From Pittsburgh to Canada

As the Autumn came knocking on the door ,the nights became colder ,the days shorter and the RV traffic thinner,the C.G became almost deserted but we still had the desire to keep going and experience the foliage on the way back.

On the way from Pittsburgh to the Canadian boarder we have done 3 stops ,one in Mercer PA  one in Tionesta PA and one next to Jamestown NY , some of the days were rainy and some crispy clear but cold (that’s how I like it),we enjoyed every minute and took it as it came still taking short hikes to waterfalls and visiting an Apple fest in Franklin PA,rain did not stop us at all ,it is only water…

In Jamestown C.G we meet again the owner Max that was glad to see us after we camped in his C.G last year coming from NY towards the Canadian boarder, he too is closing up and moving for the winter to Florida as most of the RVer’s from the cold area.

Crossing the boarder was smooth ,we did not have even to get out of the truck although I had everything ready for the usual questions we got so much used to.

In July in a C.G we meet a great couple that lives an hour North of  Toronto , they offered us to leave our rig on their land during the winter ,we just talked with them and will on our way to their place in 2 days that will be used to do the laundry and get the staff packed and ready.

The next 2 weeks we will spend with our son in Toronto,visit friends and get presents for the grandkids .

Next year plan is already going through my head …Michigan,Indiana,Kentucky and Tennessee… I can’t wait.

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Pittsburgh PA

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We meet a great couple that is running the C.G in Tarentum just 20 Milles North East of Pittsburgh.

They own a great log house on the C.G grounds and they use as their home and public restrooms.

For many years they would hold a Blue Grass festival in the C.G but had to stop as it interfered with the the regular RV camping activities,we were invited for coffee ,cookies and even welcomed to use their computer to check our e-mails.

The city of Pittsburgh is beautifully spread out  ,the city is surrounded with nice green hills with house all around, and at one point 2 rivers Monongahela and Allegheny meet to create Ohio river many bridges connect different parts of the city above the rivers and it creates  a beautiful sight.

We strolled along the downtown,bought a sandwich in a famous bakery and sat down in the Market Square to eat, then walked along the banks of the rivers close to the famous Steelers Stadium and the Baseball one.

After that we drove to MT Washington sat in one of the pubs facing the rivers,bridges and the downtown-and what a sight it was…

At the C.G we were just on time for gorgeous sunsets that were just right to complete a fantastic day.

Youghiogheny Lake PA

The Corps of Engineer in the US have built dams all over the country  ,after finalizing the work they have arranged campgrounds in most of lakes/dams.

Many of them have electrical hook ups,a tab where you can fill water before you go to your site and a damp station,they also have on the grounds showers and toilets for those who camp with a tent.

ALL the campgrounds are located in a beautiful nature and are quite comfortable to go and out.

We chose Youghiogheny Lake Corps of Engineer C.G as it was on our way and had no idea what to expect.

It was a great choice,specie RV  sites   with Electrical hook ups and a clean C.G.

We had a long drive through hilly terrain ,so after getting settled we took things easy,took a shower and strolled around the  C.G and the river that ran just next to our site.

Day later we visited on of the most fantastic beautiful S.P called Ohaiopyle S.P,there is a river running through the park,waterfalls with a short hiking distance,picnic areas,white water rafting,canoeing , many bike and hiking trails-what else can one ask for….

It was a great day like many others ,but this came as pleasant

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surprise.

Philadelphia.

After spending time in the Wilds we finally made it to the BIG city Philadelphia.

First we “parked” the 5W in a campground between Philadelphia and Lancaster and then meet with Carol & Harold .a couple we meet on the way to Alaska in 2002 for one evening and never saw them till now,but stayed in touch through the E-mail.

Carol and Harold picked us up from the C.G to their home and for 4 days went out of their ways to make us feel at home and we deeply thank them for sharing the time with us.

We have visited the city by foot,walked the park,went to see “Joseph” in the theatre and took scenic drives in the area-it was just marvellous-Thank you Harold and Carol.

We also managed to meet Shuki and Susan.Shuki and myself did not see each other since high school meaning we did not meet for 50 YEARS….unbelievable… we had a great time together and promised that our next meeting will not be after 50 years…

Bernville PA

On the way from North PA towards Lancaster (the Amish country of PA) we decided to have a break in Bernville in Mid East PA in between the mountains and close to the Appalachian Trail. 

The are is full of farm land ,Amish , Mennonites and beautiful nature.

We found a C.G that belongs to Passport America in the small town of Bernville and spent the afternoon cleaning and drying the wet trailer from the previous night. The C.G has full hook-ups and cable TV so we could finally see a movie without advertisements and clear as it should.

On the next morning we pack some lunch and take a scenic route towards Cornwall passing through rolling hills,farm land and green meadows as far as the eye can see.

We stopped in a library in one of the small towns on the way ,checked our e-mails and continued slowly towards Cornwall,in one of the turns Shula saw huge mushrooms on a lawn and asked me to stop.

As we approach the  place to take some pictures we noticed that this lawn belongs to an Inn called Cornwall Inn that includes beautiful old buildings and gardens,as we needed to use a rest room we decided to  check out the Inn and as we are approaching the entrance we see a couple working in the front garden .

After greetings we found ourselves invited to a tour of the old Inn and gardens which we dilated to do and found that the place was once a train station,post office and a local jail.

To see what the couple did from the place is remarkable,we saw the “before” and I can show you the “After” down here…

The outstanding  couple show us a round and then took us to an Amish farm they know not far from there place, we found a very nice clean ,well behaved and open people.

We were allowed to take pictures and were surprised to learn that one of the girls even  has a “Face book”…

A day that started with not many expectations ended to be an extra ordinal one…and what the difference where the people we meet.

Ricketts Glen S.P Pennsylvania.

We have hiked high lands,we have hiked lowlands,we have hiked frozen waterfalls but have NEVER hiked a 7.5Mile hike seeing 21 ,yes 21 waterfalls…..

If you look at the map above this is a waterfall trail ,each blue dot represents' a waterfall in Ricketts Glen S.P in Pennsylvania,

the weather was just right for the autumn it was just one beauty after another, each fall a totally different from the one before,and because the water was low we could walk the on the rocks around the falls and enjoy it from different angles.

It took us from 9AM till 3PM to complete the loop , we did it slowly and tried to enjoy the falls,the vegetation,the formations which was getting harder as we went from one waterfall to another because you kind of get used to it.

One day you can hike 4 hours to reach one waterfall and here we are hiking 21 waterfalls in 7.5Miles….

Our Camp Ground is located 4 miles from the S.P and has a vender that does smoked ribs,chicken with side dishes, so we decided to complete this fantastic day to have a treat,Shula had 1/2 smoked chicken with backed potato and I had 1/2 a rack of Texas baby ribs with beans…wooow that was great and it was served to our site by the vendor when it finally was done.

Her are some selected pictures from this another magnificent day.

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Grand Canyon Of PA

Technorati Tags: Pennsylvania,USA,RV,2010

The so called Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania is a part of the PA Wild’s but it deserves a chapter of its own and his official name is PINE CREEK GORGE.

He lies between Leonard Harrison and Colton Point State Parks, many scenic vistas offer spectacular views into 800 foot deep,glacially carved canyon.

We parked our trailer on the East Rim of the Canyon just one mile away from the head trail called Turkey Path that takes you down to the bottom of the Canyon and the river bank.

The only problem of this path is that you have to climb it up eventually….

We had a great hike down,luckily the path was dry after some rainy days that made it impossible to hike without slipping from time to time.

As you can imagine the hike down took half of the time on the reverse route but it was worth the effort.

On the way down we passed next to two waterfalls and not very impressing because of the season,I can imagine them in full strength at Autumn.

At the bottom we found a great place for a picnic sitting on a rock with the feet in the cool water and seeing vistas as far as your eye can see-just breathtaking…

On the way up we meet a couple from PA that took a day to see the Canyon and we talked our way up.

We wanted to raft the on the river but unfortunately the water was to low for this kind of activity.

Tomorrow we are of to hike in the West Rim and pictures will follow (I have added some pictures after the visit and hike in the West Rim).

Pennsylvania Wilds

On the 4th of Aug Yuval flew back home on a direct flight from Toronto,it was a sad moment for all of us,it was a great month and a new experiance for the 3 of us.
Yuval was neto with us without her parents or brothers and she became part of the RV team immediately.
She wanted to know everything about the trailer and her far family ,it was great having her around and hopefully will have her again.
After she left we crossed the boarder through the Peace Bridge near Buffalo and proceeded to Erie where we stayed for 3 days exploring the lake sites.
Currently we are in PA Wilds (North West Pennsylvania) and are enjoying the wild part of the State.
It if full of natural forest,rivers,small villages,hiking trails and wild life and we are taking advantage of it all.
Here are some selected pictures that tell the story.