Road Scrabble

 Here is a game that Ann Marie and I often play when we are on the road. It is much like the “License Plate Game”, where you attempt to accumulate as many different state plates as possible, this game uses the basics of the board game, Scrabble.

    It is extremely easy to play and you can make up your own rules if you want to. No dictionary is needed. Here is the way we play it.

Using the three letters on most Pennsylvania license plates, we have to come up with a word using those letters in the same order as they are on the license plate. (any state will work as long as there are 3 letters on the plate) Some license plates just can’t be done.

    The letters don’t have to be in contact with each other, just in the same order. License plates with an “s” at the end are very easy because by adding an “s” to something, you’re pluralizing it. “R’s” at the end of the sequence are easy also by adding “er” to a word. The same as the rules in Scrabble, we don’t use proper nouns. Occasionally we will keep score using the numbers on the Scrabble tiles.

The numerical values of the tiles are;

Q & Z’s are 10 points

J & X’s are 8 points

K’s are 5 points

F, H, V, W & Y’s are 4 points.

D & G’s are 2 points

And all the rest of the letters are 1 point.

(If you are a regular Scrabble player, you already knew that.)

    We normally don’t bother with scoring, we just shout out a word as the car goes by, then another and another, until the car is gone or another one comes into sight. I often find myself doing it when I’m alone in the car. I’d like to think it helps keep our minds sharp. (and my mind can definitely use some sharpening!)

    Watching the license plates going by makes us notice vanity plates more often. They sometimes need a bit of brain power to figure out also!

    Here are a couple examples…

Happy, Hippy or Harpy are all good.

How about Lighthouse?

Shock or Showcase.

Oh, there’s a winner!

   

    And so the game goes on, until one of you gets tired and quits or you just forget about it and enjoy the sights you’re passing. You might want to try it on your Labor Day trips…

 

A Short Stroll on the Trail

 The morning was beautiful, the sky was blue, the moon could be seen in-between the trees in my front yard, and the temperatures were in the low 70’s. It was a perfect day for a walk on the Rachel Carson Trail!

    Ann Marie and I have hiked this trail many times, we completed the entire trail back in April of 2013.  Even further back, a hike on the trail was one of our first outings together! There are lots of sections which are great for short walks.

    This trail was named The Rachel Carson Trail since it passes near where the famous writer and environmentalist used to live. Back in 1975 the trail was 33 miles long, today it is 46.1 miles long, stretching from North Park to Harrison Hills County Park near the town of Freeport. Like so many trails in the country, it is a work in progress. Due to road work, new homes and safety concerns, the trail often changes its route.

    I have 3 different trail guides, one from 1975, one from 1997 and one from 2004. I guess (?) I should get the newest guide to complete my collection. A guide really isn’t needed; the trail is very well marked!

    The section I was walking this morning was changed a few years ago to eliminate some of the road walking and to take the trail back into the greenery.  Ann Marie and I hadn’t been on this section, so I thought it would be a great place to take a stroll.

    I had just finished reading “A Walk in the Park”, by Kevin Fedarko. This book tells about his “walk” through the Grand Canyon, an idea that turned out to be much harder than he originally thought. After reading books about long hikes and extreme camping, they just make me want to go out into the wilderness. Now, the RCT may not be wilderness, but it is out in the woods.

    The section I was going on was all of about a mile and a half. That would be a good distance for me to haul my lazy butt without killing me. After all, it is just a short walk…

  

    The trail from where I started took me up a slight slope to the edge of a hill overlooking the turnpike and rt.910. The highways soon disappeared but the noise from them stayed with me almost the entire walk. I came across a farmer’s field with wild grass growing beside it. The sunlight was illuminating the buds at the ends of the stalks. I got a bit wet from the dew as walked through them. I was hoping they weren’t hiding any ticks.

    I came across an old cement structure; I believe it is an old sedimentation tank from back in the days when a Nike site was located near-by. Some cement steps led up to nothing, whatever was there is now long gone. Just the tank and some other cement structures, all the rest has disappeared.

    A bit further on, the trail drifted away from the edge of the hillside and the noise of the traffic lessened. It was nice walking along the level, twisting path. Then I came to the downhill section.

    The RCT is known for not taking an easy way whenever a straight line will work. The path led right down a rather steep hill, the trail was basically a sloped wall of rocks. I went down carefully, not wanting to slip. It wasn’t as bad as I imagined and I was down alongside a stream before I knew it.

    The air was a bit cooler near the stream. There were lots of wildflowers growing in batches on either side of the trail. A few mud holes were intermingled with the dirt path but nothing to cause any problems, the tracks of deer in them showed that they had recently been on the trail also. I crossed a dried up section of the stream and soon was at the road and the end of this brief walk. I only saw one person while I was on the trail, a runner who made me feel old as he sped past me. I remember the days when I used to do that…for now though, I’m happy to just take my time and enjoy the flowers, the birds and the fresh air!

Motels, Book Barns, Family and a Furnace

 Our schedule this weekend would be taking Ann Marie and me across the state. We had a birthday party to attend and we wouldn’t want to miss it. My grandson Mateo was turning 5 and you know, this only happens once in a lifetime! Five years, wow, like they say, “Time flies!”

    We got off to a late start due to a doctor’s appointment. It wasn’t until around 10 before we left. Hurricane Debby was working its way up the eastern coast and predictions said we would be driving into rain. For a change of pace, we took the turnpike instead of route 22. We haven’t taken this route in ages. Our travels are so often about what we happen across and the turnpike, while quick, limits these opportunities.

    Exiting at Fort Littleton we did a couple geocaches to break up the drive. We were in-between rain showers which worked out perfectly for us. The first cache brought us to an old abandoned motel. The grass was uncut and full of weeds and poison ivy had spread across the walkways. A few of the doors were open and inside, the beds were still made, ready for the next guest. Gideon Bibles were inside the drawers alongside nests that mice had made from the curtains and bedspreads. I can’t remember the last time I saw a bible in a motel.

    The cache was hidden behind the motel. Peeking in windows I was watching for the raccoon that a previous finder had run across. I didn’t see any wildlife while we were here but I’m sure the motel has seen plenty of it when it was in business.

    Back on the turnpike we continued going east until we crossed the Susquehanna River at Harrisburg. Here we headed towards Lancaster and our next stop. We passed through a few more rain showers as we drove. Following our hand drawn map, we made it to our destination without any wrong turns. It pays to have a good navigator pointing out the turns!

    Moyer’s Book Barn has been operating in Strasburg for over 40 years. Inside a red painted barn with ivy crawling up the sides lays a labyrinth of shelves on two floors and an attached (1/2 price) garage. The shelves are well organized and Judith, the owner has a good idea of where everything is located. It was a perfect spot to while away some time on a rainy Friday. With a couple finds under our arms we hurried out to the car, shielding our books from the rain.

    A little over 35 miles away in West Chester, we came to another book barn. A bit higher and sturdier, this store, The Baldwin’s Book Barn is made out of stone. Built 202 years ago, in 1822 it was originally a milking barn. The Moyers moved their store into it in 1946. Inside there are 5 floors filled with around 300,000 used and rare books. Laid out like a maze, I found myself discovering new rooms and different staircases leading up to higher floors. Some of the shelving consists of wooden fruit cases, many with their colorful labels still attached. Thick stone walls and massive wooden beams make wonderful backdrops for the book collection. Chairs are scattered around to allow perusal of your potential purchases.

    Carol, the owner has the entire store cataloged in her head, instantly knowing if they have anything you’d want and where it would be. Maps are available at the front desk to help newcomers find their way around. There is a small section with maps and a sign indicating that others may be hidden elsewhere, just ask. The barn was a fascinating place to explore; we didn’t have enough time to do a deep dive into all they have. The barn is open every day of the year except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years. If you’re ever in the area, it is well worth setting an hour (or three) aside to visit it.

    One of Ann Marie and my favorite book barns was located near the town of Carlisle. I had found it completely by accident. Stopping to take a picture of some signs I parked in a gravel parking lot beside a barn. Returning to the car I saw that it was a bookstore. Going inside I was astounded. The barn had polished floors and beams, bookcases were spread across the open topped room. Glass cases held pictures and special books, old magazines and pamphlets were in display racks along a wall and a nice wooden staircase led up to a balcony where more books were stored. From the balcony you could look out into the barn and see the layout of all the shelves.  Underneath the balcony was the checkout counter, their Pennsylvania books and a bunch of thin drawer cabinets with old maps and prints. On top of the shelves there was a collection of world globes, one of which sits in my living room now along with some of their framed maps.  Sadly the store has closed but it isn’t forgotten!

    From West Chester we went to our motel, a much nicer one than the one we visited earlier, where we cleaned up a bit before going to visit the birthday boy and his family. The next day was spent at soccer practice and partying with family and friends. Sunday morning, we stopped back again to say good-bye and have another taste of birthday cake before we left.

    We decided to revisit the Hopewell Iron Furnace on our way back. The last time we were there it was a rainy day and we tried our best to stay under cover as much as possible. This time the weather was on our side, the skies were blue and the temperatures were comfortable.  We were able to leisurely stroll around and visit some of the sites we missed on our last trip.

    This furnace was originally built in 1771 by Mark Bird. The furnace went out of blast finally in 1883. The grounds and buildings were rebuilt by the CCC in the 1930’s. We visited the ruins of a furnace, the failed attempt at early hot blast technology and saw a colliers hut, we visited the restored furnace and casting house, walked onto the loading bridge and watched and listened to the creaking of the big water wheel and bellows which helped heat the furnace. A blacksmith shop was being used by a couple men who were forging a piece of iron.

    A few gardens were spread across the yards near the workers houses, all of which were open for us to look through. After walking around in the sun, we returned to the car and ate our lunch, slices of fresh watermelon. Then we hit the road again. We drove through Boyertown, the town my father grew up in.  We stopped to visit the grave of my dad and his father and sister while we were there. Leaving Boyertown, we were passed by some fire engines racing towards a barn fire. By the time we caught up with them the fire was out but engines from other fire companies kept arriving. It was very exciting. Nothing like loud sirens and speeding fire engines to get your heart pumping!

    We returned by way of rt. 22, our old familiar route. We passed landmarks and sites we have visited before, each one another step closer to home. The old steamboat sitting in the field, the large short-wave radio antennas, the statue of Liberty sitting in the middle of the Susquehanna River and the Red Robin Drive-in, where we had dinner. The waiter remembered us from our last visit. After eating we continued on…

    We passed barns painted with tobacco and religious ads, the start of the 1000 Step Trail, the wooden doorway set in the cliffs at Lincoln cavern and then the winding road traversing the valley between the mountains and the fields of corn.  Climbing the hills outside of Altoona I watched for trains on the mountain across from us. There are so many great things to see in this state!

    As we neared the end of the trip, the sky above was getting darker and giving us a show. The bottom of the clouds turned pink and as the sun neared the horizon, purples, blues and orange filled the sky. The pinks turned red as the sun slipped behind the mountains. It was dark when I finally arrived back home, I was tired but still I stood outside for a few minutes looking at the moon and stars, hoping to see one of the Persied meteorites. Leaving my bags in the car for morning, I went inside and collapsed on my own, familiar bed, happy and content. "This is so much better than any motel!"