Two Years Makes A Huge Difference

My wife and I have been to Jim Thorpe several times in the past. Usually driving up for the day just to walk around the sleepy town near the entrance to the Pocono Mountains. We have always enjoyed our trips up there and we have been planning to return with our son at some point. This weekend we finally took the time and made the plans to travel into the mountains as a family.

Unfortunately, as is the case with many things in life, reality didn’t live up to the memories. That being said, the town itself has changed rather significantly since our last excursion two years ago and, for us, it has definitely not changed for the better. It all began as soon as we approached the valley and we could see the mass of cars and people filling the streets, sidewalks, and parks. It was rather odd seeing the main line atmosphere so far from Philadelphia but that is exactly how the trip unfolded over our two day stay.

While there were a few brief glimpses of what it used to be like in the muted stir of the evening, it seems as though this town is no longer the forgotten destination that it once was and the makeover that it has received recently demonstrates that the town is definitely well aware of its new windfall. But, they are certainly honing in on a certain type of visitor to the town as many of the new shops are more akin to what you would find in the small towns around San Francisco. There are certain demographics that certainly find this appealing but don’t count me as one of them.

Of courses, there were a few aspects to the short trip that didn’t really sit well with me either. In addition to the sheer number of people that had flooded the valley, the attitudes and mentalities of those people was something that I would prefer not to encounter especially when trying to get away and relax. And it seems to have had an impact on the great people that live and work in those small shops along Broadway and Race Street.

In previous trips, the people have always been one of the best parts about the town. Great scenery and great people… that is really what we look for when trying to find a place where we can relax. Now, in this little town, the drastic shift has seemly changed some people, broken others, and driven the rest out of town. The small family shops are nearly gone. The library is half the size that it used to be. Those remaining have a different way about them and a completely different attitude… no more friendly and casual conversations. And there are clearly people who have already gone or are moving because the sale signs are plentiful.

Maybe this is a brief phase for the town and things will change back in the near future. Maybe our perspectives were off those days. Maybe, but it doesn’t look like we will be have any time in the near future as there are so few opportunities to get away and we are not going to risk completely wasting one on a return trip... that is the feeling that we got this time around. I guess some things are best left as memories.

Returning To Knoebels

Ever since I introduced my wife to Knoebels last summer we have been talking about going back. In fact, it was the one place that my wife insisted on us going this summer. Once I found out that my parents had never been there, I knew that the three of us needed to go back at some point. Today I was able to introduce my parents to some place that they had only heard of… today we made the long drive north and spent the entire afternoon at Knoebels.

We left my parent’s house at about nine in the morning with wary of the 80% chance of rain in the forecast and a slight detour on our schedule. Centralia, Pennsylvania is a rather infamous location and we thought that we would drive through the abandoned town on our way to some family fun. Well, after 50 years of natural reclamation of the smoldering streets, there isn’t much to see from the car. It was a much quicker stop than expected as there was nothing to see from the few passable roads remaining. Not wanting to explore by foot, we resumed our drive to the amusement park.

We arrived at the main entrance just after noon and were slowly directed into the busy parking lot where we were guided into a space some distance from the entrance. By the time we entered the park it was time for us to buy some tickets before making our way to the international food pavilion on the other side of the grounds. A ten minute walk and twenty minute meal later it was time to explore.

 

Tickets in hand we made our way to some of the more relaxing rides with the first stop being at the small train that winds its way under the roller coaster and into the woods.

 

From the train we walked over to the chair lift as I knew this would be a view of the park that my parents wouldn’t expect but would appreciate. From the top you can see the park in its entirety including the roller coasters and the water park.

 

And as you make your way down you can see the Ferris wheel…

 

…the wood of the roller coaster tracks intertwined with the trees…

 

…and many of the other rides that we really had no interest in going on today.

 

After a couple of rides and a lot of walking crisscrossing the park trying to see every aspect, we decided to stop by for a small taste of a midafternoon treat at the Fudge shop (and some shared ice cream at another concession stand). It is quite the interesting little building that seems to just invite you to come inside and enjoy the decadent aroma of fudge flooding the entire building.

 

After a few raindrops passed through the park, things got a little interesting as, for the first time that I can remember, my mom began seeking out a roller coaster on which to ride. We walked over to the new one (under construction the last time we were there) by the line seemed to always be 50-60 minutes long no matter what time we stopped. Similarly, the old roller coaster at the end of the park had a line extending beyond the gate and into the promenade. With a single afternoon at the park those were not viable options.

However, the Twister, another wooden roller coaster with a lot more turns, didn’t have a line visible from the entrance. We walked in, handed over our tickets, and almost immediately stepped into the next car. Riding that coaster with my mom was probably the highlight of the day. The picture taken on the ride was, surprise, not very flattering so there is no picture that I can share.
 

With that checked off our list it was time to wind down the trip with a few more tickets and a ride together on the Ferris wheel. Again, this ride offered some nice views of the park one of which was watching packed cars drop down the log flume creating an inordinately large splash. While the timing in the wheel was never quite right to get a picture, it was easy enough to walk over there and watch as children and adults alike got soaked both on the ride and standing on the soaked sidelines.

While my parents and my wife sat further away to rest and watch, I walked up to the railing in an attempt to catch a few of the cars as they parted the water. I watched a few go down, zoomed in the camera, and focused on a spot where I knew the car would be passing. Here is the first car I caught with the camera…

For the next car I took a few steps back and widened out the field of view on the camera…

Finally, I found the right spot against the wall. I knew where the car would be and how long it would take to fall. This is when I got the best sequence…

At this point we were nearly done. We had gotten lucky with the weather and we had seen the entire park. It was time to head back to the car and drive to the hotel (the same Holiday Inn Express we stayed at last summer) for a night away from the ordinary Sunday evening. After dinner, before heading up to the room, we sat out front solving the problems of the world and relaxing… these are the moments I really enjoy spending with my dad no matter where we are. A quick shower passed through and not long after we notice the rain we saw a double rainbow over the busy road. It might have been a perfect ending to what was an amusing, entertaining, enjoyable, and overall about as perfect as you can get, day.

A Small Mountain Town Not Named South Park

As was alluded to in my last post, my wife and I returned to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania this past week. Finally utilizing a six year old bedandbreakfact.com gift card from my brother and sister-in-law we stayed the night and had a mini vacation in the Pocono Mountains. The extended stay allowed us to take our time and explore the town in greater depth and visit some of the sights that the constraints of a day trip prevented us from doing the last time we were up there.

Shortly after getting off from my overnight shift on Thursday morning we began our drive to the fresh air and spaciousness of the mountains. The increased familiarity with the area and the route this time allowed us to immediately relax as soon as the last vestiges of the morning rush hour cleared and the highway opened up. It’s amazing what a difference an hour and a half drive can make for ones nerves and sanity.

We arrived in the late morning, parked the car at the inn, and walked up Broadway to find a suitable place for an early lunch. A few blocks up the street we settled on a small restaurant called Crave. I had a vague familiarity as we had previously passed it during our last day trip and I had since then discovered that the Rotary Club of Jim Thorpe meets there every Tuesday for lunch (that may be a good visit in the future). As soon as we finished our meals, eggs for me and salmon for my wife, we ventured out with the game plan we strategized while waiting for our food to arrive.

Our first stop was to The Old Jail Museum just up the street. Many of you may be familiar with the Molly Maguires and this is where much of it happened as is outlined in the marker outside the prison.

Inside the old building you realize how small the space really is and how cramped it must have been with over 400 spectators surrounding the gallows to watch the hangings.

With two men in each cell space was at a premium. And, in one cell, the handprint of Alexander Campbell can still be seen… staining the wall as a proclamation of his innocence (pictures are not permitted in his cell). And up until the 1990’s, inmates throughout the decades lived with that handprint.

As a change of pace, The Mauch Chunk Museum (this was the original name of the town) was our next stop as we walked back down the street toward the inn. Small town museums are of particular interest to me as you can get a much bigger picture and a greater appreciation of the place you are visiting. Many of these kinds of museums are very casual as tourists tend to overlook these fascinations. One of the surprising finds at the museum was in the ballroom on the second floor where the following stained glass can be found.

By this time it was mid afternoon and time to check in. We headed back to the car, grabbed our stuff, and made our way to the front desk. I can’t say enough about The Inn at Jim Thorpe. It is a beautiful old building with a great staff that goes out of their way to make you feel welcomed. Once we got to our room it was time to take a few minutes to relax, let our minds settle, and decide on our plan of action for the second half of our day.

On our way to a happy hour dinner at Molly Maguires Pub and Steakhouse we stopped by the Civil War Memorial situated between the Carbon County Court House and the restaurant. It is quit the impressive monument when standing at its base.

After a hot and hearty meal and some cold Yeungling, it was time to get back on our feet and head for higher ground.

Overlooking the town are the Asa and Harry Packer mansions. As a side note, Asa Packer once served as Worshipful Master of the Carbon Lodge in Jim Thorpe.  

Like many Victorian mansions of the time, the grandiose beauty of these building is something that needs to be seen.

 

Harry Packer Mansion



Asa Packer Mansion

No detail is missed as every aspect of these estates exudes wealth and power fitting for a magnate and his son.

Surrounding the Asa Packer Mansion is a multi tiered garden that offers a quite picnic like area with large shady trees and a few old water pumps.

Massive stone walls hold back the earth and divide the mountainside into different layers of seclusion.

Carrying you between the worlds are paths broken up by spots of color the most vibrant being clusters of yellow that also line the front of the mansion.

With all that has been manipulated and manicured throughout the property it is easy for one to forget to turn around and take in the view of the town from above. This view was the reason why the mansions were built on that particular piece of land. This is the vantage point of someone who wished to look over the town he helped build and revel in its prosperity.

Having climbed between the different levels, explored the various paths, and marveled at the artful architecture we decided to head back to the inn and enjoy a beverage on the New Orleans style balcony overlooking Broadway. I came to realize on this pause in our evening that we don’t sit down enough and enjoy the world that surrounds us. It was also during this time of rocking chair reflection that reinforced our Shabbat decision to explore the creation that is so easily within our reach but so frequently overlooked.

As the shops closed their doors and dusk quickly approaching we were off again for our last walk of the evening. With the last rays of light reflecting on the Lehigh River, we walked up and down the bank listening to the rush and ripple of the water.

Watching the mountains slowly disappear in the background we began our walk back to Broadway to take in the amber glow of the old street lights.

Just before walking back into the lobby of the inn, we heard music bouncing off our backs. With a curious ear, we turned around and watched as a troubadour played to a crowd that ebbed and flowed like the waters we had just left behind.

By this time we were both tired, ready for bed, and excited for the day to come. But, before heading up, I had to catch this stunning view of our one night abode.

The next day was much of the same as the first. After breakfast at the Broadway Grille and Pub (included with our room), we walked around town, visiting many of the sites we had seen the previous day but, this time, focusing on the experience itself rather than the recording of the experience on film. Later in the morning we headed off to the Dimmick Memorial Library to learn a little more about the town.

This is a great compliment to the local museum no matter where you are as town librarians are frequently a wealth of knowledge when it comes to local history. After a few interesting discussions and some sporadic research, we headed over to the place where our visit began and where our visit would now end, Crave.

With our bags back in the car, our lungs filled with mountain air, and our stomachs full we got back on the road and took the long way home.

Heading south on one of my favorite roads, Route 209, we stopped by Pottsville and captured a quick image of the Yuengling Brewery (we will visit the brewery again in the future to take the tour). Hopping on Route 61 we quickly made our way to I-78 where one of the signs along the highway caught our attention and brought us to our last quick stop before heading home.

Clover Hill Vineyard and Winery was our last stop. We caught them about 15 minutes before closing but it was enough time for a quick tasting and a few pictures. This final destination was an appropriate close to the trip for two reasons as they make some of our favorite wines and also because when heading back home from such an amazing getaway we needed a drink to ease the transition back to sobering reality.