Trip to Grand Canyon of PA - unparalleled beauty

Scott and I went on a two-day bus trip to the "Grand Canyon of PA" also known as the "Endless Mountains." Here I am standing at the lookout 8500 feet high. As our bus clumb up the mountains, hills, really, we kept swallowing to clear our ears.

I first learned of these lands in the northeast corner of PA, abutting NY State, a dozen years ago and always wanted to go.

Set your sights high, Reader! We only live once, as far as we know. Immerse yourself in beauty. It's good for the soul.

All manner of people were there, including a back-packing Scott. It was chilly, high 40s, and there was barely a sky in the clouds.

The lookout had been refurbished by Federal funds several years ago and was truly magnificent.

Remember FDR and the Great Depression? His make-work programs included a Civilian Conservation Corps

In recognition of all the unemployed hard-working people who were grateful for a job.

Today, as we know, people work many part-time jobs to make ends meet, including myself.

There's even a statue dedicated to the "CCC Worker" from 1933-1942. Then the war came along and the workers went to war.

The Grand Canyon was the climax of our two-day tour. Coming down the mountain, our guide Daisy told us a story about this little red brick church. The new pastor they hired said he'd always wanted to work in such a church, so when they interviewed him, the parishioners painted the white church with red bricks.

He took the job, married a local Tioga County gal, raised a family, and worked there 20 years.

We boarded the Hagey Coach on Saturday morning in Souderton, PA, at 8 a.m.

The bus gets 7 miles per gallon of diesel fuel.

Bob Bergey, 6'5", was the same driver I had when I went to DC to see the cherry blossoms.In the evals we filled out at trip's end, I wrote that Bob is a terrific driver (very careful on the hairpin turns he had to make), is very knowledgeable and has a great personality. Very funny guy.

People, including myself, took turns sitting in the front seats so they could talk to him. It makes the trip go faster for all of us.

Bob drinks numerous cups of coffee a day. Dunkin' Donuts is his favorite. I'm drinking Starbucks right now - I have a really busy day - great taste, full of flavor.

Just talked to my friend Nancy. We talk twice a year and we're gonna drive to Princeton NJ, which we both love. She went about 6 months ago, walked into her favorite shop, and then got a phone call about her elderly father in hospice at Abramson's.

She had to drive back to say goodbye to him.

I am so fortunate my mom is still with us.

Driver Bob Bergey has always loved hats. He buys his online at Hats in the Belfry. This is his newest one.

Stay in your lane in the Lehigh Tunnel. When I was a kid growing up in Cleveland, our family used to drive to exotic Pennsylvania next door. We'd stay at motels and swim in their pools. What a thrill it was going thru tunnels - Tuscarora and others.

The Susquehanna River. We passed this river many times during our journey north. It's a non-navigable river b/c at some points it's only a foot deep. But what a beautiful name!

Susquehanna. We massacred the native Americans and kept the names.

See the heavy cloud cover? Them's thick cumulus clouds.

This is the little town of Wellsboro, PA. Like Roosevelt Blvd, it has a grassy strip in the middle. It's always decorated for the seasons. Population is 4,000, but growing, b/c Marcellus Shale is nearby. The town recently expanded their Soldiers and Sailors Hospital, adding a great new ER, said our guide Daisy.

A friend of mine has a brother who's a retired ER doctor now living in Florida. A young man, mid-60s. He decided to go back to work one day a week in the ER. Guest how much he makes for a 12-hour day?

$100,000 for a day's work.

No wonder the cost of healthcare is so high.

Who is the lady in red?

Why, it's Claire, who came aboard the bus to tell us about our train ride on the Tioga Central RR.

The railroad was built in 1872, accdg to their brochure, to carry coal out of Antrim, PA. Altho it no longer carries coal, it does carry freight between Wellsboro, PA and Corning, NY, home of Corning Ware.

The Corning Ware Co used to be in PA but moved to NY. They made the gas lamps that sit in the middle of scenic Wellsboro, PA.

Here we are waiting to board the train. That's young conductor Steven.

What fun it was eating on the dining car. Look at the view! Scott's wearing the Wolf Sanctuary sweatshirt I bot him from another bus trip I took.

Here come the drinks. Water for me, please. And....

Nothing like a hot cup of decaf on a damp chilly day.

The meal was scrumptious! Scott and I split our sandwiches..... turkey and cheese....roast beef and cheese with fabulous dressing. One was made of cream cheese and mayo.

Gosh, doesn't this make you hungry?

We walked carefully on the jolting train to the open observation deck in the back.

I love the old doors and handles.

Algae-filled lake, one of many.

Our time was filled every minute of the day.

We went on a horse-drawn wagon ride. The wagons were new, designed by an Amish man, and very comfortable, except for an occasional lurch or two. We sat on comfy brown cushions, very cold when you first sat down.

I sat across from Fred Taffer and his wife Erico. Small world! Their printing company does the brochures for Cheltenham Adult Evening School, which hosted my last bus trip to the Cloisters.

But listen to this! At our last rest stop on the way home, I saw the Bus Driver, Joe Campbell, from the Cloisters trip. He had just dropped off his daughter in Collegeville so she could go back to school.

"Weird," said Joe.

This was a train stop called Darling.

We followed a creek, which would occasionally disappear.

Three presidents had visited these parts - Jimmy Carter, FDR, Eisenhower and Teddy Roosevelt, who helped turn this area into a national park.

What a great legacy Teddy left us.

What is your legacy, Dear Reader? Oh, don't worry about it. It's never too late to change your life.

You can imagine how hungry we were after our wagon ride. Being a PWD (person w diabetes), I ate some snacks on the wagon ride, until we got to Lambs Creek restaurant, right out back of our Comfort Inn motel, where Scott and I both used the Fitness Room.

I watched while he lifted weights.

Actually I went on the stationery bike for 20 minutes to lower my sugar level while watching a movie we couldn't figure out what it was. Then we looked it up on the computer in the lobby.

The excruciatingly boring Close Encounters of a Third Kind with Richard Dreyfus and Terry Garr. Is it true he's a manic-depressive? I need to know these things for when I write my mental health advocacy columns. Calling someone a manic-depressive is totally politically incorrect, btw.

This is the Penns-Wells Hotel in Wellsboro, where we ate a mediocre dinner. The hotel has been in operation since 1865. Clearly, it was an off-night for the food.

The famous Wellsboro Diner. I had to stand on the corner for five minutes until all the traffic passed so I could get a good photo.

Next to the diner was a farmer's market.

This Mennonite woman was selling fresh produce. I bought a small bunch of delicious concord grapes plus one of those dried corn things with husks that you hang on your door in the fall.

Walk right in, sit right down, daddy let your mind roll on.

Strange but my Google isn't working, so I'm using Yahoo.

Now we're gonna tour Wellsboro, PA. The sidewalks are covered with beautiful autumn leaves. See Scott's foot and mine on the left?

Aforementioned gas lamps with real gas and wicks. And the ubiquitous stop sign, looking, in my opinion. very beautiful. Grace, can you say Hexagon?

Like most cities, Wellsboro honors its veterans.

This fountain, in the center of the town park, is of Wynken, Blynken and Nod! One night, sailed off in a silver shoe. By Eugene Field.

Luckily, Scott noticed this plaque indicating that underground was a "time capsule" that will be opened in 90 years.

Very creative little town....which has its own theater called The Deane Center.

County Court House.  I love the crisp classic lines, the tall windows, and the light-colored bldg.

Former church is now the library. Lovely cupola on top.

My book for the tour is A Beautiful Mystery by Louise Penny about a death in the Gilbertine monastery in Quebec. Quite good.

The Arcadia theater still draws crowds as it did for silent films.

Stained glass studio. I bought two pieces of stained glass for my living room window.

Lovely house with wrap-around porch.

Our tour guide Daisy told us that you could order just about everything in the Sears Roebuck catalog including houses.

Two of the homes on Main Street were originally bought from the catalog. Read instructions before assembling.

Lots of beautiful tumble-down barns we saw on the bus.

One last photo. What'll I choose? Hmmmm. I took 99 of em.