Some Shots from the Road

     I took a trip last week to visit my daughter and her family in the eastern part of Pennsylvania. Then I went down to West Virginia to visit with Ann Marie where she was “house-sitting” Here are some of the sights I passed along the way.

    It was a very early start to the journey, the planet Venus had just crossed the horizon and it acted as a beacon, showing me the way to go until the sun finally hid it from view.

    The sky hadn’t brightened yet when I stopped at this bakery located near Delmont. The trip east was almost entirely on rt.22. The views are superior to those along the turnpike, there are plenty of places to leave the road and best of all, no tolls! The donuts here are delicious, a perfect breakfast for the drive.

    A few miles south of Cresson is the town of Cassandra. I stopped here to find a geocache and to watch a few trains go by. The sun was just over the horizon and smoke from a coal stove added a tang to the cold morning air. The chill quickly sent me back to the car and on my way again

    Shortly before you reach McVeytown, this old log cabin sits alongside the road. There are no plaques or signs on it but there is a rather large pull-off in front of it. A nice wreath decorates the door closest to the road, someone looks after it!

    Shortly before reaching Harrisburg, I caught a train crossing the Susquehanna River. on the Rockville RR Bridge.  The bridge is located about 5 miles north of the state capital.

    The bridge is the largest stone arched railroad bridge ever built, over 3,800 feet long with 48 arches on it. It is the third bridge built at this site. The first was built in 1849 and was constructed out of wood. It was enlarged and replaced by a iron bridge in 1877. The present bridge was constructed between 1900 and 1902. Some of the piers of the old bridge are still standing beside it.

    This shot was found while researching the bridge's history. No lives were lost but an engineer lost his job because of this accident. August 28^th, 1977 one train rear ended another. You can bet this wasn’t the only accident to happen on the bridge!

You never know where or when you’ll find a bargain(?)

(Midtown Scholar Bookstore)

    From Harrisburg, I returned to rt.22 and continued my journey to my daughter’s house. I spent some time visiting with her family and got to spend some quality time with my grandson. We share an interest in trains so we spent time on the floor running his trains around the tracks. (It didn’t hurt... until I got up!)

    Back on the road a couple days later, I took highways through Maryland and then into West Virginia. 

    It was in West Virginia that the trip left the highways and returned to the roads I love, smaller, two lane roads going through towns and farmsteads. Following small streams and the curves of the hillsides, these roads continuously deliver exciting scenery. 

    Seneca Rocks would be a great place to live. To wake up and see this outcropping every morning would be a wonderful was to start the day. It looks good from both the top and from the bottom!

    The place where Ann Marie was “house-sitting” was a beautiful spot. High atop a mountain, accessible only by steep, curving gravel roads, the location made the long drive up the mountain-side worthwhile!

    One of the chores Ann Marie had to do, along with feeding the cats and dogs, was to feed “the girls” and collect their daily offerings. You haven't lived if you've never eaten fresh eggs, straight from the coop!

    While visiting, I had the pleasure of feeding the horse and pony. The animals always enjoy seeing me... especially when I was bringing food!

    Railroad tracks are scattered all around West Virginia. Local trains carried coal and other products and passed frequently along the tracks which run along the border of W.Va. and Kentucky. There were lots of bridges and tunnels to be seen!

    The Dingess Tunnel originally was a railroad tunnel. Built is the early 1890’s, it is nearly a mile long, and only wide enough for one car. You have to watch for approaching headlights, you wouldn’t want to back out of it!

    Situated near the end of the Dingess Tunnel was the site of many killings. The town was known as one of the most lawless towns in the state. The killings were mainly racial, the locals would “pick off” people coming out of the tunnel. Most victims were immigrants who had come to work in the mines and on the railroads. 

    The two of us searched and found a few geocaches while we roamed around on the mountains. This one was a DNF. (Did Not Find) It was last found in 2017, five years ago. After a long search with a few wrong turns we finally found the location. It was hidden under the overhang but a careful search revealed nothing. Still, the search alone was good enough for us!

    This once was the General Store in the town of Crum. It is the William and Mary Queen Store, built in 1935. Though abandoned for decades there is still hope that this building might get rebuilt to provide housing. (?)

    Even though the mine has been shut down the conveyors and equipment are still there, waiting.

Daffodils, Crocuses and even Quince bushes were starting to bloom. Spring was well on it’s way in West Virginia. Pittsburgh will soon be following!

    The return trip started out dark and rainy. The rain followed me all the way to the Pennsylvania border. It was there that I returned to winter and snowfall!

    The sun wasn’t up yet when I stopped for a breakfast sandwich to get me started on my way. (Sausage, egg and cheese on a DELICIOUS biscuit) Good food is so important to a journey; don’t pass up the chance to try the local grub! About 4 hours later I was almost home, getting closer to my own bed. It was a great trip filled with lots of good memories and experiences. Still…it was good to be home again!