Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Cycling. Show all posts

Friday, May 6, 2022

Cycling Stony Valley Rail Trail and the Union Canal Tunnel

Located in PA State Game Lands 211 
outside of Jonestown, Lebanon County, PA
the Stony Valley Railroad Grade is pretty isolated. 


One end, close to where we started, 
is the Lebanon Reservoir and dam. 


The other end, 20 miles later, 
is near Ellendale Forge. 
But other trail users, 
and there were not many,
said you could get to Dauphin 
along the Susquehanna River from there as well.


The best sight along the trail was above...
do you see it?
There were several of them. 
Beaver Lodges. 
We saw 3 from one vantage point. 
We didn't see active beavers though.


This trail tends to be a little rough. 
My husband did not like it 
and was ready to leave way before me 
and I'm the one without shock absorption. 


We totaled 20 miles which means we 
completed half the trail. 
(20 mi is my mental limit 
unless motivated by something else...
ice cream maybe?)
I don't think either of us is in a hurry to 
complete the other half.

For trail info click here 



Since we were in the area we stopped to see the 
Union Canal Tunnel
which can be seen from a park with said name. 


The Union Canal Tunnel boasts being the oldest in the USA 
and was built 1825-1827. 
The mules used along the towpath made their way over top the tunnel 
while the boats were poled through it. 

For more canal info click here.

I would not go out of my way for either 
the rail trail or the tunnel, 
but if you are near it 
the tunnel is a nice stop.

Click here for my additional images.




Monday, June 21, 2021

An Overnight in Lycoming County, Pennsylvania

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Picnic Woods Road

Lycoming County is in the section of Pennsylvania 
referred to as the Pennsylvania Wilds. 
Who doesn't love wild?

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Farm in Lycoming County

We planned our time around 
the county seat of Lycoming County:  
Williamsport 
and the 
McIntyre Wild Area 
(for our dose of Wild)

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Old Schoolhouse in Lycoming County


If Williamsport sounds vaguely familiar, 
it is probably because this is where the 
Little League World Series is held. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Lycoming County


There are a lot of outdoor activities based around 
the many state lands. 
I did some research and chose the 
McIntyre Wild Area 
because that was the area with 
the greatest number of options 
that I thought would be of interest to us. 
And it was interesting, 
to say the least. 

Anyway, we drove directly to the Frazier Covered Bridge. 


Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Lycoming County

Since we were arriving from the southeast 
the bridge was 'on the way.' 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Frazier Covered Bridge

The bridge is no longer open to vehicular traffic 
and is accessed by a little road that cuts through a farm. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Frazier Covered Bridge

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Frazier Covered Bridge


From there I planned to photograph a Country Church
AKA Old Moreland Baptist Church. 
We found the new Moreland Baptist Church 
but our T Mobile gps service 
wasn't working 
as is usual in more remote places. 
So we never found the Old Church.  
(We only have t mobile for Europe. 
but obviously haven't gone since Covid began.) 
Sigh. 

We then went to the McIntyre Wild Area
located 30 min north of Williamsport. 
We located the Miners Run Waterfall 
which can be seen just off of Rock Run Road. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Miners Run Waterfall 

From the Miners Run Falls 
you can climb up the stream bed (no trail)
and see 5 additional falls within .6 mi. 
The best directions to do this are here. 


Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Miners Run Waterfall 

As far as photographing the falls, 
I was with my husband...(enough said)
and I did not carry a tripod 
since with the husband in tow 
I would not have had the time to set up 
and photograph like a real photographer. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Miners Run Waterfall 

Not to be too hard on him because 
the conditions were not right for good photos anyway. 
The dappled sunlight created bright brights and dark darks. 
I did have an 10 stop ND filter 
but it if fell off into the water, 
which I retrieved because said husband refused to, 
but now the glass was foggy 
so I didn't use it. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Miners Run Waterfall 


After our rigorous hike up 
we decided to take a McIntyre Rd to the Band Park Vista. 
Oh boy, this WAS wild. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
The McIntyre "Road" 


The road was possibly a road decades ago,  
now it is a crater like abandoned path. 
I DO NOT recommend doing this with 
any vehicle that does not have 
high clearance and AWD or 4WD! 
Between the dappled light and the puddles 
we had a hard time seeing the craters 
and no idea how deep they were until we were in them.  

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Band Rock Vista

Close to the vista the 'road' has a loop. 
We parked the car there and walked the rest of the way. 
That was a very good decision 
as the road gets even worse. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Band Rock Vista

The view was beautiful 
and the weather spectacular! 
The view from here is 180 degrees. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Band Rock Vista

Two roads of the McIntyre Wild Area


From here we went back to Williamsport 
and check into the Holiday Inn Express (good experience there)
conveniently located near the 
Riverfront Path of the West Branch Susquehanna River. 
We road our bikes on the path. 

West Branch Susquehanna River Path in red. 


Followed by a ride down Millionaires' Row lining 4th Street,
The homes once belonged to the Lumber Barons of Williamsport.
If you love residential architecture
Millionaires' Row will make you swoon.

Copyright Rebecca Haegele

Copyright Rebecca Haegele

Up next was dinner at Boom City Brewing Company.
After dinner, we blindly set out to find a good spot for sunset 
and fortunately found Picnic Woods Road 
over looking a farmed valley. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Sunset, Jersey Shore PA

It was soooo worth it. 
The clouds were amazing. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Sunset, Jersey Shore PA

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Sunset, Jersey Shore PA

Day 2 began with another bike ride. 
This time we road 31 miles 
on the beautiful 
which we accessed via a small town curiously called 
15 mi west of Williamsport.

The photos speak for themselves: 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Pine Creek Rail Trail 

Yes, all 31 miles were worth it as well. 
When we returned to Williamsport 
we took a trolley tour (cash only, recommend exact change)
which explained much of the history of Williamsport 
and we saw a lot of things we would have 
otherwise missed. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Mansions in Williamsport

There are more beautiful homes located 
off the beaten path of Millionaires Row. 
You can find them near 
Belmont Ave & Campbell St. 
and 
Grampian Blvd & Franklin St. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Mansions in Williamsport



Copyright Rebecca Haegele

The trolley tour also includes 
past and present Little League information. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
First Little League Game Statue

If you can do this tour, 
do it early in your trip 
then you can revisit the things 
that interest you. 

Copyright Rebecca Haegele
Brick carvings depicting transportation modes 

After our Trolley Tour 
we ate a late lunch at 
Bullfrog Brewery. 
(The portabella mushroom sandwich 
was the best I've ever had.) 
Then we left for home. 

Here are additional ideas you can trade out 
or add to your itinerary: 

  1. In Williamsport at the intersection of 3rd & Market Street there is a "Bases Loaded" sculpture installation depicting a little league field using each corner, then located throughout the town you will see an occasional outfielder.  It is really cute.  I didn't know about this until the trolley tour and then it was too late for me to go back and photograph it. 
  2. A few interesting sites to watch for throughout the town: St James Ep. Church, Williamsport City Hall, English Center Suspension Bridge, The Old Jail (now a night club)
  3. Two additional covered bridges we didn't see: Buttonwood and Cogan House.
  4. Hiawatha Riverboat. We just didn't have the time but the weather was so beautiful it would have been lovely to do.
  5. Lebo Vista."This vista is located at the end of Lebo Road and is a spot that you can drive right up to. From here, there are expansive views overlooking this impressive gorge and the area to the north from 1,300 feet above Pine Creek." (uncoveringpa.com)
  6. There are lots of state parks and lands with trails, views and waterfalls.
  7. Riverfront Park
  8. ' "Inspiration Lycoming County" is the world's largest portrait mural. Painted by famed mural artist Michael Pilato, the mural depicts the history of Lycoming County.' (PAwilds.com)




Retrieving my lens filter. 








Sunday, May 2, 2021

Cycling Cape May New Jersey With My Camera

Cape May is located on the southern tip of NJ in Cape May County,
on an island south of the Cape May Canal. 

Cape May Lighthouse
215 Lighthouse Avenue, Cape May Point State Park, Cape May, NJ 08204


The Historic District encompasses Cape May City 
where there are many preserved Victorian homes. 
I definitely recommend a little extra time exploring 
the streets of this city. 

Cape May City (Historic District) 


Our 13.9 mile ride started and ended along the beach at Sunset Pavilion. 
Here are the details of our ride: https://goo.gl/maps/Wfs2JDykinFN8oMd8 
and here is a screen shot of the map. 


The ride is in the busier areas of the island 
so off season in April was a perfect time. 
I would not attempt this ride in peak season. 
Oh, and Cape May has clean public restrooms along the beach! 

A Beachfront Gal Gets a Lift

We've been to Cape May so many times, 
but only to the Lighthouse, Sunset Beach and the Lobster House. 
Riding the streets was new to us 
and finding all these beautiful Victorian homes 
was a delight. 

Fishing Boats, Cape May, NJ


But what impressed me most was 
the Fishermen's Memorial. 

Fishermen's Memorial, Cape May, NJ


I had never given much thought to the hidden cost of seafood. 
The fishermen who risk their lives to bring seafood to our tables. 
The list of names lost at sea here gave me great pause - 
And often many from the same family lost together.

The disabled Motivation returns by power of a tug. 


When I came home I researched some of those wrecks, 
but so far have only found details of a few.

Here are details of one from 1921

11 FISHERMEN LOST OFF JERSEY COAST.

Cape May, N.J., Nov. 1. -- Eleven fishermen were drowned last night off Anglesea, when they went out to take up their nets for the Winter. They were employed by the Hilton Fishing Company of Anglesea. Two boats, lashed together, went off shore to pull up the pound net poles, which are sixty-five feet long and weigh over one hundred pounds each.
It is supposed by Captain James A. Price of the Coast Guard Station of Anglesea, they pulled up the poles and started in shore when the heavy seas on the Anglesea bar caused their boat to fill and capsize. The seas were running high on the Anglesea bar at the time.
Augustus Hilton, former Mayor of Anglesea, President of the Hilton Fishing Company, notified
Captain Price that the men were missing at 8 o'clock last night. Despite the heavy sea running, Captain Price and his crew put to sea and searched the coast from Sea Isle City to Cape May for the boats. Not a light or a boat could be seen. At daylight the Coast Guard crew put back to the beach. Captain Jesse Hearon of the Coast Guard station at Stone Harbor on being notified put out to sea, but after an all-night search failed to find the boats.
Those in the boats were:

CHARLES STEVENSON of Dennisville.
RICHARD STEVENSON, a brother of Charles Stevenson.
JOHN LUNDY, Anglesea, whose body came ashore at Wildwood Crest, as did the bodies of the STEVENSON brothers.
Captain ANDREW HANSON, of Anglesea, commander of the two boats.
CHARLES JOHNSON, Anglesea.
Captain GUNNY JOHNSON, Anglesea.
JOHN JOHNSON, of Anglesea.
Captain GEORGE NICHOLSON, of Anglesea, who leaves a wife and two small children.
HARRY KEEN, of Brooklyn.
N. T. DALSTROM, of Brooklyn.
TONY DOMNICO, of Wildwood.

Crowds of anxious watchers lined the beach all day hoping that some one would survive the big seas and heavy tides that have prevailed on the New Jersey coast. Only the three bodies have washed ashore. It is thought that the southerly breeze now blowing will set the bodies on the Delaware shore.

New York Times New York 1921-11-02

And here is a link to another lost at sea story from 2009. 
Vintage Bath House, maybe? 
Sunset Beach, NJ

We lunched at the Lobster House Take Out, and at on their pier. 
It was a little more somber experience having just visited the memorial. 


Fishing Boats at the Lobster House, Cape May, NJ
Yes, I've watched Deadliest Catch
but that is in the Bering Sea. 
I had never thought of that with respect to Cape May, NJ! 
WW II Lookout Tower, Cape May, NJ

There are more photos from this set here 
which includes photos of the names lost at sea
and of course more photos of Victorian homes. 
Cape May Harbor, Delaware Ave. Cape May, NJ


Mostly flat on road ride. 
13.9 miles + exploration. 
Allow 1/2 day to include exploration 
or about an hour +  for the ride 
without stops.