May 30th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

Drove to Tunkhannock, pronounced tuhng · ka · nuhk, to scope out the route and location of the Northeastern Pennsylvania (NEPA) Bluegrass Festival. We booked this festival in December of 2020 and have been waiting for it to arrive! Driving we discovered the Endless Mountains of Northeast Pennsylvania’s Wyoming County. They offer breathtaking views, winding, winding roads and a few vineyards!

Thomas Huckell brought his family to the Forks of Loyalsock Creek in 1797. He purchased 400-acres of land on both sides of Loyalsock Creek at the Forks. He only lived one year after he arrived and his widow surrendered the part of the tract which lies on the side of the creek now occupied by the business part of Forksville.

A portion of the land, owned by widow Huckell, one hundred and forty acres to be exact, was purchased by Samuel Rogers Sr. in 1802. His sons, Samuel, William and Jonathan, then started a woolen factory. By the War of 1812, this woolen mill in the wilderness was doing steady amount of work providing good quality private and military clothing and employing local people. Unfortunately a major flood took everything totally away except the dye kettle, which was found about a mile down the creek. The kettle now sits in front of the Sullivan County Historical Society’s Museum in Laporte. Samuel Rogers Sr. had ten children and it was his youngest, Moses, born in 1806 who carried on in the area and laid out the village of Forksville in 1854. He dies in 1879 having watched the little town begin to prosper. Forksville has over time held a saw mill, a grist mill, motels, wagon masters, blacksmiths, ice house, upholstery shop, barbershop, hardware store, garages, doctor’s office, harness shop, cobbler shop, hat shop, many residences and the woolen mill.

There is something about pulling of the road to let cars in more of a hurry than you to pass. As you let them zip by, you spot a deer on the edge of a stream. She knows you are there, but does not car. She lives such a simple life … not in a hurry to go anywhere, just enjoying each day. Oh, life is good!

Welcome to Mehoopany, Pennsylvania, home to Proctor & Gamble’s largest manufacturing site in the United States and not much else. There is not even a grocery store, but there is four churches!

The Mehoopany Paper Plant produces Bounty Paper Towels, Bounty Napkins, Charmin Toilet Paper and Pampers and Luvs diapers. The Procter & Gamble factory in Mehoopany, has long been a key fixture of the rural community. Generations of families have worked there. It employs about 2,200 people. Situated on the Susquehanna River, at more than l,000 acres P&G's Mehoopany complex is the company's largest manufacturing plant of its 60 or so worldwide.

 

We found this beautiful building, a new looking sign, but the yard and the driveway make it look abandoned. We tried to do some research on the web, but no luck.

  

We love seeing so much nature! Mama and fawn looking to cross the road safely ... Mama made it, but the fawn ended up going back into the woods on the side from which they came!

Rain is scheduled to arrive again, time to get back to the RV!

Check back tomorrow of more #TwoLaneAdventures

May 28th & 29th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

Our friends from NY came back to Ives Run, we had to relocate from the campsite we were in, to a lower level site. The good news about the move, is we have full hook-ups. The bad news is we are further away from our friends. But we are only together for one night and the next morning. Well our first night was raining, wet and cold ... but thank God for Easy-ups and propane fire pits! We were able to enjoy our meal together in semi-comfort!

Saturday morning was not much better, the rain had subsided, for the most part, but it was still cold! We had a great breakfast feast, thanks to Amber and Danny! 

The best part of breakfast, besides our friends and the bacon ... was the homemade Maple Syrup!

We moved from Ives Run Campground in Tioga Pennsylvania to Worlds End State Park in Forksville Pennsylvania. When commonwealth founder William Penn sent cartographers out to survey the lands granted to his family by King Charles II, the team came back to record a map that shows everything north of present-day Philadelphia and Bucks County as “endless mountains.” 

The area is  now is called the Endless Mountains, it could well be called the Emerald Mountains. In spring and summer, the are predominantly covered by sugar maples that soak up the sun, cooling homes and trails in their shade and building up their sap sugar content for next spring’s tapping.

Pennsylvania’s US Route 6 runs east and west from Lake Erie to the Pocono Mountains. As the byway route passes through the Northeast Mountain Region, we were not only treated to the scenic endless mountains, but introduced to their history. A string of coal mining towns, old lumbering camps and farming communities point to the roots of the state’s industrial and agricultural success. None of the success would have been possible without the northeast rail system. Stretching the definition of a mountain region, the Endless Mountains Region include five of Pennsylvania’s northeast counties, Bradford, Sullivan, Susquehanna, Northern Wayne and Wyoming. Part of the Alleghany Plateau, this landscape of endless rolling hills has been shaped by the North Branch of the Susquehanna and its countless tributaries. Home to a cluster of beautiful state parks, such as Worlds End and Ricketts Glen, the area offers much to see!

It was a rainy day to move, so not much exploring. Just a tid-bit about the town closest to the state park, Forksville. Forksville, acquired it's name from the nearby confluence of two rivers (Little Loyalsock and Loyalsock Creeks) and was established in 1833.

Stay tuned as we explore this area on our next #TwoLaneAdventures

May 27th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

We also headed back into Wellsboro and looked at some of the historical architecture that remains. Did you know that Wellsboro was a Pennsylvania Audubon Bird Town? In January 2019, A director of Pennsylvania Audubon Society traveled to Wellsboro and announced the borough was officially a “Bird Town.” Wellsboro was the first borough outside of southeastern Pennsylvania counties to receive the Bird Town designation. It is also the first county seat accorded the designation. The program reflects the community’s commitment to bird conservation. The coverage area includes all of Wellsboro Area School District, including Charleston, Delmar, Duncan and Shippen townships. Once the designation was received, the local Audubon chapter purchased additional signs to place on the five main roads entering the borough. The local Audubon chapter was founded in 1906 with 23 members, making it the oldest chapter in the state of Pennsylvania. The Tiadaghton name was selected in 1953, and in 1972 the chapter was officially chartered.

The Penn Wells Hotel was Wellsboro’s first tavern or inn, built in 1816, at this site. It has always been occupied by a tavern, inn or hotel. In 1869, AP Cone erected a four-story brick hotel. A fire in 1906 damaged the fourth story so badly that it had to be removed. The building was purchased in 1885 by JS Coles and renamed the “Cole House.” A group of local residents purchased the hotel in 1925 when it was closed for extensive remodeling and the addition of a fourth floor. The hotel re-opened in 1926 as the Penn Wells Hotel.

Currently the law offices of Walrath & Coolidge, was the residence of the Honorable Henry W Williams. Constructed in 1885, at the time he was President Judge of Tioga County and in 1887 he was appointed to the Supreme County of Pennsylvania.

The First Presbyterian Church was built in 1894. When Calkins left Wellsboro in 1879, active membership of First Presbyterian was 280. During his tenure as pastor he received 443 members. In 1880 the population of Wellsboro was not more than 400 people. In that year the Rev. Augustus C. Shaw succeeded Calkins as pastor. Shaw was born in Attica, New York and his father was the distinguished pastor of the Brick Presbyterian Church in Rochester, NY. Whereas Calkins was remembered for his fiery eloquence and high energy, Shaw was appreciated for his organizational skills, scholarship and deliberateness. Shaw served as Stated Clerk of the Presbytery of Wellsboro from 1883 to 1915. Under Dr. Shaw’s pastorate the congregation built the present impressive stone edifice, which was dedicated February 12, 1895. Due to his leadership the Wellsboro church functioned much like the Presbytery’s mother church. At the time it was held to be “The finest church of its size” in Northern Pennsylvania. 

The Green Free Library was established in 1912 by an endowment from Charles Green of Roaring Branch. In 1916, the library moved into this beautiful house called “Chester Place,” which was built by Chester Robinson, brother and business associate of John J Robinson. Chester Robinson dies and the family home becomes the property of his daughter, Mary B. Robinson. In 1890, Miss Robinson hires architect William Henry Miller of Ithaca, NY, to remodel the house. In 1898 the remodeling is completed and the house is named “Chester Place.” The square shape of the old home serves as a nucleus for the new estate, which includes east and west wings, plus a formal garden to the rear. A curve is added to the front of the house to accommodate a big fireplace and chimney in the large living room, which today houses the library’s juvenile and young adult collections. The young girl’s portrait in this room is of Mary B. Robinson, or “Miss Mazie,” as she is called. The west wing is Miss Robinson’s former library. The fireplace is made from Italian marble. Today, this room contains children’s materials. Also in the west wing is a sunroom, which houses a train set, LEGO table, easy readers, and other materials for children. The east wing consists of a porte-cochere and the dining room. This dining room, with its Tiffany window (installed in 1903), has become the library’s Pennsylvania Room.  Many patrons use this room for genealogy research and other reference work.

Located at the west end of Main Street is the oldest grocery store in Wellsboro, the West End Market. First opened in 1902, the store has been operated as a convenience market, fish market and a bulk food store.

The United Methodist Church is on the corner of Main and Queen Streets. The building was completed in 1905. The first church building was located at 7 Main Street and was a simple, neat church finished very plainly inside. It was dedicated on May 21, 1842 being the second church building in the borough at the time. By 1867 the church needed repairs and improvements, which were completed in November. The evening of the first Sunday service held after the work was done, the church was discovered in flames and it burned to the ground. The people worshiped in the Courthouse for the next two years while a new brick church was built. During the winter after the fire a protracted revival was held that swept the town for a period of 14 weeks, resulting in more conversions for the Lord. A building fund was begun and through the next two years a substantial Gothic structure was erected at the corner of Main and Queen Streets. It was dedicated on November 17, 1869, exactly two years to the day after the fire. 

Ohhhh, there is so much history to see on our #TwoLaneAdventures

May 26th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

Today we took a drive to Hills Creek State Park. It is located in scenic Tioga County, the 407-acre Hills Creek State Park offers picnicking and hiking on five miles of trails. The 137-acre Hills Creek Lake abounds in wildlife. Among the best fisheries in the state, the lake features bass, bluegill, sunfish, walleye, perch and muskellunge. Along with an active beaver colony, there are other water-loving creatures including muskrat, wood duck, great blue heron, and osprey. Bald eagles are frequent visitors to the park. Visitors may see a transient black bear, a flock of wild turkey, or a deer. Hills Creek is also a perfect habitat for rabbits, grouse, pileated woodpeckers and woodchucks.

The land, originally known as Kelly’s Swamp, was purchased in 1950. Within this swamp, at the present location of the swimming beach, was a small mine from which pigment for the paint industry was extracted. The park opened in 1953 and is named for the creek that runs through it. The stream was named after Captain William Hill who settled in the area around 1820.

From here, we headed into Mansfield, to find a car wash! We still need to get the dirt off from yesterday’s adventure and we are taking more gravel roads to get there!

In Mansfield, we found the World War I Memorial on the side of a building on Main Street. It is refreshing to see that it is well maintained.

We were going to stop at Yorkholo Brewing Company, but it was closed. We have not had much luck visiting wineries or breweries during the week, it seems everything is only open on the weekends! Yorkholo, pronounced "York Hollow", it 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. Throughout the year they brew 20 to 30 different styles which keeps our customers' palates on edge and our brewer's creativity never ending. Farming will forever be within them.  To stay close to their roots they support local growers and farmers by using their products throughout their seasonal menu and they allow their chefs creative freedom to express themselves through their cooking.

On our way back to the campground, on gravel roads as we did not find a working self-service car wash, we found Miller Mountain! We are not sure if, it is really called Miller Mountain, or this granite memorial was placed strategically to make you think that! Doing a bit of research the only Miller Mountain I could find in Pennsylvania is near Tunkhannock, one of our future destinations!

Stay tuned to see where our #TwoLaneAdventures take us next!

May 25th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

Today was "my day" we headed to a place we have driven close by, but never visited. Well, its time to check it out and add it to our #TwoLaneAdventures ! The Pine Creek Gorge, commonly referred to as the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is surrounded by approximately 165,000 acres of the Tioga State Forest. The PA Grand Canyon begins south of Ansonia along US Route 6 and continues for approximately 47 miles. The maximum depth of the canyon is 1,450 feet at Waterville, near the southern end. At Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks, the depth is more than 800 feet. These overlooks offer the most spectacular views.

Pine Creek Gorge received national acclaim in 1968 when the National Park Service designated a 12-mile section as a National Natural Landmark. Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks are on opposite sides of Pine Creek Gorge. The scenic vistas offer spectacular views into the glacially-carved canyon. The scenery is superb now, but I bet in the fall the large abundance of hardwood trees displays beautiful autumn shades of yellow, orange, red and purple, with the pockets of evergreen trees providing a dash of green.

We drove through Wellsboro on our way to see the Grand Canyon. We found this historic place. The Carleton Nursing Home is the former home of Leonard Harrison, banker and businessman, who donated 121 acres of land bordering Pine Creek, known as “The Lookout,” to the commonwealth in 1922. This area is now known as Leonard Harrison State Park.

We headed to Leonard Harrison State Park first. It is on the east rim of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, the 585-acre Leonard Harrison State Park has the most famous scenic views of the canyon. Leonard Harrison State Park honors Leonard Harrison (1850-1929) of Wellsboro. Mr. Harrison was a civic-minded businessman and banker who contributed his time, energy and finances to the betterment of his home community.

Leonard Harrison State Park originally consisted of 121 acres and was called “The Lookout.” Mr. Harrison owned and developed the area as a public picnic ground. He gave the area to the Commonwealth in 1922. The park was further developed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the mid-1930s. A bronze monument to their achievement is on the overlook. Additional lands were added in the park in the late 1940s.

We took a hike down the Turkey Path, it’s a mile to the gorge bottom. It was pretty on the way down and the crisp air, made it the perfect day to make this hike.

Unfortunately, the path turned into a muddy mess that neither of us wanted to venture through, so we missed the bottom pf the gorge. We turned around and headed back to the top. It kind of reminded me of hiking down to Crater Lake. It’s a mile down, but three-miles up!

We headed around the end of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania and made our way to the west rim, at Colton Point State Park. The view was just as breathtaking and we say the look-out we were at on the east rim. We also saw the highest viewpoint of the Grand Canyon pf Pennsylvania, it is a tall tower. We drove to the base of it and noticed it was $5 each to climb it. Only payable by credit card. A young couple was heading down and we asked if it was worth it. She said NO and he said at the top one of the board was so weak, it really sank in and scared him to death. So, we passed and caulked it up to another tourist trap.

Colton Point was named in the late 1800s for Henry Colton, a lumberman who supervised harvesting trees in the area. Logs were floated down Pine Creek to sawmills in Williamsport. The park was established from state forest lands purchased in the early 1900s. Colton Point State Park was developed by the boys of Civilian Conservation Corps Camp S-91-PA Watrous, from 1933 to 1936. The park opened to the public in 1936. The CCC contributions are still visible today through the five stone and timber pavilions in the park. In 1988, the CCC-built facilities were added to the National Register of Historic Places.

The Tioga State Forest surrounds the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. The name Tioga, an Indian word meaning the meeting of two rivers, is the name of a tribe of Seneca Indians who once inhabited the area. The Tioga State Forest, consisting of 160,000 acres of state forest land in Bradford and Tioga Counties, was named after this tribe of Indians. The purpose of the original acquisition of state forest land was to protect the headwaters of Pine Creek. The first purchase was in June 1900 when 900 acres along Cedar Run were acquired from FE Watrous. Acquisition was continued through the years. The last large tract of 13,828 acres was transferred from the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1955 and is knows as Resettlement Lands. It is located on Armenia Mountain in the headwaters of the Tioga River.

The majority of the tracts of land which today make up the Tioga State Forest were originally held by large lumber companies and land holding companies. A major development on the forest came in 1933 with the establishment of Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camps at the Darling Run, Elk Run, Leetonia and Dixie Run. Work activities included construction and maintenance of roads, trails and bridges. The original mapping and timber typing began during this period. Timber stand improvement practices also began at this time. The CCC also developed picnic areas and scenic vistas. An interesting activity that took place on the Tioga State Forest was the operation of birch stills. These Stills which operated during the 1940s, processed bark from birch trees to produce birch oil. The only remnant of this industry is a still located at Morris. It has not been operated since 1972.

We found two guys enjoying the day topless … in a Corvair! 

She is a beauty!

The flowers in the area are colorful and beautiful!

We left the area via dirt roads with names like Painter Leetonia Rd and Beachman Hollow. 

Even found an area that was being graded! 

We had a great time! 

We will have to wash the car again! 

But it’s all part of the #TwoLaneAdventures

 

 

May 22nd, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

The gang raved about the slushies at an unassuming winery, Shutter Homestead Winery. They described it as an “old barn” that most people would drive by … but not our gang! Rhonda Shutter hosted us at the Shutter Homestead. Her small family business located in Tioga that offers wine tasting, sales and events. 

You can walk a trail on the 100 acre property, socialize in the historic 200 year old barn, sit by the lake and relax, splash in the creek and play lawn games all while drinking wine! Rhonda Shutter is a people person. She loves meeting new people and learning from them. She said her business is an outlet for a New Jersey winery, Bellview, which was founded in 1903. Her business is located in the family barn that was built in 1827. She and her family are trying to keep the barn standing. It is important to Shutter because the property has been in the family since 1910. “The barn is part of our family heritage. As a Shutter myself, to know that my great-grandfather and all our relatives have worked, played, and lived on the property is comforting,” said Shutter, “This is our fifth season and we are blessed to be on 100 acres with plenty of room to social distance and be open for our customers to sit outside with wine. They are pet friendly and encourage everyone to pack a snack, come sit and enjoy the property. When you are here, you are family.”

Let me tell you about the Bellview Winery, the wine was excellent! Located on soil that the Quarella family has been farming for a century sits one of New Jersey’s premier wineries. The story of Bellview Farms begins with Angelo and Maria Quarella who emigrated from Italy and purchased a small farm in Landisville, NJ in 1914. The family planted strawberries and watermelons between the stumps of trees that they cleared from the land. The 20 acre homestead produced sweet potatoes, onions, peppers, cucumbers, garlic, lettuce and almost any other vegetable that the Quarella family could make a living from. In 1946, Joseph and Lettizia Quarella purchased more acreage and a second house was built on the far side of the property to accommodate an ever expanding family followed by a modern packing house, workshop, and eventually a labor camp that would house the farm’s workers. Crop production changed as new markets developed and the third generation of the Quarella family took charge. Eggplant, spring broccoli, squash and other new crops were planted post WWII. When the fourth generation, Jim Quarella, took the reins from his father in the 1980’s Bellview shifted to direct retailing as pick your own strawberries and Christmas tree sales thrived. In the 1990s a new opportunity arose in the form of Asian vegetables for the New York Chinatown market. The farm grew to its present size of 150 acres. In 2000 Bellview Farms took another turn and started an enterprise called, “Bellview Winery”.

Jim Quarella has always had a love for growing things. At the age of 16 Jim and some of his friends had an acre of vineyard that they tended for fun. However, as they got older the responsibilities of adulthood prevailed and the vineyard fell by the wayside as they pursued their careers. Twenty five years later Jim found himself dissatisfied with the vegetable market and was looking for a new direction. Vegetable farming just wasn’t what it used to be. After some reflection, it seemed that turning his family’s farm into a thriving vineyard and pursuing his dream of opening a winery was the natural direction for Bellview to take. 

The evolution of Bellview began in 1999 with the planting three acres of grapevines and the conversion of an old barn on the original 20 acre homestead into a tasting room and winery. The renovated building that is today’s winery houses Angelo’s original wine cellar where, for decades, Quarellas have made their wines. The new, “Bellview Winery” opened to the public in 2001 and quickly became a landmark in its hometown, Landisville. Jim and Nancy faced many challenges as they steered Bellview Winery through its infancy, but also enjoyed major successes. As the winery grew, a larger production area was added, the vineyard was expanded and the tasting room was renovated. Currently, Bellview has 40 acres of vineyards made up of 21 varieties of wine grapes and produces over 8000 cases of wine per year. Jim’s youngest son, Scott Quarella, who will be the fifth generation of the Quarella family to tend to their estate is the future of Bellview Winery. If only Angelo and Maria could see what Bellview has become!

Stay tuned as our #TwoLaneAdventures continue!