I decided to take some detours on my way to Knoxville, Tennessee. My BFF, Bob, lives there and we are heading down to the Orlando area for a bit of theme park time. I decided to stop at Camp Michaux on the way and I must say I’m glad I did.

The GPS headed me in the right direction and was very accurate. I took the roads and was really surprised at how remote Camp Michaux really is. It is on the Appalachian Trail in Gardner, Pennsylvania. The road started off as two lanes and paved.  It became narrower and narrower and turned into one lane, then became a one lane gravel road, and narrowed from there. I became very concerned as it became more and more remote which really didn’t surprise me given the fact that it is a former POW camp but I wonder why someone would make that spot into a church camp.

I wondered if I was in the right area for Camp Michaux. There were some site markers there and a parking area. The markers coincided with a guide I found online. The Cumberland County Historical Society created a self-guided tour guide to make it easier to explore the site. The guide is well laid out and I highly recommend it. I decided not to take the trail because hiking is not in the cards right now with a torn meniscus and didn’t want to end up alone and needing help.

https://www.historicalsociety.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/CampMichauxInteriorWeb.pdf

I must say it is a lovely area , albeit very remote and it was difficult because I lost signal. Luckily I’m good with directions and was able to get myself back out. If you do take this hike, please be careful. The Cumberland guide outlines the perils of some poisonous snakes and poison ivy. Make sure that there is someone that knows where you are,in case of emergency and have a check-in time.

I am kicking off October with a series of October related travel.  There is a whole industry related to dark tourism which caught my attention with the Netflix series Dark Tourist.  Dark Tourism is related to death and tragedy but has been expanded to include the historical value to certain sites.  This is not everyone’s cup of tea so I found some family friendly and less frightening options for enjoying this beautiful month.

I have to admit I am faint of heart and of compromised disposition when it comes to live haunted amusements.  My kids, Amanda especially, indulge in those attractions and it was something they enjoyed with their dad.  When it comes to paying to have someone chase me with a chainsaw, I am disinclined to do so.  I’ll meet you at the car.  My fascination is with the history, the stories and the people behind the stories.  There is something for everyone.

Amanda and her husband, Jimmy, went to Field of Screams a couple of weekends ago and they really like it.  One of their favorite scenes was the crawl through the attic in the Den of Darkness.  They had to feel their way out and through objects.  They’re weren’t any actors scaring them just the crawl through the unknown.  Their least favorite was the Haunted Hayride.  Other attractions include the Den of Darkness, Frightmare Asylum and the Nocturnal Wasteland.  The characters were well made up and frightening.  The scenes were different from other attractions they had been to which ensured they couldn’t predict what was coming for them.  I realize that this is a pretty general review without a lot of details but Jimmy and Amanda don’t want to give out a lot of details so that the experience is fresh.  There are also games, live music and concessions.  For more information and tickets go to https://fieldofscreams.com/

Even though they enjoyed Field of Screams, their favorite is Pennhurst.  It has to do with the setting and the horror that stems from the realities of the site. This attraction was once a real asylum and children’s home. If you want more information about Pennhurst there is an excellent documentary called Suffer The Little Children from 1968. There are also other documentaries and exposés on YouTube about what happened there during its time as an asylum and state school.  Another difference is that in Pennsylvania, the characters can touch you while in Jimmy’s home state of Virginia they cannot.  So, here you have to sign a waiver.  It makes these sites more frightening.

Jim,y and Amanda have gone through Eastern State Penn and Amanda and Alex went to the Bates Motel when they were in high school.  There are quite a few of these attractions in Pennsylvania and throughout the nation.  I am reposting the haunted attractions information since I know this is something that people will start looking for this coming weekend.  Have fun and stay safe!  Here it is:

Here is a list of the Philadelphia region:

REFERENCES

https://www.netflix.com/title/80189791 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_tourism

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Tourist_(TV_series)

I loved this place.  Past tense.  This wonderful establishment closed last November due to the pandemic.  Yet, another casualty and I am sorry to see it gone.

City Tavern sits near Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the Museum of the American Revolution.  Its location was in the center of the Nation’s first capital and, at one point, the Colony’s most prosperous and influential city.  It was charming, historic, significant, and the food was good.  It’s significance owing to being a meeting place for the founding fathers and the British during Philadelphia’s occupation and as Washington’s pre-inaugural party site.  The Tavern began as a private club for Philadelphia’s elite who financed the construction through the sale of subscriptions.  The Tavern was the place for the arts, political debates, agricultural discussions, and business conversations.  It was the center of business and politics for the young nation.

• In 1774, Paul Revere, exhausted after a long ride (not the British Are Coming!long ride, however), brought the news here that Boston Harbor had been closed
• John Adams and Thomas Jefferson often met here to enjoy “a feast of reason and a flow of soul”
• Newspapers from the world over were once sold here
• The dining room was a favorite haunt of Benjamin Franklin

I remember having lunch there with my daughter, Amanda, and BFF, Bob.  We sat outside in the shade of the back patio while soaking in all the details of our first and last visit.  I had the tofu parmesan and it was delightful and that’s when I learned about Benjamin Franklin introducing tofu to the Colonies.  Franklin wrote to his friend, John Bartram, about the Chinese cheese called teu fu.  Bartram, a botanist, and Franklin, a master gardener and gourmand, cultivated the dried Chinese Garavances seeds and used them in the universal Chinese cheese recipe that Franklin discovered in England.  Franklin enjoyed discovering new plants and had journeyed from Canada to Florida doing so.  Franklin also introduced Ginkgo Biloba and the last of the three original plants from China resides in the Bertram Gardens in South Philadelphia.

I recently discovered the City Tavern Cookbook:  Recipes from the Birthplace of American Cuisine by Walter Staib.  These recipes are America.  Staib researched the cuisine of the colonies through David McCullough and Susan Stein of Monticello. He found that he needed to adapt some of the recipes to modern taste by keeping up with increased health awareness and codes of today.  Staib was awarded the contract for City Tavern in 1994 after a six-month process which ended with congressional approval. He then went on to research the restoration of City Tavern through the National Parks Services library. The restoration included original colors, furniture, cooking and serving reproductions, and period costumes.  Staib said “City Tavern is indeed more than a restaurant. It is a piece of history; a living culinary museum that offers diners an experience unavailable anywhere else-insight into America’s vast and underappreciated culinary heritage.”  Indeed it does.

City Tavern Cookbook not only offers an extensive history of the tavern and Philadelphia, and it’s restoration, but a myriad of recipes of the Revolutionary period. The cookbook is organized for the modern reader by organizing it by modern standards. Dining was an event and was served in 2 to 4 courses. The course consisted of up to 24 dishes which were arranged in order of importance and served with ale or beer.  Wine was served at the end of the meal with the sweets course.  Appetizers were not offered during the revolutionary war period. Soups and stews were the one pot meal of the day.  This offered an all day cooking method and tenderness for tougher cuts of meat.  Salads, part of the first course, had seasonal vegetables incorporated and served alongside relishes.  More difficult dishes would be left to the more experienced cooks who could gauge cooking times and temperatures by where the pans sat in the fire.  Special pans were invented for more delicate cooking.  Since meat was an expensive commodity, it was served in smaller portions and then the table was laden with side dishes of barley, rice, potatoes, and stuffing to supplement those smaller portions.  The cookbook wrapped up the tour of the Early American table with sweets, beverages, and the pantry.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t find the tofu recipe in the cookbook, but there were other standouts.  The Pork Madeira is a beautiful loin turned into a crown roast with a bacon and mushroom stuffing (p. 157).  I also tried the Shrimp in Saffron Cream (p. 142), Spicy Corn Relish (p 121), Raspberry Trifle (p. 249), Pumpkin Pie (p. 262), Madeleines (p. 302) and Sally Lunn Bread (p. 318).  I chose these recipes for their relative ease and flavors.  All were very good except for the pumpkin pie which was made with a pumpkin puree and not the canned pumpkin pie mix.  I found the flavor a tad too bland.  I would like to try again with the pumpkin puree and experiment with the spice ratios.

If you are a history buff, or foodie and appreciate period recipes or American food, this is an excellent cookbook.  The book is well laid out with easy to follow recipes and beautiful pictures that capture the dish.  It was written with care and devotion by someone who understands the beginnings of American food and City Tavern.  The restaurant may be permanently closed, but this cookbook offers a way of enjoying what once was. Also, Staib has a TV show which allows someone who appreciates these recipes and City Tavern another way to delight in his passion.  Walter Staib is a four time Emmy Award winner and the host of A Taste of History which I caught on TV recently.  I was thrilled to see historical cooking on TV especially from City Tavern.  It was surprised to see that there are 11 seasons of episodes on his site www.atasteofhistory.org.  He was cooking Beef Olives over an open fire with a spider pan.  He made it look so effortless that I was ready to buy a spider pan to replicate his efforts.  Here is the recipe:  Beef Olives.  City Tavern Cookbook is lovely and worth the purchase.

REFERENCES

https://www.atasteofhistory.org/chef-walter-staib/ 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/ben-franklin-may-be-responsible-bringing-tofu-america-180968495/

https://www.ushistory.org/tour/city-tavern.htm

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bartram%27s_Garden

I have been attending Renaissance Faires for almost 30 years.  We discovered our first one while living in the suburbs of Chicago.  The Bristol Renaissance Faire in Kenosha, Wisconsin still holds the top spot for me.  It is an amazing site with artisans, food and flare.  My favorite entertainer is MooNiE (https://themoonieshow.com/) who performs as a juggler, ropewalker and foolish mortal without saying a word.  He is absolutely hysterical and I smile every time I think of his show.  I look forward to the mushrooms in a garlic wine sauce and the soap shop that gives out chip size samples and then tracks how many people mistake it for food.  The drive is about an hour north of Chicago and well worth a long weekend in that area.  There is Six Flags Gurnee, Gurnee Mills outlets, Pickard China outlet and museum, and the Milwaukee Brewfest.

Since moving to Pennsylvania, I have been attending the PA Renfaire at the Mt. Hope Winery in Mannheim.  It does not have the grandeur that Bristol has but it is good in its own right.  The Faire runs from August to the end of October which I particularly enjoy since it offers the opportunity to visit when the heat has died down.The faire has 100 permanent merchants along with guest merchants, workshops and demonstrations.  The merchant are varied and there are some lovely things to look at and purchase .  Plus, don’t forget to pick up a souvenir stein , if that is your thing!  The shop that is a must visit for me is Fleur Di Lis Teas and I am also mesmerized by the blacksmith demonstrations, the Mud Crew mud show (you can find them on facebook) and the live chess game.  The food we had was ok.  Jimmy tried a turkey leg for the first time and was not enamoured by.  I understand.  We had some basic food and the next time I go I would like to try some of the foods that are not along the main thoroughfare. For more information, including ticket prices and purchase, hop onto www.penfaire.com/faire.html.

PA Renfaire Map

There were some changes that I noticed after not having gone for a few years.  The greyhound adoption site is gone and there are birds of prey there.  Also, the faire has become dog friendly and have invited well-behaved pups to partake of the merriment.  We loved seeing the costumes.  There was a black lab puppy with black bat wings, a french bulldog in a pink tutu and a fluff pup in a black scaled harness vest with a purple dragon spine along the back.  The other change is that the faire added hard liqueur and a pub crawl to the menu.  Mt. Hope Winery has added tequila, gin, rum, whiskey, bourbon, ciders, schnapps, seltzers and eggnog to their list.  With that, there are 12 pour house available for a pub crawl or to try the offerings.  I had the most delicious cider at the Hart Inn Bar.  It wasn’t sweet since tart apples were added to the mix to balance out the flavors.  The apples and production was local.  Amanda and Jimmy tried the whiskey at Just Whiskey.  Jimmy tried the whiskey Mule and they tried a sipping  whiskey.

Renaissance Faires are a permanent fixture on the US landscape.  There is a list of festivals on wikipedia, renfaire.com and therenlist.com to look into.  I found faires in other parts of the world.  I am not sure I would want to attend one outside of the US since there are so many other things I would prefer to see but I wonder how the ones in the UK and Italy fair (pun intended).  The Travel Channel lists some of the top faires in the US as did Travel Awaits and most of the faires on the two lists overlap.  I am not sure what the criteria was for choosing these faires but there are mentions of attendance, the number of merchants and size.  Here are The Travel Channels top faires in the US.

Carolina Renaissance Festival in Huntersville, NC (October through November)

Texas Renaissance Festival in Todd Mission, TX

Maryland Renaissance Festival in Crownsville, MD

New York Renaissance Festival in Tuxedo Park, NY

Scarborough Renaissance Festival in Waxahachie, TX (near Dallas)

Bristol Renaissance Festival in Kenosha, WI

Northern California Renaissance Festival in Hollister, CA

Ohio Renaissance Festival in Harveysburg, OH (Augst to October)

Arizona Renaissance Festival in in Apache Junction, AZ (February to March)

Minnesota Renaissance Festival in Shakopee, MC

King Richard’s Faire in Carver, MA (August to October)

Georgia Renaissance Festival in Fairburn, GA

If you are looking for something fun and different.  This is it.  The fun goes from family friendly to adult.  Luckily, the map that is provided usually distinguishes the adult fun so you can keep the kiddies away from the naughty and bawdy.  Enjoy!

REFERENCES

www.mounthope.estate

www. parenfaire.com/faire.html

renfaire.com/Sites 

therenlist.com/all-fairs

https://www.travelchannel.com/interests/arts-and-culture/photos/best-renaissance-festivals-in-the-us

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Renaissance_and_Medieval_fairs 

I must admit that I ate seafood until I grew gills.  They are fading now but my memories of Ireland are not.  It is a lush with sheep and cow pastures as far as the eye can see.  There were roadside stands with carrots the size and length of my forearm along with an abundance of potatoes and onions.  The island produces an abundance of seafood that made our mouths water.  We laughed about knowing it was fresh because when we asked how big the fish and chips were the waiter said it varied depending upon the day.  It was all based on the catch of the day, which for us was hake, haddock and cod.

I hope you enjoy reading about our tour as much as we enjoy being there.

Fitzpatrick Pub (Jenkinstown):  This was our first experience eating in Ireland and it was definitely not a disappointment. I learned that soda is called a fizzy.  I developed a taste for cider fizzies which I hope I can get in the US. We were served soda bread and butter.  The bread was a different flavor than I ever had and I learned that there are many variations of soda bread.  We started off with a cauldron full of muscles with a cream sauce and then split the fish and chips. The piece of cod was at least a foot long and I am so glad we split it.  This place was charming, homey, cluttered and cozy.

Bushmills Tavern and Inn (Bushmills):  This was one of my favorite restaurants of the whole trip. We sat outside just before the rain and were able to move to a table with an umbrella when it started to drizzle. Camille tried a 16 year old Bushmills whiskey which is made in a distillery right around the corner from the restaurant.  Smooth and elegant.  We started with smoked salmon.  I had a seafood pie which contained mussels, haddock, and salmon in a white sauce topped with mashed potatoes and baked.  Camille had the cream poached skink topped with a poached egg and side of potatoes and kale.  This meal with in one of the prettiest settings and delicious.

Old Castle Bar and Grill (Donegal):  Old Castle is a traditional type of restaurant right by Donegal castle. The castle is beautiful and lit up and we had a nice view of it. It’s mostly a seafood restaurant.  The food was average and the setting ok.  I had a seafood antipasto platter.  The mussels were a bit overdone and the crab salad was heavy on condiment and light on crab.  The smoked salmon was good.  Donegal is not really somewhere that I would want to visit again.  It’s dingy with very little to do.  The one site that was interesting was the potato famine graves.

An Púcán (Galway). This is a pub in the city of Galway. I wanted to go there and go to the historic area but ended up here.  Tis was a great little pub and we were able to have a meal while watching hurling. The place was full of locals and the food was terrific. We started off with potatoes with bacon and cheese appetizer.  This was an interesting, different and delicious addition to the potatoes on a smear of mayonnaise. Since I really enjoy mayonnaise with my french fries, this made the dish better.  I had a lamb stew which was more of a soup.  I don’t eat beef or lamb, but couldn’t resist trying a traditional lamb stew.  It was perfect and made me realize why I gave up lamb years ago.  This was soft and tender and not the big tough mutton I’ve experienced before.  We sat in a pub and watched hurling. during championship game and we followed with our smartphones in hand.

Vaughan’s Anchor Inn (Liscannor):  this restaurant is down the street from the cliffs of mower visitor center. After I picked up Camille from her hike, we had it down that way. I saw a sign for Vons and a Pete my interest. We had some of the best clams I have ever had. I also had the fish and chips because the batter this restaurant is down the street from the Cliffs of more visitors Center. After I picked up Camille from her hike, we headed down to Liscannor. I saw a sign for Vaughn’s and a peaked my interest. We had some of the best clams I have ever had. I also had the fish and chips because the batter was made with a 19 years old starter. (The pictures are from Vaughans website)

vaughan_s_sample_dinner_menu

vaughan_s_sample_lunch_menu

While in Ireland, I enjoyed wonderful meals.  I am conscious that some drinks and foods have different names and cooking methods and such, so, I ask questions.  At our first meal, Fitzpatrick’s, I asked how should I order a Coke type drinks knowing that soda might be mistaken for a drink additive and pop might get me a blank stare.  Instead of a pop (cola, soda, soda pop) I learned to ask for a fizzy.  Something else that I became aware of is that there are difference in bacon around the world.

Bacon from different parts of the world are made from different cuts which changes the look and taste of it.  These different types are either made from pork belly or the back of the pig.  American, Korean, Chinese, Russian, and British bacon are made from pork belly and Canadian and Irish are made from the back of the pig or the loin.   All are cured or processed to achieve a certain flavor.  Canadian and Irish bacon or back bacon has a similar to taste to ham.  Irish bacon is cured like Canadian bacon but more oval in shape and cut with some fat around the edges to add flavor.  Irish and Canadian bacon are the same thickness which is thicker than US bacon.  Rashers are the British counterpart.  It’s leaner, meatier and less fatty than American bacon.  Italian bacon is made from the pig’s cheek and is dried to concentrate the flavor.  Chinese bacon is cured pork belly which is preserved and marinated differently depending upon the region.  Korean bacon is fatty pork belly and Russian bacon is all fat with little meat that is dried and salted for a year.

We didn’t have breakfast often.  Camille and I preferred to hit the road with coffee and a breakfast bar.  Breakfast was a luxury when we stayed at the Atlantic View B&B in Doolin near the Cliffs of Moher.  I ordered bacon not thinking about the potential difference.  It was lovely.  It was a ham flavored slice of cured goodness which I like a little better than Canadian bacon because of the bit of fat around it.  I must admit I did not try the black pudding, which is blood sausage.  I tried a variation of this years ago while living in Cleveland.  It is a polish sausage called Kiska made from pig’s blood.  I bought it at the Cleveland West Side Market and didn’t particularly like the taste of it so I shied away from the Irish version.

Atlantic View is a pretty B&B with a view of the Cliffs of Moher.  The owners were delightful and attentive people who know how to make guests comfortable. The rooms are spacious and we were lucky enough to have a view of the Cliffs.  We had our own bathroom and there was a comfortable sitting area outside of our room.

There are several amenities.  One drawback which they let you know about is that the wifi is not the best .  This is a small price to pay for cleanliness, attention, good price and a spectacular view.  They offer laundry services area 10-15 minute walk from the ferry docks and and a 10-15 minute walk to “town”.  Breakfast is good and I recommend the scrambled eggs.  Her boiled and poached eggs were a little firm for my taste.  There was a “buffet” with cereal, juice, coffee and milk.  All in all it was good and the coffee hot and plentiful.  I would put this B&B on my short list for visiting this area.

REFERENCES:

https://justcook.butcherbox.com/all-the-different-types-of-bacon-from-canadian-bacon-to-coconut-bacon/

Irish Bacon

Dublin is beautiful.  Lush, green and pastoral.  I truly enjoyed driving around the coast and wish I had more time to explore the South and the interior.  The history is amazing, the people are kind and the scenery incredible.  One of my favorite places was the Cliffs Of Moher.  It was spectacular.

Unfortunately, with my bad knee, which turns out to be a torn meniscus (surgery pending), I was a little restricted.  Camille took the 6 mile hike from the Atlantic View B&B to the visitor center.  I took the ferry to Inis Oirr to explore the tiny island of 200 residents and took another ferry ride along the coast.  We both had very different experiences and enjoyed them both.

Inis Oirr is the smallest of the Aran Islands.  There are 200 year round inhabitants on this tiny island.  Before I took the trip I checked out the Inishirr website: http://discoverinisoirr.com/whats-on/activities/.  Plassey shipwreck, Cnoc Raithní, church and castle ruins, a seaweed spa, lighthouse and beach are a few of the things that you can see there.  Cnoc Raithní is a burial site which was dated to 1500 BC.  Take cash!!  There are no working atm on the island and if you want to take a horse cab around the island, which I did since I couldn’t walk far, you need the money from the mainland.  There are some places to eat and a local grocery shop.  Check out the Aran Island knits.  It is a World Heritage sight.  The sweaters are beautiful and not outrageously prices.  Allen is the owner of a a blue pullover (it matches his eyes).

I really enjoyed the ferry ride since it was quiet except for a 10-15 minute history of the cliffs.  I prefer a “tour” where there is not a lot of dialogue.  I find guides that give too much information difficult.  I like highlights with time to appreciate the site, event, or artifact.  This tour gave me that.   I focused on the landscapes and taking some pictures and looking for a puffin.  I swear I saw one but I think it’s just a figment of my imagination.  My sighting went up in a puff of smoke…

The Cliff of Moher defined Ireland for me,  The area and its history were nothing short of amazing.  I loved the pastures and the small town of Doolin. It was peaceful and we woke to the sounds of cows lowing in the fields across the street.  The drive between Doolin and Liscannor was scary.  It is a one lane road that has two way traffic.  Luckily, you can see quite a ways ahead so that you can avoid a head on collision.

There are 2 restaurants in Doolin and we stopped in at Anthony’s and were told that they were not serving because they were short staffed. The person at the front desk suggested several restaurants down the road.  We pulled up to a pizza place with a great back patio and live music.  We spent the evening at a pub listening to traditional Celtic music.  I loved the Doolin banjos (Ha!).  We ended up having dinner with a lovely couple from Hershey, PA.  They joined us at a picnic table to wait for their dinner table and we began chatting.  Imagine finding Philadelphians in Doolin.  They service was a bit slow since there were unstaffed and extremely busy.  The pizza was excellent and the cider/beer cold.  A good time was had by all!

History of The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher

Standing 702 feet at their highest point, on a clear day visitors may be lucky enough to see the Aran Islands and Galway Bay to the west as well as the Dingle Peninsula and the Blasket Islands in Kerry. The Cliffs of Moher translated means ‘the cliffs of the ruined fort’ and although there is no trace remaining of this two thousand year old Mothar fort, Moher Tower stands in its place today. https://www.irelandsown.ie/the-story-of-the-cliffs-of-moher/

It is believed the cliffs are over 320 million years old, dating back to when Ireland’s ancient rivers laid down sediments on the seabed to form the rocks of the Cliffs of Moher – sandstone, siltstone and shale. It’s only in more recent times that their unique beauty has been so widely appreciated. https://www.irelandsown.ie/the-story-of-the-cliffs-of-moher/

The Cliffs are part of an area that are called The Burren. The area is significant because of a rare landform called karst which is where the rock has been exposed has been chemically dissolved by rainwater. The Burren is the largest karst in Europe consisting of 44, 489 acres. The area is also home to an profusin that make up a unique combination of plants from different habitats and climatic zones in the world that co-mingling. There are 4,000 archaeological monuments in The Burren. 30 of Ireland’s 32 butterfly species. 70 of Ireland’s 72 land snail species. 700 of Ireland’s 1,000 wild flowers. and 75 of the Ireland’s 512 Stone Age wedge tombs reside in the area. There are approximately 30,000 birds which consist 20 species that live on the cliffs, One of the most popular is the Atlantic puffin which has its own tour between May and June.

REFERENCES

Interesting facts about the Cliffs of Moher

Pine Creek Gorge is nicknamed the Grand Canyon of the East.  Pine Creek is a 47-mile gorge carved into the Allegheny Plateau by the Pine Creek River.  Tioga State Forest is a 160,000 acre area in north-central Pennsylvania. The canyon begins south of Ansonia/Wellsboro paralleling U.S. Route 6 and continues south to the Susquehanna River near Jersey Shore, Pennsylvania.

We took a one day trip to gorge, which was not our intention.  We were planning a 2 night weekend with a stop at Knoebles but were rained out for the second half of our journey.   We started the trip on the floor of the gorge driving along the river towards Wellsboro.  We found a park with a sandy beach and a picnic area.  There were families there and a little bit down the road there was an eagle viewing area.  It was a small and secluded location with a thicket of tree to obscure the viewer.  We then drove through Wellsboro which was a charming little town founded in 1830 with a population of  3256.

We went to the upper gorge for a viewing.  It was beautiful.  There are walking trails which we didn’t partake because we had the pups with us and I have torn my meniscus.  The views are panoramic and well worth the visit.  There is a viewing tower before the main entrance and a camping/loding location before the park entrance.  Dogs are welcome and there is a small nature center with examples of the wildlife that abound there.

The area lacks some amenities which requires some preplanning.  Gas stations, restaurants and overnight accommodations are sparse.  Make sure that you have enough gas to be able to travel 20-30 miles to the next gas station.  There are some restaurants and a grocery store in Wellsboro.  Don’t count on fast food.  There are not a lot of hotels/motels in the area and if you plan to stay make sure you book before you go since they fill up quickly.  The Visit Potter Tioga website lists 17 hotels/motels and when considered that’s not many for an area of that size.  There are camping sites, airbnb’s and other accommodations.  Plan ahead.  The trip is worth it.

REFERENCES:

PA Grand Canyon

http://www.pinecrk.com/canyon/canyon.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wellsboro,_Pennsylvania