Today is Monday June 3rd and it's my last walk at Tompkins. It was my 155th walk of 2024. My seventh and last walk in Tompkins on Cowanesque Lake. It was a beautiful morning at 60° at 8am! Yes, we really slept in! I focused on my positive affirmations. Good thing there are later check out times here, because we can't check in at YogiBear in Mansfield until 3 pm. We only have to travel 23 miles!Here is a bit of info on Jellystone Parks. It is the second largest campground franchise in the country. The original Jellystone Park opened in the summer of 1969 in Sturgeon Bay, WI. Two more parks opened in 1969 and 1970, one in Florida and one in California. Others followed quickly. By the end of 1971, there were 10 franchised Jellystone Park locations in operation. In the ensuing decades the number of Jellystone Park locations grew to more than 75 (with locations in Canada as well as in the US) and the brand’s annual revenues skyrocketed. During that time, the company that franchised the Jellystone Park locations changed ownership several times. In 2022, the franchising company was purchased by Sun Communities and the franchisor was renamed Camp Jellystone.
Our site is a mostly gravel pad along the main drag. Our site backs up to the playground and jumping pillows. Yikes! We actually had to set up twice. After we were set up the first time Charlie noticed the overhead electric ran dangerously close to our camper and awning. We closed everything up, backed off the blocks and moved to the very front edge of the site. That gave the wires about 18 inches clearance from the back of the RV. It's all good....
We just relaxed and enjoyed the full hook up site and internet. Funny, but we actually ended up with fewer TV stations up on this hill than we had on the water's edge of Lake Cowanesque. Dana told me I could ride the train... it does not look like the train is running anymore! :(
Tuesday, June 4th, it's my 156th walk of 2024. My first walk at Jellystone - PA Wilds in Mansfield. To say we are camped on the side of a mountain is an understatement! I completed 44 floors (your device registers 1 floor when you climb about 10 feet) according to my Fitbit on my walk! I did see two deer on my walk. The first one was looking at me as I headed down the hill on the main drag.
The second was along the side of the driveway that takes you to the campground. Today was our laundry and haircut for Charlie excursion. Both are located in Mansfield. Charlie found the HeadHunter Barber Shop when we first arrived in PA and they did a great job, he went back. We tried a different laundromat this time. This one did not have a restroom either! And the dryers were twice as expensive as the first laundromat we used. So, we will be doing our laundry back at the Mansfield Laundromat and not Butter's Laundromat.
Wednesday, June 5th, it's my 157th walk of 2024. My second walk at Jellystone - PA Wilds in Mansfield. Jellystone campgrounds are franchise properties, but the company that sells the franchises is Sun Communities. I will share with you, this campground used to be called Bucktails, before it became a Jellystone campground. We talked to the current manager, who has been here for about two years. He told us that the campground has come a long way in two years. Personally, I think it has a long way to go!
We are going back into Mansfield today. I have an appointment for my first haircut since we left home at the end of April! I was impressed with Jenna at Smart Styles in Walmart, she listened and did a good job. We were going to go to Yorkholo, a local brewery, but we were too early. Charlie had a beer on the patio of the Thin Line Tavern next door.
We found out that Donna Walker was camping at Tompkins, so we drove up to say hello to her and Roger. It has been several years since we have seen her! Funny part of this story... Donna had made a comment on one of my FB posts, that is how we knew she was there. I was texting her and she was answering me, providing the info we needed to visit her. See was surprised when Charlie and I showed up, because she did not know who she was texting with! LOL We enjoyed our visit with Donna and Roger, then we headed back to Mansfield. Donna took a picture, but she never shared it with us! LOL, she hates her picture taken!
Yorkholo Brewing Company was open and we stopped in. Yorkholo, pronounced "York Hollow", is a small artisan brewpub located in the north central region of Pennsylvania called the "Pennsylvania Wilds". The brewery name comes from the York family dairy farm established in 1861. The farm had to shorten its name from York Hollow to Yorkholo due to the number of letters allowed when registering dairy cattle.
Ralph York ran the Yorkholo dairy farm his entire life until he retired and all the dairy cows were sold off. The name of the brewery was chosen to continue the Yorkholo legacy. When deciding on a logo that represented Yorkholo and quality, they couldn't think of anything better than the face of Ralph York. Funny, I thought the logo had FDR in it!
The list of beer selections were not as expansive as some other breweries. Charlie was not sure what he wanted, because they did not have any IPAs on tap. I ordered Charlie the Apricot Wheat and I got the Crisp Lime Lager. I tasted both and I would have enjoyed either one.
We ordered food. Charlie got an order of fries... we did not know that they were covered in a seasoning. He did enjoy some of my "chicken" fries! The vibe at this brewery was more of a college town vibe.
Thursday, June 6th, it's my 158th walk of 2024. My third walk at Jellystone - PA Wilds in Mansfield. There is a mix of permanents, seasonal and transient campers here. Some have pretty elaborate set-ups.
Today was the day we planned to drive to Little Pines State Park. That is our next campground. We could have gone down US 15, but you know us... we had to take the two lane road. We took PA 287 south. About halfway down to the park, Charlie decided that PA 287 was not the way to go, so we turned down a road we knew we could not take the RV on. CR 4001 has a 9 foot suspension bridge. They are working on the bridge and have a temporary bridge up, but the clearance is still only 10 foot.
The closer we got to Little Pines State Park, the more Charlie was concerned about spending twelve days here. We were driving in a deep valley and when we arrived at the state park it is located on the other side of a dam. We talked to the camp host, no TV reception and no internet.
We drove onto the Centre Hall Grange Festival grounds, where our Bluegrass Festival is closer to the end of the month. This festival was the reason we were going to camp closer to the festival. We found the grounds and the gates were locked, but at least we know where we are headed.
We ate a late lunch at Earlystown Diner, just across from the entrance to the festival grounds. It is a family owned & operated diner. They serve made from scratch items & comfort foods. Their special was hot roast beef sandwich, mashed potatoes and green beans. Charlie did not even have to look at the menu. I chose the Tuna Salad. I was so hungry, I never got any pictures!
While we were there I was able to make a few new reservations and cancel our reservations at Little Pines State Park. Looks like we will be staying in the Tioga and Lawrenceville PA area for a few more weeks! We will be in the Bellefonte / State College KOA the night of Friday June 21st. We go into the festival grounds on Saturday June 22nd. We drove back to Mansfield in the sunshine, which was much better than the drizzle and rain we had on the way down to the State Park. After the rainy day, it was a beautiful sunset!
Friday, June 7th, it's my 159th walk of 2024. My fourth walk at Jellystone - PA Wilds in Mansfield. This morning was a bit cooler at 55° and some fog. There were a few kids out on their bikes at 7am!
The day was full of rain, rain, and rain. We would sit outside, then have to go in because the rain came. Back outside and back in... all day! But a rainy day always provides an awesome sunset!
Saturday, June 8th, it was my 160th walk of 2024. My fifth walk at Jellystone - PA Wilds in Mansfield. This morning was 55° and sunny, as I started at 7am waiting for the rain to stop. Today is a day that lives in infamy for any member of the 42nd Infantry Division in 2005. We lost two comrades in arms that day. We are remembering CPT Esposito & LT Allen everyday, but especially today, June 8th. It's been another year, since that fateful day in Iraq in 2005. Time marches on, but the pain is still fresh. These two officers touched so many lives and I can not imagine the pain their families still feel. The kids are growing up without their fathers for role models, guidance and love. Both of our fallen heroes families are in our hearts and prayers forever. Rainbow, Never Forget! We enjoyed a day sitting outside watching all of the kids playing!
This campground has a carousel. I have never been in a campground with a carousel.
Too bad, I never saw it running, or I might have snagged a ride.
I did learn that it is over 100 years old! Up close, it is really in great shape!
Sunday, June 9th, it was my 161st walk of 2024. My sixth walk at Jellystone - PA Wilds in Mansfield. This morning was 55° and overcast. I had to wait until 8 am to start, as Mother Nature wanted to water the grass this morning! I enjoyed my talk with God on my walk. I had to walk on the main road because the dirt and gravel roads were too slick from the rain.
It was our last day here and we chose to enjoy a campfire and each other's company! Stay tuned as our #TwoLaneAdventures continues!
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