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Musings: to meditate, think, contemplate, deliberate, ponder, reflect, ruminate, reverie, daydream, introspection, dream, preoccupation, brood, cogitate.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Endless Mountains

Last weekend we attended a family wedding in Connecticut, then headed home by way of the Endless Mountains in Pennsylvania.  Our destination was Eagles Mere, a quaint little village that sprung up around the mountain-top Lake Lewis, now called Eagles Lake.  A bit more history of the region can be found here.  We arrived 10 minutes after 4:00--ten minutes too late to visit the Museum in the Visitor's Center. . . .

Yes, I know the clock shows 3:30, but it was running late, too. . . .
The day was gorgeous.  The Village was charming.  After driving the long way around the 114-acre lake we arrived at the Crestmont Inn which was built in 1926 to house the staff of the much larger Inn built in 1900. . . .
As you can see, I love this maple tree at the entrance. . . .
We dined next door in what had originally been the wash house for the Inn. . . .
The original Inn sat up on the hill. You can read a little of its history here.  It had deteriorated beyond repair so it was razed in 1981.  This is what it looked like in its heyday. . . .
The Inn now has 15 rooms, some suites, with their own bathrooms.  There had originally been 40 small rooms and two bathrooms in the building when it housed the staff.  We chose one of the simple rooms since we did not plan to spend much time in it.  I did not realize until we'd unpacked that it was not the room I'd requested.  I'd asked for "The Woods" but we were put in "Warner's Den" which was just below on the 1st Floor. . . .
I said something to the young clerk about it when we went over to the dining room.  He explained that the bathroom in "The Woods" needed repairing and since a remodeling was scheduled soon they decided to just close up the room.  Early the next morning, however, I heard someone walking about above us.  I was going to tease the fellow about the "ghost" I heard early in the morning in the (supposedly) vacant room above me, but he was such a serious fellow, I thought I'd not give him a hard time.  We'd already pointed out the evening before that our window was missing its blind and he'd not seen to having it replaced (I think he was running the whole place by himself since he was also our waiter that morning).   I'd improvised using my shaw to cover the lace curtain to keep the (hopefully) sun out in the morning. . . .
But there was no need to cover the window because we woke up to fog which made for a lot of "atmosphere" (pardon the pun) for this view at breakfast.   I had wonderfully delicious pumpkin waffels. . . .
Rain was not predicted until 4:00 so we headed for Ricketts Glen State Park where we planned to go hiking to as many of the 22 waterfalls we could.  We stopped in the Village to buy sandwiches for lunch and headed toward the park which was 45 minutes away.  But the mist turned into drizzle so we decided to hunt down the couple shops along the route that were still open.  I enjoyed browsing Katie's Country Store and the consignment barn out back where we bought a cute bench for Olivia.  It was still drizzling rain when we got to the park so we drove on past the entrance to browse the Mountain View Barn where I bought bittersweet and homespun material and would have bought an antique Windsor rocking chair for $40 if I'd had a place for it in my house. . . .
Finally we arrived at the park, ate our sandwiches in the car, bundled up in our warm coats with hoods and headed into the woods (don't forget to click on the lower-right corner to enlarge the slideshow). . . .
         
This was the first waterfall "Mohawk".  We met a young couple coming back from viewing it at the bottom of the rock steps that had no handrail and were extremely steep.  I could envision myself having to climb up rather than step up, and since they were huffing and puffing and it was wet and slippery, I opted out of going any further and captured the falls from above. . . .
                   
We decided to go back to the beginning of the path and take the "Easy Hike" trail over to the other waterfalls.  We were able to see two more falls there--the Onondaga, which you saw in the slideshow, and the "F. L. Ricketts" which Ken took a video of using his underwater camera. . . .
              
 It was only 3:15 when we got back to the car--much too early to head back to the Inn, so we decided to do some more exploring.  As we drove past this sign we decided to stop and have a look. . . .  
The Chapel consisted of these benches and lectern with a few picnic tables off to the side.  There is a bubbling brook down in the gully behind the lectern. . . .
We came to the park's visitor center. . . .
Inside were several interesting displays.  Do you know the difference between a Crow and a Raven. . . .
I hadn't realized Ravens were so much larger than Crows. . . !
We did not notice any cairns while hiking in either park, but we have come across them at Walden Pond and on Block Island. . . .
The Park attendant told us to be sure to visit the overlook despite the fog-covered tree tops. . . .
It really did look like Worlds End as we approached it on foot. . . .
The fog added to the mysteriousness. . . .
But we could see the stream that follows the road we'd come up on. . . .
Back on the road we headed for Forksville. . . .
. . . .while we listened to songs from Timothy Seaman's "Here on This Ridge". . . .
                            
We crossed over Little Loyalsock Creek via the covered bridge into Forksville where we stopped to buy our supper to take back to the room as the dining room was closed that evening. . . .
It seems we can't get away from black cats on our travels (or ghost stories!).  The fact that it was the 13th did not concern me ☺. . . .
Both nights we were asleep soon after 9:00.  The next morning it was still wet as we walked next door for our breakfast.  You can see the large building that replaced the original Inn.  It holds condos now. . . .
It was before 8:00 and the dining room was still locked so we waited on the porch. . . .so peaceful. . . .
                     
This is the red maple from the other side. . . .
After breakfast we headed down the mountain for home leaving the fog behind. . . .
Soon we were heading back toward the 21st century. . . . but not quite yet. . . .

Here is another article and a TV news piece on Eagles Mere.  I can't wait to go back!  We still need to do the hike around the lake and explore more of Worlds End State Park.

.•*¨`*•. ☆ .•*¨`*•
Take Joy!

12 comments:

  1. What a lovely Autumn getaway, Cathy. Your videos and music are just stunning. I can't believe we have never visited this area. Kudos to Ken and the underwater camera skills. The leaves were just brilliant as you were coming down the mountain. Thanks for another great travelogue! ♥

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    1. Thank you Martha Ellen! The leaves were at their peak up in the mountains. It was wonderful driving down the country roads.

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  2. Another charming and beautiful entry! I do feel as if we are all along with you on your visits and adventures. You do stay in the most adorable places, and manage to seek out some great stores too! I think I would have made room, somehow, for that rocker! Your photographs and descriptions of Mohawk Falls makes me think of Devil's Bridge, near Aberystwyth ~ full of mysterious shapes and patterns, and very, very slippery ~ and not for those of us with a pre~disposition towards slipping! I am not sure footed! The shapes in between at Midway Crevasse are quite stunning and a tad spooky too, especially at this time of year with swirling mists and falling leaves.
    This is such a wonderful trip to take this Sunday morning without having to leave my armchair, as the wild west winds wuther around my Welsh cottage! ~~~waving~~~

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    1. Thank you Deborah! I agree about the "faces" in the Midway Crevasse! You can even see a face in the boulder itself--not just in the crevasse. Spooky, indeed. Even though we didn't get to see very many waterfalls, the hike was made interesting by all the rock outcroppings along the way, tree roots, the fogginess, and I just love Hemlocks! Their leaves/needles are so delicate. Unfortunately, many are dying in the northeast because of an adelgid (aphid-like insect) that was introduced from Asia.

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  3. It looks like the rain and fog did not deter you one bit (or the room change) from having a wonderful weekend. The colors are wonderful--we do miss maples down here and their vibrant color in fall. I hope you do get back to do more hiking there.

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    1. We thought we'd go in the Spring to see what it is like then.

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  4. What a lovely trip and the scenery, just beautiful!! Such a treat to see the changing of the leaves from inside my Deep South cottage with the a/c on. The tranquil sounds of the waterfalls remind me of the crashing waves on our beaches...One of my favorite sounds and so soothing. And, I 'm with Deb, I'd have found a place for that rocker!! Hugs from the sunny South ~ Donna E.

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    1. I'm beginning to wish I HAD bought the rocker now! That means I will just have to go up there again for sure. I've lost out in getting something by waiting, but I've also made out when something I hesitated buying was marked down the next time I went to the shop. Now I figure if I'm meant to have it, it'll be there waiting for me!

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  5. Cathy, I'm beginning to feel that my comments sound like a broken record. "What gorgeous photos and videos...." "I feel like I was actually there..." "Learned so much from your visit..." But it's true!! This Fall visit was sublime. Looks like you were there for peak color in Pennsylvania. We still haven't quite got there in upstate New York, or maybe we're just having an "off year" colorwise. I remember going through Eagles Mere once with my sister in the mid-90s when we were driving to Pottsville [near Philadelphia] to visit one of my brothers. We were both amazed that this picturesque little village just "appeared" out of nowehere in the middle of "workaday" Pennsylvania. It was as if we were driving through a time warp! We wished my brother lived there because we wanted to stop so much. I especially loved that ethereal photo when the land seems to drop right off into the fog's nothingness. That MUST be how it came to be called "World's End." Makes me wonder how "Loyalsock" got its name though! LOL. Bet you were really enjoying the trip in your new vehicle too. Can't wait til YOUR next trip. Have a great week...

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    1. Janet, you got me to wondering, too, about the origins of Loyalsock. This is what I found: "The name is a corruption of a word in the language of the local indigenous peoples meaning "middle creek" (the original was something like Lawi-sahquick)." They do call Eagles Mere the village that time forgot! By the way, "mere" is an English word that means "enclosed body of water." I like that much better than "lake." I'm glad you enjoyed my little tour. When I post about my vacations I find I pay more attention and try to take photos that will tell a story. Even so, I still think of shots I should have gotten when I get home. Then, I learn so much more when I do research for the post. I said last time I need to do the research before I go! But once I get there I always try to go to the local museum, or find books about the area. Our Inn had a very nice one that I read most of, but I didn't take notes, thinking I'd find the information on the web. I didn't find very much history on the web, though, about Eagles Mere. It was first settled by a Mr. Lewis as a glass making enterprise because of the sand around the lake in the early 1800's.

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  6. Wow those leaf colours are incredible! It looks a fantastic place to visit! What a shame you didn't manage to visit all those waterfalls because of the rain. The videos are so lovely. Thank you for sharing this lovely part of your country with us. Sarah x

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    1. Thank you, Sarah. It gives us a reason to return!

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