Wellsboro

Along the Pine Creek Trail.

I'm the fella who last wrote on this blog that ". . . we're lucky to not have the barriers to travel that so many have: we're healthy, we get around easily, we have ample vacation time, our kids are good travelers. Now it's time to put these great destinations in a good, useful order."

My, how civilization can change. 

Our vacation this year was to take us to Italy but that is, of course, off now. Had you told me in January that we're not going to Italy because Europe won't permit us on the continent, I would've told you that you were nuts. But you're not nuts. 

The year 2020, however, is most certainly nuts. 

We did get away briefly this weekend, though. It was a regenerative little trip to a small slice of paradise in north central Pennsylvania. Wellsboro is the quaint town that serves as the seat for Tioga County. It's a well-kept town, evidence of wealth from the lumbering era, adjacent to one of the more gorgeous wonders in Pennsylvania, the Pine Creek Gorge. It's more commonly called the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. And it boasts a bike trail through the gorge that is simply wonderful to ride. 

Pine Creek Gorge, looking south.

A double rainbow visible from our hotel parking lot Friday.

Caroline and Sherry arrive at a stop on the Pine Creek Trail. 

That may be an entrance to a beaver lodge. 

Pine Creek Gorge, looking south (again . . . but from the western rim)

You may be interested to know, though, that 2020 just has to be like 2020. We left after dinner Thursday evening and were within 15 minutes of the hotel when the alternator in my van gave out. The car died nine miles south of Wellsboro at about 10 pm. It took about an hour for a tow truck to come to our rescue. Coming to our rescue also was the fella manning the desk at our hotel, for he was nice enough to come down at the end of his shift and give Sherry and the kids a ride back. 

I'm grateful for so many silly little things. I'm grateful that our kids kept their cool when our van sputtered to a stop in the middle of nowhere. Thankful that Sam and I both had flashlights. Thankful that I, for reasons I don't understand, threw a bike lock into the van at the last minute (it came in handy keeping our bikes secured while the van was in the shop). Thankful that a shop was able to fix the van before dinner time on Friday.

Where our van spent the first day of our vacation. 

The bikes were locked up on a rack near this sign.

 

Thankful that we had a weekend where we were stuck in an area of the state that felt like it was a completely different area of the country. 

Suddenly . .. . There's a New List

It's a nice day in Southeastern PA today, but it's not as nice as this photo (not taken in PA) would suggest.

When I last wrote here I conceded that I was traveled out. That's not necessarily a bad thing. We've been very fortunate to have the chances to travel that we have had. And since I last posted there was another awesome adventure . . . to Costa Rica (at some point I'm sure I'll get around to writing about that). Yet upon returning from our Dakotas road trip I found myself at a point I can hardly remember being at before, a point where I really didn't know where I wanted to go next.

In the past week, though, I have awakened from my dormant state. There's a new list of places I wish to visit. Here we go . . .

Apparently it's the 250th anniversary of Beethoven's birth, and Bonn is calling. Don't think we'll make it there in 2020, though.

Michigan has emerged as a place I want to again visit. I need another day at the Henry Ford and Greenfield Village. Then I learned of a Bologna Festival in Yale, Michigan. Oh, and the Upper Peninsula is calling (which would allow me to see Apostle Islands in Wisconsin, too).



While we're up north, I heard about Boundary Waters. That sounds fun.

Sherry keeps whispering sweet somethings to me about the Grand Canyon which, for some reason, I've put on my to-do list for retirement, but I'd be wise to listen to her. I'm wondering if we could loop such a trip in with seeing some other sites in that area of the country.

Big Bend National Park (and other sites in Texas) are making it onto my quickly-getting-crowded to-do list.

Part of what inspired these musings was an observation by Clark Howard that one can find great bargains on Kayak's Explore feature. There are a lot of cheap places to get to from Newark or Philly. It's fun to dream about what we can do. And we're lucky to not have the barriers to travel that so many have: we're healthy, we get around easily, we have ample vacation time, our kids are good travelers. Now it's time to put these great destinations in a good, useful order.