Going Upriver

 We had originally thought that we would spend Sunday afternoon taking a walk in the Strip District. The city was having an “open streets” event, allowing pedestrians and bikers access to the roads without any worry of cars or trucks. We were thinking about walking down to one of our favorite coffee shops and then sitting for awhile watching the people go by.

    The temperatures were getting close to 90 and the humidity seemed even higher than that. Walking in the heat, on the road and then sitting in the sunshine didn’t sound as good as it had the night before. Instead we opted for a car ride. Where? We’d find out when we got there I guess.

    We first ended up in Warrendale at a coffee shop we’ve visited before. Sitting with young families as they ate their Sunday brunches, we discussed where we’d head next. For some reason sunflowers popped into our minds. A farm near Freeport became our next destination.  How hot could that possibly be?

    Of course, we took the back roads. For a while we were on the Orange Belt and then the Red Belt, we followed rt.910 for a bit and eventually ended up above the town of Freeport, right near Harrison Hills Park. Coming down off the hill we encountered a train and slipped onto a back road in the town which led us to the banks of the Allegheny River.

    We pulled over and watched the train cross the river, moving over into the Kiski Junction.

    My father and brother used to have an HO train layout. One of the locations on it was a reproduction of the Kiski Junction. It is here that a railroad on the far side of the river crosses the line that came over from Freeport. The other line passes over the Kiskiminetas River, just before the river joins the Allegheny. This bridge used to be part of the Baker Trail but was closed due to safety reasons. It has just recently been reopened to allow bikers and hikers on the Armstrong Trail to cross the river.

    The last time my brother Ralph was in town, he and I crossed the RR bridge from Freeport and searched for any signs of railroad buildings at the junction. That day will always be a special memory for me!

We dove a bit further, coming to Lock and Dam #5, a short bit above where the Kiski River joins the Allegheny. The town of Schenley which sits across the river, used to have a whiskey distillery where they made “Medicinal Whiskey” during prohibition. The distillery was shut down in 1983. The dam crossing the river provides a wide waterfall, looking both cool and inviting. There were lots of boats on the water, both above and below the dam.

    We stopped at the farm to visit the sunflower fields but a downpour started just as we were pulling into the lot. After waiting a bit, we decided to continue on. Of course, the rain tapered off as we drove away; the roads were covered with mists as the water evaporated off of the hot pavement.

    We headed north-east following Ford City Road which ended up bringing us to the bridge that crosses over into Ford City. Who would have imagined? Our journey took us through farmlands, woods and neighborhoods, there was always something nice to look at. 

    In Ford City, we drove through its neighborhoods and stopped to admire the old (repainted) ghost sign near the center of town. Then we continued on to Kittanning.

    Here we crossed the river again and continued to follow the road alongside it. We passed businesses and a couple buildings that were falling in on themselves; we passed lots of homes and camps with beautiful views of the river. We passed underneath the Pittsburgh and Shawmut Railroad Bridge. This is a very high bridge. A hotel used to sit at the far end called the Bridgeview Hotel. A station sat near-by for hotel visitors.  About 5 years ago Frank and I ended up there on one of our photo-excursions. 

Notesfrom a Reading Addict: Driving To Mosgrove

    We passed two more lock and dams, #’s 7 & 8. We missed #6. There were LOTS of people on the river. It was definitely a day to be out on the water!

    We finally ended up at the now closed Armstrong Power Plant in Reesedale. Beside the plant the only other structure here was a deserted Church sitting amidst a batch of overgrown shrubbery. We only saw a couple cars go by while we were there. The railroad we had been following crosses the river here. It was rusty and overgrown with weeds, seemingly rarely used any more. We decided it was time to head back, this would be the furthest extent of our trip. We were only about 5 miles away from Brady’s Bend. The temptation to visit the overlook was strong, but our stomachs were starting to growl and dinner was waiting for us at home.

    We had no maps with us, Ann Marie was driving in her new car and she had yet to put her maps in it. We were traveling mostly on instinct. It’s not impossible, but I’d have to say it’s hard to get lost in Pennsylvania. Eventually you will run into a major road that will lead you back home.

    We stopped in West Kittanning for a peanut butter ice cream cone and a banana milk shake before we got onto rt.28 and finished our journey. We had experienced sunshine and sparkling waters and we passed through a couple short rainfalls that turned the roads into steam baths. We passed dams and lots of boaters and campers enjoying the riverbanks. We saw a field filled with sunflowers and lots of beautiful Pennsylvania scenery. We returned back home about 4 hours after we left. The humidity was high, as were the temperatures, but the ride and all the sights we saw made it all worthwhile!