Shawnee’s Lake Shore & On to Allegany

Tuesday June 21 and Wednesday June 22, 2016                                       Most Recent Posts:
Shawnee State Park                                                               The Bridges of Bedford County and Defying Gravity
Schellsburg, Pennsylvania                                                      There’s the Good New and Then There’s the Bad News

 

TUESDAY

 

 

Having been to Shawnee before, I’m aware of all the trails and my favorite is the one around the lake so that’s what we do. We start where the white star is and follow the red line all along the edge of the lake, over the dam, around the other side past the beach and boat launch area and back across the bridge which divides the 3 sections of the lake.

You can see the campground in the lower left of the map. Our site is in Loop F on the side closest to the turnpike which seems much closer than it looks in this picture. It’s all down hill to the lake so if you bike, be prepared for a STIFF uphill.

The trail starts in the picnic area and the first wildlife of the day is a flock of 30 canada geese.  I know what 6 geese can do, they are the original food processors, in one end and immediately out the other.  Thirty could easily make this picnic ground a place you don’t want to walk though.

 

 

 

It’s a stretch to call this a trail since it is a hard packed surface that is wide enough for a truck or mowing machine to drive on.  But it is also handicapped accessible which is good.

 

Looks like it is day lily time here.  They are all along the edges of the trail

 

 

 

 

The black raspberries have started to ripen and I know what that means. David will take 10 steps and stop to pick every ripe berry.  Repeat.  He gave me the first handful.  Isn’t he sweet?

 

 

 

 

Different stop.  He ate them all

 

Also blooming are the rosa ragosa.  I’m not much of a wasp lover since they seem to always want to fly into my hair but with the decimation of the honey bees, I have to be thankful for every pollinator I see.

 

 

The lake is surrounded by the hills of western Pennsylvania.

 

The 3983 acre park was once a farm and the beautiful barn is visible from across the lake.  The farmhouse is hidden in the trees.  The farmhouse is now called the Lodge and is open for rental.  The barn has been converted into offices.  What a paradise this must have been for the family(s) who lived here.

 

 

 

There are several picnic tables along the lake if you want to hike in and away from the picnic grounds.

 

As we cross the dam we see our second wildlife of the day, one we know very well from his unwillingness to share our farm vegetable garden with us.  A groundhog can eat 200 feet of beans down to the nubs in an amazingly short amount of time.  Needless to say he is not my favorite of nature’s creatures.  But he’s got a huge home base here that’s for sure.  Not sure what he’s doing in the rocks at the base of the dam.

 

 

 

When we come to the “beach” we find more people than we’ve seen in the park anywhere. We also find a fence between the beach and the water.  Seems strange.

 

 

 

But then we see the posted sign.  Yes, for sure the geese could ruin this beach.

 

 

A large group of kids is playing kick ball with a beach ball and having a great time.

 

 

We walk up onto the bridge and find that the wind is strong and the breeze cold.  Looking out over the lake from there we see two kayakers headed with the wind.  Not sure how far they are going but it will be a seriously stiff paddle back.

 

 

Our last wildlife sighting is that group again, they’ve moved into another field.  Their droppings are green so you can’t see them in the grass but we definitely saw them crossing the bridge.

 

We head back to the campsite to start our pack up.  Rain is predicted all day long for tomorrow on nearly all of our 200 mile route to Allegany State Park.  I really do hate moving in the rain.  If we didn’t have reservations, I might just see if I could extend for a day and cut Allegany short by one.  At this time of year, the only problem with just winging it for campsites which I would MUCH prefer to do, is that week-ends are booked solid.  It’s easy to get a campsite during the week, but then what on the week-end?  

 

THURSDAY

And therefore, on Thursday we move 200 miles north to Allegany State Park.  We are thrilled to find that the rain which has come down pretty strongly all night long, stops at about just before we are set to leave.  Still we are very glad we packed everything up yesterday so it isn’t all wet for packing.  We can’t check in to Allegany until 3pm so we have a leisurely breakfast and leave about 9:00.

Becasue of the dolly, I am driving Ruby and she needs gas so I stop at the Quick Stop on our way out of town and pay $2.539 per gallon.  Quite a change from the $1.989 I paid in Virginia.  Winnona is luckier, she has a much bigger tank and can get all the way to a Pilot Station about 60 miles from New York where gas is $2.359.  Still a big jump from Virginia.

As at Shawnee, there is no one at the campground check in booth but unlike Shawnee there are also no maps or information for take away.  After studying the posted map we proceed to our site #127 and this is what we find.  Not sure you can tell from the picture becasue my camera has a wide angle lens but the drive way is steeply sloped as are most here in the campground in the hills, but the pad at the top is large enough for a pop up camper and that’s about it.   How in the world do they think a 35’ motorhome will get in here?   Another reason it pays to wing it, you can check out the sites and choose one.

 

So now what do we do?  The only sign of life we passed since entering the park besides some folks headed toward some trails was at the Camp Store about 3 miles back.  When we ask there,  they tell us to check the “rental office” across the road where at least from the outside also shows no sign of life.   We assumed that the “rental office” would be for the numerous cabins and cabin loops we saw signs for on our way in.   But it turns out it is for renting eveyrthing including campsites.   We tell them our tale of woe and they inform us that because we will be here 5 nights and tomorrow is Friday night they have only one campsite still available.  They assure us it is long enough and “fairly” level.   BUT it will cost us another $10 because it has 50 amp electric service which we don’t need. 

So here we are in site 28 in a big field.   It’s lovely today and will no doubt be lovely tomorrow until the crowds show up to fill in all the spaces.  Sure hope the weather is not going to be hot and sunny or Winnona will be an oven.  At least we have electricity for AC if that happens but we have to take on water and there is no cell service and we can’t get any internet signal here.  We aren’t off the grid but we sure are out of touch.   This post is brought to you by the city of Salamanca 20 miles from the campground where we had to go for groceries.

 

 

There are two campgrounds in Allegany.  The Red House area, closest to the town of Salamanca,  has 132 campsites, 32 of which are 40’ long but if I read their map correclty only 7 of those have electricity and there are only 42 electric sites in the entire campground.  The Quaker area where we are has 164 campsites and I’d say the majority are not big rig friendly.  They seem to have steep driveways up to a “relatively” flat spot of varying sizes at the top.  Perhaps originally designed for tenters. 

You can see our original campsite 127 enclosed in a red box on the middle right of the map.  Our current campsite has the red heart on the left.  The large field is in the middle of our current loop.  The campsites on the outer edges of these two loops are in the woods as are all the other campsites in the campground.  Only about half the campsites in the campground have electric and none have water.  All of the sites in our loop have 50 amp electric.

 

 

Should you want to come camping in the 65,000 acre Allegany state park and you choose to come to the Quaker area, here are a few campsites I like better than either of the ones we booked.  All of these have 50 amp electric except for the last one which has 30 amp.  There are many sites large enough for big rigs in the loop we are in now in the field.  They all have gravel driveways, 50 amp electric and plenty of open skies for a satellite dish if you have one.

 

These two sites are plenty big as you can tell by the rigs and the number of cars.  They are also the only paved sites I see.

site 47

 

site 45

 

 

Site 98 doesn’t have a steep drive and looks fairly level in the back. A bigger rig might have a bit of a leveling problem.

 

Reserve America, which admittedly was nuts in saying a 35’ rig could set up in #127, says this site, #54 is 41 feet long.   If that’s true, I’d love to try Winnona here since it’s the only one by the stream.  It’s just off the main road into the loops which isn’t so neat but sitting by the water – priceless.   That’s the stream behind the picnic table.  There’s a great spot for a reading chair.  All that said, it is very unlikely that we will return to Allegany as it is just a stop on our way to Niagara Falls.

 

 

 

Tomorrow we’ll take a look around this 65,000 park, the largest of the New York State Parks.  It’s a BIG state park.  We will be driving through it and stopping along the way as we go into Salamanca for groceries.  There aren’t many of the park’s hikes or other amenities you can get to on foot, they are too far away.  You can bike but it is a seriously hilly area so you need to be in great shape for it or be 20 years old.

The Bridges of Bedford County and Defying Gravity

June 20 & 21, 2016                                                                                     Most Recent Posts:
Monday & Tuesday                                                            There’s the Good News and Then There’s the Bad News
Shawnee State Parak                                                                    Hiking in and Near Charlottesville
Schellsburg, Pennsylvania

 

 

On Monday we leave Endless Caverns again with two drivers since we cannot really tow with the dolly until we get the light back on the right side fender.   It’s 149 miles to Shawnee State Park.  We’ve been here before during the great solar fiasco but this time we have a really lovely pull through site.  EXCEPT that it is almost within sight of the Pennsylvania Turnpike.  In the winter, it probably would be. 

Trying to pick up my 10,000 steps, I walk around the very large campground with 7 loops. I find a site I really like in the G Loop.  No noise, level pull through. beautiful “ front yard” and with a water spigot in the back yard.  The park has electricity, 50 amp and 30, but you have to take on water from the spigots spaced around the loops.  The park also has a 4 station dump site.   

After two visits here, I think this will be our last but I write the site number G-300 down just in case.  Shawnee has been on our path to other places twice now so who knows.

Visually it’s beautiful sitting here in my chair reading.  But then in the background is the sound of the cars on the turnpike. But for 3 nights, it is what it is.

 

I have walked most of the trails here in the park previously so on Tuesday I want to check out some of Pennsylvania’s famous covered bridges.  Shawnee is located in Bedford County.  The county has 14 covered bridges.  9 of them are near enough by that I can make a driving loop out of them so off we go.

I’m not sure why everyone, including me,  loves covered bridges but nearly everyone I’ve met does.  Something about a simpler time?

 

The first one on the tour is the Claycomb covered bridge which stands at the entrance to Old Bedford Village a living history museum of Central Pennsylvania. 

The bridge was built in 1880 in Reynoldsdale PA and moved here in 1975.  That must have been quite an endeavor.  It’s 126 feet long but only 12’ 6” high which is just a tad too short for Winnona and taller than most of the other bridges we see today.

 

 

 

As you can see from the skies, and the wet wooden planks, it is drizzling.

 

We might have taken in Old Bedford Village on a nicer day.  The little covered wagon  just beyond their entry is cute but looks like a “sampler” in comparison with the “real” ones.

 

Pretty dark with its enclosed sides and cedar shake roof.
All of the other bridges have metal roofs.

 

  Bowser Covered Bridge, built in 1890, functioned until 1973 when a modern bridge was built beside it. So sadly we cannot drive through this one. Very airy with its open sides and metal roof.   The structural arches of some bridges are only on the inside but Bowser has both inside and outside arches. 

                                  

 

 

 

The view here over the fields of the Pennsylvania hills is lovely.  The rain has let up but the dark clouds threaten.

 

 

After walking through the bridge I can see Ruby waiting on the other side.

 

 

 

Snook’s Covered Bridge was complete for the September 1883 inspection.  Charles W. Wolf and William Imler did the bridge’s masonry work for $273 and Bedford County paid $880 for the superstructure.  The bridge is 82’ long and 11’ high.  I guess the entrance sign is to make certain no one too tall damages the bridge.  I hope that is a precaution and not the result of experience.

$1153 for a covered bridge.  Seems amazingly inexpensive but probably not in 1883.

 

We’ve pulled over to the side of the bridge to take a look before driving through but the rain pours down keeping us in the car for a while.  David makes use of the time to call Demco and have a new fender sent to us in New York.  Hopefully he can install it so we can use the dolly again. 

 

 

The rain stops, we get out and take some pictures and through the bridge we go.  Funny that we say through a covered bridge and over other types.

 

I learned that these are called Burr Arch truss covered bridges.  The Burr Arch was invented by Theodore Burr in 1804 and patented in 1817.  I suspect Mr. Burr made some money off of this patent.

 

 

 

Next is the only bridge we see today which is privately owned.  It’s called the Dr. Knisely Covered Bridge.  Not sure who Dr. Knisely was or perhaps he’s the one who owns the bridge now. It is no longer in use obviously but still spans the water and I wonder where it used to go to and from.  It is 80’ long and was built in 1867 just after the Civil War.  Civil War battles in  Chambersburg, Fairfield and Gettysburg were fought less than 100 miles from here.

 

 

This bridge looks like the Bowser, the first one we saw, with the Burr arch trusses on inside and out.  The painting is slightly different. 

 

 

 

Here we spot our first two wildlife of the day.  They look a little wet themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Ryot Covered bridge is a sad tale of our times.  83 feet long it crosses Dunnings Creek.  The bridge was constructed in 1867 and underwent a major restoration in 1995.  In 2002 an arsonist burned the bridge and happily the county voted to rebuild it.  It was completed in 2004.  Based on a picture we saw of the original bridge, it looks exactly like it except of course the wood is not the same.  Why in the world would someone want to destroy such a lovely historic structure? 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here comes Ruby.  Notice the second level of planks for vehicles to drive on.  Those were not in the Knisely bridge we just saw which is no longer used.

 

The Ryot bridge also has the warning frame before the entrance on both ends.  What an idylic view beyond.

 

This time we can’t go through the bridge and on to the next, we have to turn around and go back through again.
Oh what a shame.

 

 

 

 

In the middle of our Covered Bridge drive we take a detour to drive the famous Gravity Hill Road.  It’s billed as “a phenomenon where cars roll uphill.  It’s a place where gravity has gone haywire”. 

Well with that description who would want to miss it? So we follow the directions and come to GH painted on the road.  We are instructed to go past the first GH about 1/10 mile and stop before we get to the second spray painted “GH”. 

Then put the car in neutral (after checking behind you for oncoming traffic, of course) and take your foot off the brake. Your car will roll, uphill. 

This is a silly idea but we do it and we are laughing our heads off.  It works.  There is a second Gravity Hill, just 3/10 mile past the second, spray painted, “GH” so we do it again.  It’s just hilarious.  What’s going on?  We don’t know.  This picture is the only one I took but I did a video which I tried to put up since it is so funny and you really have to see it to believe it. 

But I couldn’t get live writer to accept its address.  Does anyone know how to embed a video into an OLW post?   When I use the choice on the bar,  Video:  and then From the Web, it says the URL has an unknown provider or an invalid address.  Neither of those is true obviously.   What’s up here? Does anyone know?    I’d sure rather the video ran directly from here.

If you want to see it, the link will take you to the utube site for the video.  I suggest for full effect that you make it full screen by clicking the little box thing on the bottom right hand corner.  Hope it makes you laugh too.  We highly recommend a Gravity Hill experience over other ways to defy gravity such as taking a space shuttle.

Click HERE for the link.

 

OK after that break for some foolishness back to our last 3 bridges.

The Colvin Covered Bridge was built in 1894 and crosses the Shawnee Creek which for a creek is pretty good size.  The bridge is 66 feet long and we drive right through it.  This bridge is the most open one we see today.   It has no Burr Arch Truss. 

 

 

The stone work on the foundation is very nice.

 

 

 

 

 

Turner’s Covered Bridge is 89 foot long 12’ tall, with low side panels and open sides.  Its construction date is believed to be 1892. Apparently no one knows for sure.  It spans the Raystown branch of the Juniata River.

 

 

 

There she goes.

Here she comes.

 

I sure wish they hadn’t covered up this old sign with the Clearance one.  $5 fine for what?  Driving over what?  Faster than what?  $5 fine would be a mighty long time ago.

 

These pictures make the bridge look in the same excellent condition as the others but unfortunately that’s not so.

 

There is all kinds of obnoxious teenage writing and carving on the bridge as well as what I hope is a rotting arch and not one that has been defaced by someone.   The county really needs to get restoration started on this bridge before it is too late.

 

 

 

This house is a straight shot at the end the bridge.  I wonder how many tourists end up in their driveway thinking the road goes on through.

 

 

 

Our final bridge is the Herline Covered Bridge.  At 136 feet, this is the longest of all of the covered bridges in Bedford County. The Herline Covered Bridge crosses the Raystown branch of the Juniata River.  It was built in 1902 and refurbished in 1997.

This is about the best picture of its length we could get.

 

Another separate arch warning sign.  At 10’ 2” I think this may be the shortest of the bridges today.

 

 

Notice the double arch here.  It’s a long bridge.

 

 

So there you have it.  The Bridges of Bedford County.  Even though we didn’t see Clint Eastwood or Meryl Streep we had a wonderful time finding and inspecting them all.   Which one is your favorite?