Hi Everyone….
Just a quick note to let you know how my visit to Pennsylvania went. I left Maryland Sunday afternoon around 12:30 p.m. and was moving northwest towards PA. I stopped at the visitors center just over state line. The gentleman there was very helpful. He suggested getting off Interstate 81 and try Route 30, then Route 31. “These were more scenic highways“ he said, “with many point of interest along the way“. So off I went to get onto Route 30 to start my PA adventures. My 1st order of business was to get a place to stay for the night as it was getting late. The tourist guy suggested the “Twin Bridge Meadow Family Campgrounds” in Chambersburg. This campground is in Franklin County, located between the Back & Dennis Creeks. It’s actually a 150 acre working farm. The have about 100 acres dedicated to crops and they also have many livestock’s. They set aside an area for 120 camp sites. It is a very peaceful place. Many large shade trees and the winding creeks that cross through the camp. Wasn’t long before I had the camp all set up and was relaxing for the evening.
Monday (6/11/07) Was up early due to the loud birds and all the farm equipment rolling by!! LOL. I got up at 7a.m. and had my shower, and camp site packed up by 8 a.m.!! Then I was off to see the area between there and West Virginia, my next destination. As I went west on Route 30, I noticed a old gas pump painted up, so I turned around to check it out. It turned out to be a replica of the old gas pumps from the 30’s-40’s. It was part of the “The Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor” There was a brochure stand there so I grabbed a map to check it out. This was one of many exhibits along this 200 mile roadside museum. This Route 30 used to be the way to get from NYC to San Francisco back in the day! There are signs all along the way that let you know when special historical places are coming up. The brochure listed all of them so you could visit each and everyone of them. These gas pumps were along the same idea as in my previous entries about the Cows from Boston, MA; Whales from Cape Cod, MA; Clowns from Sarasota,FL; Horses from Meridan, MS; Electric Guitars from Austin, TX. They commission local artist to paint these replica gas pumps. I saw 3 before exiting onto Route 31. If you want more info about the Lincoln Highway check out: http://www.lhhc.org/. I stopped at two of the exhibits. The 1st was at Johnnie’s Diner & Motel. I had a great breakfast there! That was in McConnellsburg, PA; then I stopped at the Travelers Rest just between Everett & Breezewood, PA. I spoke to Karen. She filled me in about the highway and the place there that she & her husband run. She showed me some old pictures and clippings of the Motel from the 40’s- Her husbands family had owed the business since 1947! If you would like more info about the motel contact Karen Bowman at: travlersrest@pennswood.net.
Now I made my way on Route 31 to Bedford County. This area is known for it’s old covered wooden bridges. There is a self driving tour that takes you from one to another all thru the county. There are 13 of them in all !! I was able to get to 4 of them, before moving on. If you’d like more info on the bridges check out:
www.befordcounty.net, click on covered bridges.
My next stop was further down Rt31 in Laurel Highlands. This county has so much to offer. There are just so many things to see and do. I chose to see the Frank Lloyd Wright’s homes. Mr. Wright is a very famous architect from the 30’s and 40’s. He has designed homes all across the US. There are 3 in this area! The 1st one I went to see “Fallingwater” is located in Mill Run, PA. Mr. Wright designed his homes to incorporate the feel of the surroundings. It is truly amazing to see these creations! Unfortunately on Mondays there is only the self walking tour.. The house is closed for the day. (I also found out the other two houses were also closed that day- and they didn’t have walking tours at them) So I took the walking tour- about ¼ mile. At the beginning is a visitors center which also has a restaurant.(they were closed on Monday too) I walked along these pathways through the forest. You could hear the river's waters running down over the rocks. The pathways had hundreds of rhododendron bushes on both sides. The birds and small wildlife were all over the place- and fun to watch. After a short walk, there it was!! - the Fallingwaters house. This has to be, one of the most peaceful places I have ever seen! I would love to be able to live here!! The water fall actually runs under part of the house, as you’ll see in the pictures. I would recommend this as a stop if you ever find yourself in the area! (but remember- closed on Mondays!! LOL)
If you want more info about the 3 houses check out: 1) Fallingwater:
www.fallingwater.info2) Kentuck Knob:
www.kentuckknob.com3) Darwin D. Martin House:
www.darwinmartinhouse.orgIt was now getting late so I decided to head toward West Virginia. I took Rt 119 off 31 and head south. I found the Ohiopyle State Park along the way! There was a river with falls which ran along the road. So I stopped and took a short walk, and of course took pictures too!! LOL
I stopped in Fairmont, WV for the night- it was about 6 p.m. It was a long day but so much fun….Hope you enjoy the pictures from the day.
So until next time - take care everyone!!- Love Donna
1 comment:
That was so cool. I see you've been taking pics of your mascot on a lot of your trips------the COW! That house was amazing and the waterfall under it was spectacular. Now that is a place where I would love to live, no neighbors and peaceful and quiet, almost paradise-like.
Love ya,
Babs
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