Route Six 2014

We got on the road about 4 PM after cleaning the interior of the Pilot and waiting an ungodly long time for my PC to shut down (it wanted to install 14 Windows updates).  It looked like we were going to hit a lot of traffic, but by taking the new Easy Pass only entrance ramp to the PA Turnpike, we didn't encounter any until we hit Scranton.  Fortunately, I’d made reservations at the Stone Bridge Inn shortly before we left because we would never have found the place otherwise and it would have been closed even if we had.  But as it was, we got there about 7 PM and easily found the key and directions to our room, which was No. 5.

The room was nothing like one you get in a modern chain hotel, which had its upside and down.  The upside was the charm and hominess of the place; the downside was the old TV, second bed in a cramped loft, and lack of ice.  After settling in and taking a few photos, we set off for dinner at the Inn at

Starlight Lake in Starlight, PA.  It was a bitch to find, and it would prove to be more of a bitch finding our way back to the Stone Bridge in the dark, but we managed both.  Aside from the rather brusque manner of the lady who sat us, our experience at the restaurant was delightful.  There was only one other group of diners, so we pretty much had the place to ourselves. The lake in front was moonlit and lovely, and to my surprise, I was able to capture some shots that amazed me.  For dinner, Sharon and I split a steak with mushrooms and a mac ‘n cheese dish with andoulle sausage and chicken.  It was, I thought, a charming place and a delicious meal.

Back at the Stone Bridge Inn, I took off to find the bar in the lodge/restaurant part of the facility.  And after wending this way and that, I found a tiny cedar-paneled bar (everything was cedar paneled) with about 6 patrons having drinks.  One of the patrons said hi, and I asked him if he’d seen the band that played there that night.  He said he had and that they were awful and that one of the band members took a whiz on stage.  I figured he was putting me on, and surely he was, confessing that he was in the band, as were the other 3 guys having drinks.  Soon the bandmates and others took off, leaving me alone with my beer and the bartender.  I chatted with him a bit and then returned to our room.  In the room we watched several episodes of “Friends” and then switched over to old-time TV on ME TV.  About 1 AM or so, we called it a day.

I got up about 9 AM and we went down to the common area to have a continental breakfast.  Aside from one other lady, we were the only ones in the place.  I had granola and orange juice.  Soon after, we loaded the car, I dropped off the key with Kim in the office, and we got on the road.  Our first destination was the town of Susquehanna near PA Route 92, near the NY border.  Our reason for going there was to see the house where author John Gardner lived and the spot on Route 92 where he died (in a one-vehicle motorcycle accident).

While en route to the town, I got a call on my cell phone from a woman at the Ridge, NY, apartments where we’d applied for Eric to reside.  The woman told me that they’d run their background check and he was accepted.  She provided additional information about the deposit.  By this point we’d reached the town of Susquehanna, meaning that we’d passed the house and accident site, so we doubled back.  I spotted the road that Gardner had lived on, we cut up it, and there was his house, which I recognized from photos I’d seen.  I got out and had a look, and Becky took a photo of me in front.  Then we looked for the accident site, but never could confirm the exact location.  Oh well.

We continued south on Rt. 92 and passed right under the Tunkhannock Viaduct in the town of Nicholson.  It was quite an impressive sight, so we drove around a bit trying to get a better look but never really got one.  We then hopped on U.S. Rt. 11 and took it a short way till it hooks up with U.S. Route 6, which was to be our home for the next two days.

Our first stop along Route 6 was at a roadside pullover near MM287, perhaps called Wyalusing Rocks, and if not, close to it.  The spot offer a sweeping and lovely view of the Susquehanna River and farm fields far below.  A few miles further up the road, we found an ever better overlook near a bar & restaurant (at which bikers were specifically welcomed).  This overlook afforded not only a unimpeded and impressive view of the river and valley below but also of the location where some French royalists settled for a period following the French Revolution.  The story told is that Marie Antoinette, herself, was to live there, but as history records, she lost her head before she made the move to upstate PA.  There were also some charming stone kiosks at this site.

Our next order of business was to find a place to eat lunch.  A place that came recommended in an article I’d read was the Red Rose Diner in Towanda.  So we headed to Towanda, found the lovely little Red Rose Diner, parked nearby, and then got back in the car and looked for another place because the Red Rose was closed.  So we drove around town some more and settled on The Flying Cow Bakery and Cafe, where Becky ordered a Caesar salad and Sharon & I split a chicken cheesesteak and bowl of bacon & corn chowder soup.  Our next top was in the town of Mansfield where we immediately found a gourmet coffee shop called Night and Day Coffee.  We ordered three of them and resumed heading west on Route 6.  On the way out of Mansfield, Sharon said the she had upset the guy in the car behind her by her maneuvering.  I said “screw him.”  Becky said, that didn’t sound like very good advice.

We rolled into the picture-postcard town of Wellsboro about 4 PM intent on finding and staying at the Sherwood Motel (http://www.sherwoodmotel.org/index.php).  We found the Sherwood with ease; however, it prominently displayed a “No Vacancy” sign out front, which was unfortunate because it looked like a very warm and cozy place.  Fortunately, right beside it was the modern Penn Wells Lodge (http://pennwells.com/lodge/).  We pulled in, I checked the rates with the attendant at the front desk and booked a room, which turned out to be very spacious with a modern, large LCD TV and an ice machine down the hall.

Soon after checking into the Penn Wells Lodge and eating some of the food we had on hand, we set off to explore the Grand Canyon of PA about 10 miles away.  We traveled a good bit more than 10 miles, however, due to having missed our turn, but we soon got ourselves righted and in no time found ourselves in the parking lot of Leonard Harrison State Park (the canyon can be viewed from either the eastern rim, which we visited, or the western rim at what’s called Colton Point).  The canyon had excellent facilities, well-maintained paths, and offered some splendid views of the valley, Pine Creek running through it, and the surrounding countryside.  We hiked around for a spell then checked out their exhibit of stuffed indigenous animals, which seemingly could have been easily carted off, and then bought Sharon a hoodie in the souvenir shop.

The drive back to our hotel took us through pristine country and the lovely town of Wellsboro but was otherwise uneventful.  After checking out possible places to eat online, we decided to just walk around town to see what caught our fancy.  And the first place we saw did just that.  It was the elegant Penn Wells Hotel, related to but quite different from the Lodge, and about two or three blocks away.  We had all of about 5 minutes to decide whether to eat there since the kitchen closed at 9 PM.  We decided to go with it.  It turned out to be a good decision since most other restaurants in town also closed at 9 PM.  The dining room was not quite as nice as the rest of the place, and they were out of several dishes, but all in all the dining was OK.

One of the things that interested me most about this trip while researching it beforehand was a place called Cherry Springs State Park, where it is written the stars come out at night.  As I presume most people are, I am awed by a night sky filled with bright stars.  Unfortunately, it’s not something one gets to see in the suburbs, but when I can and when I do, I look to the stars and I remember them.  Like outside Little Bighorn that night in Montana in 1979.  And like this night in Cherry Springs State Park.  Yet, it almost didn’t happen.  All day the sky was rather overcast.  And after leaving the restaurant, the sky didn’t look promising, and it seemed like a long drive from our motel.  So we had just about abandoned the idea, but Sharon pushed it and made it happen.  I found a website on star-gazing, which promised clear skies and excellent visibility.  So we drove the long and winding roads to the park.  Where as promised, the sky was cloudless and filled with brilliant stars. 1

We got back to the hotel some time after 1 AM.  We watched a little TV and then turned in.

We got up and had breakfast at the lodge, consisting of eggs, sausage, OJ, coffee, etc., and then loaded up the car, filled the ice chest, and one more headed west on U.S. Route 6. We drove by the McKean County Fairgrounds in Smethport, which was right off Route 6. The fair was one of the featured attractions along Route 6, but from what we could tell it featured mosly farm animals and rides; whereas, we were more interested in an antique/flea market type fair. And admission was 8 dollars per person, so we decided not to stop. We did stop, however, at the Kinzua Skywalk at MM 136, where we walked to the end of the remaining railroad structure. It was quite a sight and well worth the visit. See the photos we took for the views we saw and the Kinzua Bridge State Park pamphlet for the history of this viaduct.

Soon after we left the Kinzua Skywalk, I noticed that had we gone the other way on the feeder road (that is away from Route 6 rather than toward it), we could have taken a short but scenic route to the town of Warren.  There was another route to Warren via Route 321, which apparently runs by the Rimrock overlook at MM 125.  But when we got there, we discovered that the road was closed to all but local traffic, so rather than risk losing time, we continued west on Route 6.  As we neared the town of Warren, rather than proceeding on, we headed east on PA Route 59 to the Kinzua Dam & Reservoir.  We had no idea what this held in store, yet what we found vastly exceeded our expectations, although Becky might not have been quick to admit it.  We found the dam and parked nearby.  The information center was closed but we found detailed maps in a box out back.  We then hiked along the water’s edge to a nice rest area about a 100 yards downstream from the dam.  It was not Hoover Dam by any means, but it was impressive all the same.  Again I’m probably not voicing Becky’s impressions on this account because it was pretty clear she was not too happy to be there.

We drove to the upstream side of the dam, parked near the top where a bunch of people were gathered on the crest, tossing bread to the birds flying about and multitude of fish below.  I walked down to watch, and Sharon followed suit while Becky stayed in the car.  It was pretty neat watching the birds and fish go nuts over all the bread folks had brought to feed them.  Then we continued east on Rt. 59, which runs along the reservoir in this area, looking for the Kinzua Wolf Run Marina (www.kinzuamarina.com/), figuring we might be able to dine there.  Along the way there, we crossed a bridge that offered stunning views of this beautiful area.

The restaurant at the marina was called Docksiders Café http://www.docksiderscafe.com/, and it featured a lovely view of the reservoir and some interesting dishes on the menu.  Becky got the tropical salad, which was loaded with fruit, and Sharon and I split a Caprese salad and a mushroom burger, and we each had a cold draft.  It would have been perfect had a bee not taken an intense interest in Becky’s salad.  Becky does not like bees at all.  After lunch we headed back the way we came, eventually hooking up with Route 6 outside Warren.  Warren was much larger than I would have thought and far more so than any town we’d been through on Route 6.  We drove right past it.\

We continued on Route 6 for another hour or two until we reaching Interstate 79 and took that north to Erie, thus ending our tour of Route 6.  In Erie we exited the Interstate and wound our way through town to the Presque Island State Park, where we drove around for a spell and finally parked by the lighthouse.  We got out and hiked on the beach for a stretch, first getting an obstructed view of the lighthouse and then an unobstructed one.   There were a few people on the beach, but not many, and for whatever reason those that were tended to be quite heavy.  Then we drove about a bit more and stopped at the Segway Tour concession we spotted earlier.  The price was $50 per person, which seemed reasonable, but it was past 7 PM by this point and the last tour was in the training phase.  So we planned to return tomorrow, assuming that we could find accommodations nearby.

Finding reasonable accommodations nearby was not to be.  We passed up a few more or less rinky-dink places in town and took out I-79 back the way we’d come, where earlier I’d spotted a large complex featuring several large modern hotels.  We got off the second exit out of town and drove though an enormous shopping mall, at the end of which were two Marriotts and a Hilton.  I stopped in one of the Marriotts to check on availability and rates.  The rate was $189, but it didn’t matter because, to my amazement, the receptionist advised that there were no vacancies, nor were there any at the other hotels in the complex.  So we got back on I-79 and eventually decided to drive straight through to State College, where we would look for Segway tours.  Unfortunately, our departure from the area meant that we would not get to visit downtown Erie, which I didn’t consider to be a big loss, or Pymatuning State Park at MM7, where ducks walk on fish, which even a marginally sane person would undoubtedly hate to miss.

We stopped in the town of Meadville for dinner about 9 PM.  The town looked inviting, but as we drove around, we found no dining spots that appealed to us.  We eventually stopped at a McDonalds for a cup of coffee and then moved on.  We inexplicably got lost, which was surprising because I thought I had this small town figured out, and when we finally got our bearings, I headed in the wrong direction back from which we entered town.  This did lead us, however, to some restaurants, so we stopped at an Italian restaurant and dined there.  Afterward we drove straight through to State College.  I’m pretty sure we didn’t take the best route, but what the heck, it was late.

About noontime, Sharon made reservations with the local Segway tour company for 4 PM and then we went out to lunch at Home Delivery Pizza Pub on Route 322 next to Sheetz.  We dined outside, which was very nice, if a wee bit hot in the sun.  The food was excellent.  Upon leaving we noticed a section of outdoor dining that was entirely shaded.  That would have been the ideal place to have dined.

The Segway tour with the Happy Valley Tours (www.happyvalleytours.net/) started on campus near Beaver Stadium.  That’s where we received our training lessons from the husband and wife team that owned the business and took our first tentative ride atop a Segway.  The learning process went smoothly and quickly, and once it was done, we hopped in the owner’s van and he drove to the Tussey Mountain nature area.  There we started on our 60 minute tour.  It soon became apparent that Pat could not keep up with the rest of us, so the wife stayed with her so that they could ride at their own speed.  Sharon, Becky and I (no one else was on the tour), rolled all over this lovely area.  About halfway through the tour, Becky hit a rock in the path and fell, scraping her knee.  But after the owner bandaged her up, she was back in the Segway saddle to complete the tour.  I took a few photos, and the owner took many, but I don’t know what became of his.

I don’t recall  what we did for dinner, but I suspect that Pat made us something.  I spent most of the evening at work cleaning and organizing “Wally’s” garage.  Pat had arranged for the trash company to pick up stuff by the curb the next morning, so using a  wheel barrel, I hauled all sorts of things out there.  Some of it might have been valuable, in fact some of the stuff was very expensive scientific equipment, but it would have been of interest to only very few people, and thus would have been very difficult to sell.  So out it went.  A few smaller items of interest I took for display purposes.  One big item I considered keeping was Wally’s table saw.  And I might have had Pat not hit it with her car, which rendered the saw dented and not fully functional.  So out it went.  As it so happened, the newsboy came by very early in the morning and asked if he could have it.  Pat said, yes, and he managed to get the thing hauled away.  All in all, as was done in “Wally’s” little office on our previous visit, we (mostly I) got the garage cleaned, swept, tidied, and uncluttered, at least vastly more so than it had been.

After finally finishing up my work in the garage, for which Pat compensated us very well, in addition to paying for the Segway tour earlier (although I chipped in a $40 tip), we watched a the movie “Jack Reacher” with Tom Cruise.  I don’t think Pat, however, stayed awake for much of it.