PA Getaway

This past Sun-Tues AML and I took a short getaway trip to Elk Country in Pennsylvania. We were supposed to be somewhere else, but that was canceled, so we thought maybe we'd use that unexpected time for a small excursion.

Now, I have to preface this by letting you know that our family has a history of taking vacations in the rain. Whenever we plan some sort of trip that has an outdoor component, somewhere along the line, rain will materialize. This is the stuff of legend amongst our children. This trip was no different. The original forecast had sunshine forecasted when we first planned the trip, but apparently word got to the nor'easter that was ramping up the east coast that we were planning a vacation, and so it changed its track to hit more of interior PA than planned.

Our original plan was for me to load my Honda Trail 125 on the back of the car, let AML park herself in a nice spot in one of the gorgeous state parks in the area, and I would go out and do a bit of forest road riding. By the time we were ready to leave, however, the weather report had changed, rain and cooler temperatures were expected, and so I bagged the motorcycle plans and decided I might just take a few small hikes.

When we arrived at our motel in Clearfield PA, it was raining steadily. We went and got some lunch at this place that made homemade pastry, bread, and entrees, and which ran by the honor system of payment - no cashiers. We ate in the motel lobby, and decided to drive through and scout out Black Moshannon State Park, which was really lovely. But all we could do was drive around, as the rain continued to fall. We got back to the motel, and lunch was so late that neither of us was hungry, and I was quite fatigued from driving. So we passed the time on computer entertainment until bedtime. I decided to use some of that time to calculate a scenic tour of the area.

Next morning after breakfast, we set out on my planned route. The day was overcast, and we hit a few drizzly periods during the day, but overall we took a nice scenic tour of the area. The region is just beginning its fall leaf season, so we saw mostly yellows and a few reds here and there, but the hillsides were for the most part still green. We toured the Elk Country Visitor Center and learned a lot about the elk population in the region, drove up to a scenic vista called Top of the World where we could get almost 360 degree (cloudy) views of the mountains, had lunch at the Driftwood Bar and Grill, and finished the day with a leisurely drive through the Sproul State Forest, complete with more views we couldn't really see. Lunch at the Driftwood was pretty filling, so we once again skipped dinner and simply chilled until bedtime. I was once again exhausted after the drive, taking what i believe was a 45-minute nap somewhere around 4:30. It could have been 75.

The highlight of this day, though, was the sighting of an elk right along the roadside. As we were starting the climb to Top of the World, I saw what I thought was a bronze statue of an elk in front of a cabin. Elk statues are all over this region, so I thought nothing of it, until I saw the head move. The I saw it take a step, and realized it was a live elk. It was huge, with a very large antler rack on its head. I wish I had a picture to show you, but I though it unwise to stop and take a picture, even out the window, as it is rutting season, and I was not interested in giving this elk any reason to take offense at us. So we drove ever so slowly past the elk, and as we continued up the road, I could see it crossing the road in my rearview mirror. Spectacular and majestic creature.

We drove home the next morning, and again I had planned a nice scenic route home. We wandered through the southern region of the Allegany National Forest, where I came upon a place I always wanted to check out - Minister Creek. There's a lovely campground there, and you can camp as well about 300' from the parking area for free. There is also an extended trail system for loops that can be from 1.5-7 miles in length. You get a real deep woods feel here. Hopefully I can make it back someday.

When we got home, I immediately tuned into the MLB playoff games to top off the little vacation. Rain may have spoiled the initial plans, but in the end we had a decent time taking in the scenery, and we had most of the scenic roads completely to ourselves. There are worse ways to spend a few days off.

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