July 20th & 21st, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

While in Pymatuning you must stop at the spillway and see the ducks and fish! The food is white bread, the fish are carp, and the venue is the Spillway on the Pymatuning Reservoir. Linesville, a small town with population of around 1,100, is affectionately known as the place “Where the Ducks Walk on the Fish,” and is home to The Pymatuning Spillway, which is a small part of the huge Pymatuning Dam.

Common carp were brought to the US in 1831. In the late 19th century, they were distributed widely throughout the country by the government as a food-fish, but they are now rarely eaten in the US. They live large in man-made and natural reservoirs and pools, and in slow or fast moving rivers. They prefer larger, slower-moving bodies of water with soft sediments. Common carp can live up to 20 years. The average size of the common carp is from 15 to 30 inches in length and weight from 4 to 30 pounds.

While we were out, we enjoyed a late lunch at the Crooked Paddle Pub. It is located less than a mile from the spillway. Charlie enjoyed a burger and I had a grilled chicken sandwich. Both were very good!

The next morning, we departed Pymatuning State Park after two days of visiting friends and exploring the area.

We needed gas, so we deviated from our planned route and headed into Ohio on Ohio Route 87. That route took us into the Gustavus Historic District. It is located at the intersection of State Routes 87 and 193. This national historic district area has 12 buildings listed on the National Historic Registry. The prominent architecture styles include both Greek Revival and Federal. Major buildings dating from 1832 to 1898 surround the village green, the geographic center of Gustavus Township.

Built in 1832 on the northwest quadrant, the George Hezlep House features Federal-Greek Revival architecture and has a closet reputedly used on the Underground Railroad. Built in 1840, the Farmers' Exchange Store was originally a double entrance Greek Revival structure. The Storekeeper's House, also a Greek Revival structure, was built next to the exchange store in 1840. South of this house is the Fraternal Hall, built in 1870.

There were once four churches in Gustavus including the Methodist Church, built in 1856 with a temple front and a belfry, and the Congregational Church, built east of the center in 1854. The eclectic Town Hall was built in 1890 and fronts the southeast quadrant. The Gustavus Centralized School, reported as the first centralized school in the United States, was built in 1898 and was replaced by the current building in 1928.

The next “big” town we came to was Mesopotamia, Ohio. This town is in the heart of Amish Country. One of the oldest general stores in Ohio, it has been in continuous operation since 1840, End of the Commons General Store. They stock over 1,000 bulk food products, hard to find housewares & kitchen gadgets, homemade fudge, hand dipped ice cream, over 150 varieties of old fashioned soda & penny candy. Steps away from the store entrance is a 15’ woodcarving featuring a frontiersman reminiscent of early settlers living in the area that was carved from a 350-year-old oak tree stump. 

Across from the store and adjacent to the Commons sits the world’s largest Amish horse and buggy which stands 14” high and 32’ long. Ken and Margaret Schaden and their 11 children run the End of the Commons General Store. After many years in corporate sales planning, Ken & Margaret found what the family was looking for in Mesopotamia; the family, living in Mesopotamia, visited the very store they own today to buy milk, groceries, and penny candy for their large family. When the store was for sale the Schadens believed that it would be a great way for their family to work together while serving the needs of their own neighborhood. Familiar with shopping in bulk for their own large family, the Schadens decided they could best serve the Amish community with bulk products at reasonable prices. The old grocery store had to be cleared out of its back rooms to make room for the bulk products.  As the cleaning process began, it soon became clear that what was thrown into back rooms and into the basement and attic, was not junk, but store history! They found hundreds of items: old store products, supplies, furniture, and fixtures. Cash registers, scales, needle boxes, dry goods, and actual food products in cans, tins, and boxes dating from the late 19th century! Penny candy still lines the shelves by the checkout counter, where slots and boxes of the old post office remain. People actually ask "How much is the penny candy?" but around here it still is a penny! 

We turned onto US 224, a generally east – west route. It is a rural arterial highway, mostly two lanes, across Ohio. It runs roughly parallel to the former Baltimore and Ohio Railroad from its westerly US 42 junction to Tiffin, a city around which it sweeps to the south with intersections at various state highways that radiate out from downtown.

US 224 took us through Newton Falls. Newton Falls would be “famous” for a waterfalls, right? No … home to the famous 44444 ZIP code, the only US zip code in the contiguous US where all five numbers are the same. The town's namesake falls feed into different branches of the Mahoning River.

We found an old time store, Field View Mercantile, a local family run business specializing in selling old advertising, vintage toys, antiques, primitives, specialty treats, artisanal products, and seasonal decor. They would love to buy your old advertising signs!

We passed between Lake Milton and Lake Berlin and wondered why two lakes that were connected had different names? Lake Milton was built as a water supply for Youngstown. Within 10 years, however, the city found other water sources, and the lake largely became recreational. The downstream mills of US Steel and Youngtown Sheet and Tube used the lake to cool the waters of the Mahoning River, which they used to cool ingots. If the river water got too warm in the summer, the steel was too brittle. The mills would then ask the city to open the Lake Milton spillway and let some of the reservoir’s cooler water flow into the river. 

A very interesting part of Lake Milton's history ....Meanwhile, a number of small cottages started to crop up along the lake’s east bank. Although the city of Youngstown owned the lake and most of the property around it, fishermen began to erect tents, then lean-tos and finally cottages to spend weekends fishing. The city turned a blind eye at first but eventually began to collect a small rent from the cottage owners. They were squatters, essentially, living on city land. They had electric, none of which would have passed standards today. There were a lot of outhouses, a lot of which flowed right into the lake. By the mid-1980s, some of those cottages began turning into houses. A few were nice houses, including one owned by the Cafaro family, which made millions of dollars developing malls across the country. But Youngstown was hurting. The mills had closed. Just before the corps released its report on the Lake Milton dam, Youngstown had let its liability insurance lapse and had closed all its parks and recreation facilities. The residents rallied, getting the ear of their local politicians, led by then-state Sen. Harry Meshel. A deal was struck in which the state agreed to divert $4.3 million from another project to fix the dam. In exchange, the state would take over Lake Milton as a state park. As part of the deal, the cottage owners would get to buy their property. A lake cottage in 1995 was valued at $44,500, according to the Mahoning Valley auditor. The next year, a house was built on the site, valued at $228,500. Now, this 10-room, 4,700-square-foot home with a dock just outside the back door on the lake is valued at nearly $600,000. Property along N. East River Road, where Gardner lives, now easily commands more than $500,000, according to local Realtor Howard Vayner.

Ohio's Mahoning River is Berlin Lake. The Mahoning River has long done double-duty safeguarding the water levels downstream in Warren and Youngstown and providing a water source for citizens and industry. Berlin Lake actually began as the back-up reservoir for nearby Lake Milton a few miles downstream. Approved by the legislature early in the 20th century, the dam was completed in 1942 and Berlin Lake began its job of flood control, water level stabilization and water supply shortly afterward. The 18-mile long reservoir has a surface area of 3,590 acres during the normal summer, but can expand to 5,500 acres when heavy rainfall occurs. The lake is the fifth-largest inland lake in Ohio. Most visitors to Berlin Lake are interested in the recreational opportunities the large lake provides. The US Army Corps of Engineers maintains the Mill Creek Recreation Area around the lake which offers four public boat launch sites. Many bays and meandering arms make Berlin Lake ideal for paddle-craft such as canoes and kayaks, and pontoon boating on the lake is a favorite activity.

We saw lots of barns repainted with the "chew mail pouch" advertising!

We also spotted a Wrestlemania trailer, while we were getting gas!

Established in 1854, Fostoria is best known for its famous glass production years and for its abundant rail traffic and business that continues today. Fostoria was also the home for over a dozen glass factories during the end of the 19th century. The glass factories were established in Fostoria because of the discovery of natural gas in the area. As the gas supply became depleted, many of the factories closed or moved—including the Fostoria Glass Company.

Hundreds of 100 trains pass through the city each day. The city is often visited by rail fans, and a railroad viewing park, constructed to facilitate the viewings. The Fostoria Rail Preservation Society is dedicated to preserving railroad history and public education. They are the caretakers of the former Lake Erie and Western Depot, as well as the Fostoria Iron Triangle Visitor Center and Viewing Area. The viewing platform is open 24/7, 365 days a year, the 5.6 acre rail park provides a unique 360 degree unobstructed view of trains passing by on any of the surrounding rails. Three mainline double tracks cross each other and form a triangle around the rail park, hence the name “Iron Triangle.”

After Fosoria, we arrived in Van Buren at the State Park. Our home for the next two nights. Stay tuned as we make our way westward!

July 18th, 19th and 20th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

We spent three soggy days at Ontario County Park at Gannett Hill with Rob & Sheila. Even though Mother Nature rained on our parade, we had a great time! We left there to head to Tompkins COE in Lawrenceville, PA for one last night with camping friends, Royce & Karen, from New York. Tompkins was just an overnight, because Pymatuning State Park is too far for a one day drive.

We enjoyed some sausages over the open fire and fellowship with Royce & Karen. This is our second time at Tompkins COE this season. We love this place, because the sights are partially wooded and quiet. The weather cleared up for the evening, but the morning we left was foggy again!

Most of our day driving on Monday July 19^th will be on Route 6. Route 6 in Pennsylvania enjoys a storied past. The route can be traced back to 1807 when state officials mandated a road be cut through the Moosic Mountains to enable easier travel to the western parts of the state. As the state and nation grew, so too did the road. Carved out of hundreds of miles of wilderness, the road eventually united all of the county seats in Pennsylvania’s northern tier. The fledgling highway quickly became a vital link between the industry of the west and the railroads in the east. Along its length sprung charming villages, plentiful farming communities and thriving towns.

This 70 mile stretch of PA’s US Route 6 takes you back to the kind of vacation you might have experienced in your childhood. Drive through rolling, emerald hills, very much like those of the Blue Ridge Parkway. Each twist and turn offers stunning views, dotted with villages with pieces of small town life. You will see signs of a family recreation areas, like river outfitters, mom and pop motels and campgrounds.

We took you on our tour of the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania back in late May. It’s about 15 miles to Galeton, PA. This town is almost at the center of Route 6. We passed through little towns like Ansonia, Rexford, and Gaines. In Galeton, we wound our way through the old downtown. Galeton was a booming lumber town in the 1800s, sporting an opera house, a hospital, railroads, breweries, and (of course) taverns. Surrounded by forests, today the town attracts tourists, hunters, and fisherfolk who enjoy the abundant wildlife and lush scenery. Every year, Galeton celebrates firefighters on Red Suspender Weekend, a festival of food, contests, and entertainment.

The Pennsylvania Lumber Museum was closed, but it looks like it would be a fun and educational experience for everyone. Nestled in the wooded mountains of Potter County, the museum invites visitors to discover the courageous yet reckless spirit of Pennsylvania’s lumbering past while learning to care for the forests of the future. Interactive exhibits simulate activities such as swinging an ax, sawing a tree, piloting a log raft and racing locomotives for a hands-on experience with history. Outdoor exhibits located across the 10-acre campus include a re-created early 20th-century lumber camp, a 70-ton Shay geared-locomotive, and Barnhart log loader, and a log cabin built by the CCC. In the past they have operated their steam-powered sawmill at three annual events, Spring Show, Bark Peelers’ Festival, and Fall Show, but that is up in the air as COVID has cancelled these festivals for a second year in a row.

The Denton Hill Summit on Route 6 in Pennsylvania has an elevation of 2,424 feet. Situated on the northern slope of Denton Hill, the steep grade of the park facilitated the establishment of a downhill ski area and lodge when the site was developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Throughout the remainder of the year, Denton Hill State Park serves as a unique setting for a variety recreational events. Additionally, hikers can find year-round access to the Susquehannock State Forest. The ski area was operated by the state until 1979, when it became a concession run by a private contractor. The park was closed to downhill skiing in late 2014, when the concession contract expired and remains closed today.

Motor through one-blink towns like Mina, Roulette, Burtville and the larger Port Allegany, named because it was a landing site for Native American canoes. Then you will arrive in Smethport. The Capital Seat of the County, Smethport was once a bastion of oil and lumber tycoons. At the turn of last century, this town had serious money. The evidence still lines Main Street, the Smethport Mansion District, a village of 30 opulent properties boasting history and architecture and showcasing the luxurious life of Smethport's past.

Smethport also claims it is “the birthplace of Magnetic Toys.” Wooly Willy was invented by James Herzog while he worked at the Smethport Specialty Company in Smethport, Pennsylvania. In the 1950s, the company produced a variety of magnetic and metal toys. In 1955, Herzog found that the powder created from grinding magnets made a perfect drawing tool. His brother Donald suggested using a clear, vacuum-formed plastic bubble to contain the magnetite powder, and Leonard Mackowski, a local artist, was commissioned to design the display card. After being rejected by numerous buyers, the 29-cent toy was eventually picked up and went on to enjoy great popularity.

The Alleghany National Forest is all around us! No wonder, it encompasses 513,257 acres! Over 600 miles of trails crisscross the ridges and valleys of the Allegheny National Forest. It provides opportunities for hunting, fishing, swimming, hiking, camping, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, boating, mountain biking, riding ATV’s, boat/camping and more.

The Allegheny Reservoir spans the border between Pennsylvania and New York. In Pennsylvania, the reservoir is completely surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest; and in New York State by Allegany State Park and the Allegany Indian Reservation of the Seneca Nation.

West of Bradford on Route 59, we found the Kinzua Dam. This important flood control dam has created a vast waterway known as the Allegheny Reservoir. Completed in 1965 by the US Army Corps of Engineers, the 25-Mile elongated lake fills nearly 100 miles of forested shoreline. Day-to-Day operations of the flood control dam take place on the site.

Meadville, Pennsylvania, along a drab stretch of strip malls, the north side of the road is lined by a colorful pattern of repurposed road signs that stretches for nearly a quarter mile. Located on the property of the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation building, the PennDOT Road Sign Sculpture Garden is the most perplexing set of driving instructions you’ll ever see.

Alternatively known as “Read Between the Signs,” the road sign sculpture garden was created when art students from the nearby Allegheny College teamed up with DoT employees who had a few extra road signs on their hands. The result was both bizarre and ingenious, portraying the Pennsylvania landscape with a recycled metal homage.

We found our way back to Pymatuning State Park and our friends, Judi & Harry. It's a huge park facility, covering portions of two states! It has nearly 16,000 acres of land! Pymatuning is one of the largest parks in the state. The 14,000-acre lake is, too, the largest lake in the state. Of course, that makes the lake one of the best places to spend some time. We were tired and enjoyed a dinner out and a campfire! Stay tuned for more travel tomorrow!

June 3rd, 4th and 5th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

We moved the Lazybrook Park for the 14^th annual NEPA Bluegrass Festival. Every June, dozens of traditional and progressive bluegrass bands take the stage at the NEPA Bluegrass Festival in Tunkhannock, PA. This three-day event included food and craft vendors, workshops, and tons of bluegrass on two stages. We had the perfect campsite halfway between both stages and across from the jam tent.

The looming presence at Lazybrook Park is the big red bridge! This eight panel structure was built by the Corrugated Metal Company. This company was known for bridges such as the Pierceville Bridge, a patented type of truss known today as the lenticular truss. These bridges feature a beautiful and distinctive shape to them that is unique enough that they can be considered among the rarest types of bridges remaining in the country. The preservation of each surviving lenticular truss bridge is absolutely essential. Having been built by the Corrugated Metal Company, this is among the earliest examples of a lenticular through truss. It is also remarkably complete, with very few alterations. This is also one of the only bridges where the Historic Bridge Inventory itself strongly advocates for the preservation of the bridge. In June, 2015, a project to relocate and restore this historic bridge to nearby Lazybrook Park for non-motorized traffic began. As of summer 2018 the project is complete and the bridge is open. The preservation of the Pierceville Bridge is truly a historic moment for Pennsylvania. The Pierceville Bridge preservation project was an in-kind restoration of the bridge, the first of its kind in Pennsylvania. 

The jam tent has impromptu music from about 11am until close to 1am! Oh, it was so great! Our friend, Jay Busch, led a few of the jam sessions. They play like a true jam circle. They go around the tent and each person leads the group in a song. No one is left out, unless they choose to pass, and everyone can join in.

Some of the entertainers we saw included, the Baker Family. The Baker Family was on season 12 of America’s Got Talent. They are a high energy bluegrass band located in south central Missouri. They travel throughout the US. The band members include, Carrie Baker (the mother) plays guitar and upright bass; Trustin Baker (22 years old) playing Fiddle, Banjo, and lead vocals; Carina Baker (19 years old) playing mandolin, lead vocals, and harmony; Elijah Baker (17 years old) plays lead guitar and upright bass.

Doyle Lawson is an American traditional bluegrass and Southern gospel musician. He is best known as a mandolin player, vocalist, producer, and leader of the 6-man group Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver. They are a great group, but times are changing as Doyle Lawson, a 43 year veteran leader of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver, has announced that he will be stepping away from that role at the end of 2022. With nearly six decades as a professional bluegrass entertainer under his belt, Lawson is clearly the reigning senior statesman in our music. Still active as a touring artist, he plays regularly at festivals. He started on banjo with Jimmy Martin in 1963, who he had known back home in Sneedville, TN for several years. Years later he joined up with JD Crowe and The Kentucky Mountain Boys on guitar, but soon switched to mandolin. Doyle was back to Jimmy’s band in ’69 for a short time, but returned to Crowe until ’71. That was when he joined Charlie Waller and The Country Gentlemen, the beginning of an epic eight year stint that saw him participate in several landmark recordings, none more so than 1972’s The Award Winning Country Gentlemen. In 1979, history was made with the debut of Doyle Lawson & Quicksilver.

On the Progressive Stage we heard Mama Corn. One of the Keystone state’s hottest bluegrass bands.  Evident at those early sessions was an undeniable chemistry between several of us who shared a love for old time Appalachian folk and bluegrass music, so the idea of building a band was discussed. This quartet has become a mainstay on the regional bluegrass festival circuit.  Featuring multi-talented singer-songwriters; utilizing guitar, banjo, dobro, harmonica, mandolin, upright bass and remarkable vocal harmonies, the spirit of traditional roots music is echoed in their sets.  After the formal line up was set, they started rehearsing as a band at the famous "Bait Shop" rehearsal studios in early 2007, and "Mama Corn" was born.  Right from the first rehearsals there was a lot of potential and they knew they had something special.  Their first showcase was at a local watering hole called "The Hitching Post" where the owner was a bluegrass enthusiast. Their self-titled album, "Mama Corn", was completed in June of 2011 and was met with good reviews.  They have played venues including The Rochester International Jazz Festival.

One of the main reasons we decided to come to the NEPA festival was the Malpass Brothers. As young boys, Christopher and Taylor Malpass soaked up the music of their granddad’s phonograph records. Christopher earned his first talent show trophy at age 7, and Taylor was playing mandolin by the time he was 10. Today, they promote the work and music of classic country artists they treasure while creating new music and making their own mark in the lineage of a rich American cultural heritage. With sincerity, honesty and an utter ease on stage that belies their years, their smooth vocal blend and skillful musicianship layer infectiously into the deep respect they pay to legends who have paved the way. Add the funny, off-the-cuff quips between the two 20-something siblings, and the engaging concert becomes a magnetic time-traveling journey to when a calmer rhythm reigned supreme. The Malpass Brothers toured with the late Don Helms, former steel guitarist for Hank Williams, have opened for music legend Merle Haggard on multiple tours and appeared on stages from the Shetland Islands to Ryman Auditorium to Merlefest. Their most recent self-titled recording, produced by bluegrass legend Doyle Lawson, was released by Crossroads’ Organic Records in 2015.

We made a side trip to the Tunkhannock Creek Viaduct or the Nicholson Bridge. Among the greatest bridges in the world is the famous Tunkhannock Viaduct, which has been called the 9th Wonder of the World. It is just passing a century old milestone, the Tunkhannock Viaduct still creates an impressive sight in northeastern Pennsylvania. It took three years to build, the massive reinforced concrete bridge that stretches out almost a half mile. Its graceful central arches are supported by piers that were sunk 138 feet below ground level.

To complete the bridge, the contracting firm of Flickwir and Bush employed a workforce of about 500 men, some of whom worked nearly 300 feet off the ground on and around temporary construction towers and cables. In the course of work, two men fell to their deaths. Soaring high above the valley floor, Tunkhannock Viaduct stretched for 2,375 feet across ten 180 foot arches and two 100 foot arches. It consumed 167,000 cubic yards of concrete (about 350,000 tons) and 1,140 tons of reinforcing steel. When completed in 1915, it was twice as long and more than twice as high as the 1848 stone-arch Starrucca Viaduct, which lies about twenty-five miles northeast of Nicholson.

This amazing structure, rising 240 feet above the creek bed, was built by the Delaware, Lackawanna, and Western Railroad. A key link in the railway, the project was designed to straighten out existing curves and steep grades of the previous tracks where trains often struggled through these rugged Pennsylvania hills. Considered a marvel in engineering at the start of the 20th century, the bridge shaved more than an hour from a freight train's schedule.

This majestic bridge is still in use today by the Canadian Pacific and Norfolk Southern Railroad. Also called the Nicholson Bridge, the viaduct looms over the small Nicholson Township. 

Difficult to escape its presence, Nicholson celebrates Bridge Day every September.

Stay tuned to follow the next stops on our #TwoLaneAdventures

June 2nd, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues!

Today we wanted a good breakfast out. The campground host suggested a restaurant in Hillsgrove. We drove thru Hillsgrove twice, then stopped at a package store in town asking where the resturaunt was in town. He said inside the McCarty Mercantile.  Inside we discovered the Tannery Café. The former Hillsgrove Country Store is under new management!  Cindi McCarty and Robert Bundle are now running this wonderful hometown classic.  Cindi will be offering many grocery items, daily specials, her amazing macaroni and potato salads! We came for breakfast, and were not disappointed!

Breakfast was delicious, Charlie had the Pancakes and I had "The Mess." I was not as daring as some ... I had the mess with bacon, a true Pennsylvanian would have had it with Scrapple! Scrapple, isn't that a game? Not in these parts ... Scrapple, also known by the Pennsylvania Dutch name Pannhaas or "pan rabbit", is traditionally a mush of pork scraps and trimmings combined with cornmeal and wheat flour, often buckwheat flour, and spices. The mush is formed into a semi-solid congealed loaf, and slices of the scrapple are then pan-fried before serving.

  

We needed a post office and lucky for us, the mercantile had a post office inside the store just beyond the café. Also lucky for us, they had a signal booster and we were able to check our emails too!

With the lack of cell signal and over the air TV channels I can understand why we keep seeing these long forgotten phone booths! They need them in this area!

After breakfast, we took a Sunday drive on a Wednesday and toured several covered bridges in the area. The first was less than a mile from our breakfast stop. Located on Covered Bridge Road over Loyalsock Creek in Sullivan County is Hillsgrove Covered Bridge #38-57-02. It is also called Rinkers Covered Bridge. It was built in 1850 by Sadler Rogers in the Covered Burr arch-truss style. It was rehabilitated in 1963. The length of largest span is almost 172 feet with the total length of the bridge at 186 feet.

You would not want to come upon this bridge too fast after dark, there is a sharp right turn to enter the bridge. The decking was listed as “fair” in 2017 and from the steady thump, thump, thump as you cross the bridge I think “fair” may be a generous rating. But statistics from 2017 say 54 cars cross the bridge on a daily basis. I am not sure why, because you can access PA-87 from both ends of the bridge. On July 2^nd, 1973 the bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Little has changed over the past 170 years at this river location where the Forksville General Store and the Forksville Covered Bridge spans the Loyalsock Creek. The town’s general store and bridge both date back to the early 1850s and remain historic focal points of this Pennsylvania village. Loyalsock Creek was always a natural roadblock for the growing town. So young Sadler Rogers, just a8 at the time, was called upon to reconstruct the Forksville Covered Bridge. The 152 foot span features a row of distinct horizontal windows, lighting the way for pedestrian walkways on each side. Traveling west on Route 154, and heading to the Forksville General Store, you’ll have to enjoy a bridge crossing in order to sample the restaurant’s marvelous meals.

The third bridge in the area built by Sadler Rogers is the Sonestown Covered Bridge. It is located just off Route 220 near the turn off to Eagles Mere.

Once again, we were able to see some more Pennsylvania natives, the four-legged variety. This one was not bothered by our being so close in a car!

On our way home, we stopped at the Chapel and took a short walk on the Double Run Nature Trail.

It was a 1.2-mile loop with more difficult hiking with short, steep sections. This trail begins and ends on PA 154 across from the park chapel. It travels through rich, fertile woodlands along the west branch of Double Run. Solomon seal, wild ginger, jack-in-the-pulpit, and other spring, ephemeral wildflowers grow abundantly along this trail, which has waterfalls and pools. 

If it was warmer, I might have considered checking out this perfect swimming hole, but not what is under that ledge!

We have spent our days traversing Loyalsock Creek, which flows about 60 miles. It begins in Wyoming County and flows through Sullivan and Lycoming counties in the central part of the state. Deep pools, fast flowing water and late spring temperatures are the key ingredients for an excellent fishing experience. The Upper Loyalstock, above Forksville, is known for its fast moving currents and a bolder strewn river bed. 

A mile and a half section of the river in Lycoming County is designated as Loyalsock Angler - Sullivan County, Pennsylvaniaa Delayed Harvest Artificial Lures Only section. Here, mayflies and caddis sometimes cover the Loyalstock. Mimicking these natural baits increase an angler's chances of success. Unfortunately, Pennsylvania receives more acid rain than any other section of the country. Acidic water adds additional stress to plants and animals. The river bed, primarily made up of sandstone, limestone and shale, has little effect neutralizing acid waters.

Rain was going to set in for our last night in Worlds End State Park, but it has been a great five-day 

#TwoLaneAdventures here, we will be back! Check back tomorrow to see where we are!