passion after my Dad passed away. It's at this McDonald's where Charlie and I transferred the truck bed full of these phones to a man that Walk knew. This was the half-way point for both of us.

Going up Route 15 after Williamsport is more like an Interstate. Eventually, it will be! I believe that it will be Interstate 99 once all of the work is done on creating the interstate lanes.  

In Shamokin Dam, you exit the interstate style roadway and go back to the smaller roads that Charlie and I prefer. It's north of here that you climb a big hill and at the top of this hill is what we have always called "the Turkey Ranch." And then it turns back into an interstate style roadway again.

We exit at Tioga and follow 287 to Ives Run COE campground. This will be our home for 12 days. We will meet our friends here for the Memorial weekend!

#TwoLaneAdventures

Day Seventeen - A Summer of Bluegrass, Camping and Friends - Tuesday 5/14/2024

We departed Bob & Tammy's home in Carson, Virginia. It will be almost 3 months until we see them again. They will be our tailenders on the American Mountain Music Tour in September.

We traveled on US 301 north for a while. We went through Petersburg VA. It's where Bob & Tammy's church is located. The closest Walmart to them is here too. 

It's also home to the Petersburg National Battlefield. The Siege of Petersburg was the longest military event of the Civil War. Nine and a half months, 70,000 casualties, and the countless suffering of civilians. US Colored Troops fighting for freedom, and the decline of Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia all describe the fortitude of the soldiers at the Siege of Petersburg. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant cut off all of Petersburg's supply lines, ensuring the fall of Richmond on April 3, 1865. Six days later, Gen. Lee surrendered.

We traveled on VA 36 for a while and this route took us past Fort Gregg-Adams. On April 27, 2023, Fort Lee was redesignated as Fort Gregg-Adams in honor of Lieutenant General Arthur Gregg and Lieutenant Colonol Charity Adams. This post name honors American heroes who inspire hope and whose courage, dignity, patriotism and service exemplify the very best of the US military and instill tremendous pride in sustainment professionals everywhere.

In Hopewell VA, we saw our 3rd LOVEworks sign. We saw our first one at the Tractor Museum we visited yesterday. I missed capturing a picture of this one, but here is a picture of the 2nd one. In Virginia, it’s pretty easy to tell, they love LOVE. From their iconic "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan to the 300+ LOVEworks sculptures around the state, LOVE can be found in every corner of the Commonwealth. Virginia is for lovers of nature, cities, beaches, mountains, food, breweries, and so on and so forth. The vagueness has allowed this slogan to stand the test of time for more than five decades. The LOVEworks program was established in 2013 as a state-wide branding initiative designed to promote travel to Virginia, strengthen the awareness of the “Virginia is for Lovers” brand, and generate organic promotion. Since then, they have had more than 370 LOVEworks sculptures become staples in communities across the Commonwealth.

These LOVEworks sculptures have become special places, not only for local communities, but also for travelers. People are drawn to the LOVE letters and often choose them as backdrops for profound life moments such as engagements, weddings, family photos, senior portraits, memorable road trips, and more.

Hopewell, Virginia has a famous H. "The Big H" stands to greet visitors as the gateway to Hopewell. The town was formerly known as City Point. As visitors cross the Appomattox River this 65 foot tall structure says "hello." It was erected in 2018.

The Appomattox River is a tributary of the James River, approximately 157 miles long, in central and eastern Virginia, named for the Appomattocs Indian tribe who lived along its lower banks in the 17th century. It is the largest tributary on the tidal portion of the James River, originating near Appomattox Courthouse where Confederate Gen. Robert Lee surrendered to U.S. Gen. Ulysses S. Grant in 1865.

VA 10 took us back to US 301.

Richmond is home to more than 100 outdoor murals. Mending Walls is a collaborative, community-engaged art movement. They aim to advance social justice by connecting community members from different backgrounds in conversation to foster empathy, understanding, and healing. 

We skirted around downtown Richmond, but we did get a great picture of the downtown skyline. 

We also saw the larger than life Virginia War Memorial. It is the Commonwealth of Virginia’s premier monument, museum, and educational center dedicated to Virginians who served to defend the United States from World War II through today. I would love to see her upclose, she was overbearing from a distance, I can only imagine how she looks up close!

We found more art along the walls lining the road. 

As we turned the corner, you can not miss this mural. Titled "Struggles in the Ruffles" this mural was painted by Hamilton Glass.

We got on more traditional Two Lane roads on US 33 and US 522. We also ran into some rain.

We got onto a familiar road to us, US 15. We passed by Quattro Goombas Winery, we stayed there in 2022 with Gary & Sheryl.

Part of US 15 is America's Byway - Journey Through Hallowed Ground. Journey Through Hallowed Ground National Heritage Area, is a 180-mile long, 75-mile wide region stretching from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania to Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello in Charlottesville, Virginia. Along this route you can experience the fascinating historical and cultural landscape that this area is rich with.

 

We crossed the Potomac River and entered Maryland. The Potomac River is approximately 405 miles long. It is the fourth largest river along the Atlantic coast and the 21st largest in the United States. Since the 1800's the U.S. Navy has been using its 2,000 acres reservation on the Potomac for munitions research and testing.

We arrived in Hagerstown Maryland at Antietam Brewery. It's our Harvest Host spot for the night. Charlie was ready for a beer or two! 

    

I have to say the beers were good, but the pizza was better! Charlie might disagree, he had 3 of them!

Stay tuned for the next leg of our #TwoLaneAdventures