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Friday, October 20, 2017

An Autumn Vacation Without Fall Foliage

My Autumn Vacation Without Fall Foliage was also without my good camera (the lens had been sent away for repair AGAIN) so I did not look forward to this 3-day get-away with my usual anticipation.  I was able to resign myself to not having my camera because there were no colorful leaves to take photos of anyway.  SO I'm asking you to imagine colorful leaves on the mountainside, better picture exposure, and more depth of field as you peruse my photos of Jim Thorpe, PA and Bushkill Falls.

After driving 50 minutes to drop Gabriel off at our son's house we drove another 3½ hours to Jim Thorpe, PA, where we were staying at the Times House B&B.  This red brick house was actually two houses when it was built circa 1870.  From 1927 to 1967 it housed the Times-News.  You can read about the present owner's story of how they came to turn it into a B&B in 2009 HERE.  The B&B sits high above the rest of the town on Race Street nestled into the side of Flagstaff Mountain along with St. Mark & John Episcopal Church on the left and a row of shops on the right. . . .



The name of our room was Serenity and was aptly named.  On the third floor at the rear of the house it was quiet and very comfortable.  Our continental breakfast was left for us the night before on the dining table and in the refrigerator.  Because I'm an early riser it was very nice to have my coffee and eat my muffin and the other baked goods, yogurt, granola, and juice without having to get dressed.  The only drawback was we never got the chance to meet the other guests.


We arrived mid-afternoon before our room was ready so we walked through the quaint historic town. . . .

I thought the sign advertising this shop was rather clever. . . .

We like visiting libraries wherever we are to check out their Book Sale Shelf.  Ken found a book by an author he reads.  This building's brick work was very intricate. . . .

We also stopped in the town's history museum to watch the video about how the town's original name, Mauch Chunk (Lenape words for "Sleeping Bear"), was changed to Jim Thorpe to honor the 1912 Olympic winner who later played major league baseball as well as football.  The town was established in 1818 when anthracite coal was discovered in the surrounding area.  It was so prosperous that by Victorian times 19 of the country's 26 millionaires had a residence in Mauch Chunk.  You can read more of its history HERE.  If you visit the town's website you will see a photo of what it will look like when Autumn finally arrives.

The next day we drove 75 minutes to Bushkill Falls.   We'd taken our boys there in 1995 on that year's Autumn Vacation and thought it was time for another visit.  Looking back at the photos I took then I can see how much it has expanded.  It is a family-owned venture which was first opened to the public in 1904.  More about that later.  First, you must see what it looks like today.  You begin by walking down these steep steps to get to the top of the Main Falls. . . .

This is at the top of the Main Falls which has a drop of 100 feet. . . .

A map is posted to help you decide which direction you want to go in.   We decided to head left on the Red Trail. . . .
I'm glad we went left because by the time we got to Peter's Corner we were ready to head back for lunch so we took the trail heading back to the Main Falls.

This is the bridge at the bottom that crosses the gorge. . . .
credit: Ken Schultz
Steps take you up and down the side of the gorge. . . .

In some places it's pretty narrow . . . .

The view of the Main Falls from across the gorge. . . .

You can see the steps and deck where we started at the upper right. . . .

You'll get an idea of the size of the falls from my video . . .
                   

This is a good photo of the lack of color!  We came upon this view on the Red Trail. . . .

When we got back to the starting point we went to the dining area to buy lunch and look around at the exhibits and shops.  Refreshed, we headed back down that steep set of stairs and took the Yellow Trail this time.   Here is a view of the Main Falls in the early afternoon. . . .


This was the extent of the leaf color change with the Main Falls in the background. . . .

After crossing the gorge on the lower bridge and walking up the other side we were once again back at the Main Falls, only this time you are seeing where the water is heading toward the drop off. . . .

People have thrown coins into the shallow end of this pool of water.  You can also see the trees reflected in the water. . . .
credit: Ken Schultz
Back where we began as the water cascades 100 feet down into the gorge. . . .

We also visited the History Cabin to learn more about Bushkill Falls. . . .

In the 1920s and 30s this swinging bridge spanned the stream above the Main Falls. . . .

Here is another 1920s photo of a bridge and walkway along the stream fed by the Main Falls. . . .

It's hard to see because of the reflection in the picture glass, but you're looking at the Main Falls frozen over!  In the lower right you can see a man waving at the photographer. . . .

That evening back in Jim Thorpe we ate at Molly Maguires Pub at the Hotel Switzerland. . . .
credit: Ken Schultz
credit: Ken Schultz
Ken had the fish and chips and I had the Shepherd's Pie.  I must say it was the best meal I had on the whole trip!
We walked around town a bit more before returning to our room where I had a good soak in the jacuzzi.  Ken's Fitbit said we'd walked 6.53 miles, 13,841 steps, and climbed 66 floors.  In the morning we left early.  Fog shrouded the mountainside as though to keep me from seeing once again that my Autumn Vacation was without Fall Foliage! . . .

Have the leaves changed color where you live yet?

❤️Take Joy❤️

21 comments:

  1. You took us on a wonderful tour. The falls were a delight to see, what an adventure. I am not sure I would have the stamina for all those steps so it was a joy to share in your adventures.

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    1. It WAS very strenuous, but there were parts you could walk around with ease. It was just getting down to that part and back up that could prove difficult.

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  2. Lovely photos even without the fall colours

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  3. I enjoyed hearing about your getaway. I'm sure the lack of color was a disappointment but it looked beautiful anyway. Very little color here yet either--maybe next month. My husband grew up in that area, but I don't think he ever took me to Jim Thorpe!

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    1. Being further south there is still hope for you to get color down your way. Whereabouts did your husband live in that area?

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  4. Wonderful trip! I'm rather new to all the fall foliage thing (grew up in California and it was way to dry, not to mention most of the trees are oak, scrub oak and many different kinds of pines and cedars) It is getting lovely here in Wisconsin and I'm looking forward to a day driving our rustic roads to see the trees; hopefully next week as we are right on the verge of turning and it only lasts for a couple of days once it gets to 100%. I'll bet you'll have plenty at home won't you? I've forgotten where you are but I have in mind it is in the south east, like North Carolina or Virginia? Anyway thanks for the lovely trip:) I must say you are very fit!

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    1. I am in Maryland, Erin, and usually we have a lovely Autumn by now, but so far only the dogwoods and Virginia Creeper have turned and a few trees have yellow leaves. There are lots of brown leaves on the ground, so I'm wondering if the leaves will ever change color before dropping! As for being fit, I had to stop on the steepest stairs and catch my breath several times!

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  5. You've stirred up memories again! I'm thinking it must have been in the 80's -- when we were young enough for all the climbing! I remember the narrow wall hugging steps.
    Leaves are just starting to show color here -- at least the ones still on the trees. Every time we go out, our eyes are searching for October color.

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    1. It has changed a lot, Elaine, since we were last there in 1995 so I can imagine how different it would look to you now. They've added other attractions such as a maze and gem panning, paddle boats, miniature golf, and a couple shops. Our leaves sound like they are on the same schedule as yours on the other side of the state.

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    2. WOW!! I do love any waterfalls. However, I not so sure I could do all those stairs! It looks like you had a good time even without the Autumn colors though.

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    3. Sandy, the stairs were rather daunting, but if you took them slowly, doable as long as you've got good knees! 😊

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  6. No, Cathy - there's hardly any color here in upstate New York either. And we are sick about it - at least MY family is. Our clambake just wasn't the same this year. We usually have it the first weekend in October & it wasn't even cool weather. No one feels too much like diving into clams and lobster and chowder when it's 80 degrees! And hot cider isn't appealing at all either. LOL. My niece's birthday is October 17 and some years we've been at PEAK color on that day - in fact I think the year she was born we were ankle-deep in leaves & had color everywhere. Oh well. We had quite a rainy Summer on the whole, so maybe wet Summers don't make for colorful Falls. I think I read that somewhere once. Or maybe droughty Summers make bright Falls. Can't remember. Either way it's abnormally dull here & we should be at or nearing peak color. Maybe it's because we really haven't had a bonafide frost yet. Doesn't that factor into the foliage somehow? Oh well. You certainly had another great mini-trip to Jim Thorpe. I never knew that about the 19th century millionaires before - that's really interesting. You know you're a teacher, don't you? I'm always saying it I know, but I ALWAYS learn something [often MANY somethings] from your posts. Especially your "travel" posts. I'm going to go back through it & click on the links but I wanted to dash off a comment before I did. Hope you start getting color in Maryland very soon [here in NY too]. Take care & peace... 🍁

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    1. The innkeeper said they had a very wet summer, too, and thought that was the reason for the no color Autumn. The beginning of our summer was wet, but the last half was very dry. We had frost warnings here before we left but it did not seem to make any difference. I guess we need a hard freeze--but by then the leaves may have already fallen! Our yard is covered in leaves--but no color! The thing about the millionaires is there were only two mansions that are open for touring (we did not go on them), so I'm wondering about the other 17. It would be interesting to find out where those mansions are and whether they've been turned into businesses, etc., or demolished. Hope you get some color up your way before winter sets in. I'm glad to know I'm not alone in feeling disappointed about the lack of color.

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  7. Thank you for sharing another lovely trip. I understand your pain about the lack of colour ~ here, the strong winds usually rip the leaves from the trees before they have a chance to turn colour. The bridge down looks as if it could be quite slippery ~ water and wood! Also, it makes me think of the nursery rhyme, There Was A Crooked Man for some reason! If you ever come to Wales, Bushkill Falls will prepare you for a visit to Devil's Bridge just outside Aberystwyth!

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    1. Yes, Deborah, I often sympathize with you when you write about your storms! That would be very disheartening to me. It's a good reminder to me that we need to enjoy what we have while we have it. They were slippery in places so I made sure to hold onto the railing. As we were leaving I saw some one in high heels! And another lady had a large dog (which are allowed) being pulled down the stairs by it. I wondered how far they would get.

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  8. Cathy, last night as I was taking a cursory glance at your blog and came to the photos of the stairs in the woods, then the waterfalls, etc., I had a feeling of déjà vu. I had skipped over your mention of Bushkill Falls, but the visual sparked a dormant memory. I lugged out a photo album and, sure enough, I had scrapbooked a couple pages of photos from our brief visit there in August 2000! We had visited Gettysburg the day before, and made a side-trip to West Chester for the express purpose of meeting Susan Branch at the QVC studio, which took several hours. It was there that I purchased one of her large photo albums and the Girlfriends book, which she graciously autographed then posed with me for snapshots. THAT memory sort of overshadowed the subsequent visit to Bushkill

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  9. ... oops, somehow my computer seems to have prematurely sent my comment before I was finished! Not sure where I left off, but just wanted to say I enjoyed your post and "thanks for the memories!"

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    1. How very interesting, Sharon. I'm very glad to have sparked that lovely memory about Susan. While I knew about her cookbooks as far back as the Country Living magazine recipes she did not really come to my attention until she started blogging around 2010. I had no idea she was so close by in 2000.

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  10. Thank you for sharing your holiday with us it looks as if you had a wonderful break. What a shame that the leaves hadn't changed colour. I don't think I would have liked to stand on that rope bridge it must have been amazing in years gone by to see the falls frozen over. Sarah x

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    1. I'm with you on not wanting to be out on that rope bridge.

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