Sunday, April 29, 2007

Yuengling Brewery




In July 2005, we visited the Yuengling Brewery in Pottsville on a very hot summer afternoon. Yuengling is the oldest family owned brewery in the United States and although the Pottsville brewery is not the only plant these days, they do continue to make beer there to maintain their "oldest family" status on the National Historic Register. We walked up and down old staircases in this 175 year old building going from the heat of the manufacturing plant to the cool caves holding the aging beer. After the tour, we were encouraged to sample some of the many fine brews that are produced by Yuengling and although I am not a beer lover, I quickly learned that if I DID want to drink a beer, it would be a Yuengling Lager.


I came home from this tour totally inspired to share my experience with my letterboxing friends in the form of a box in Yuengling's honor. So I carved a stamp and prepared my box and drove to Pottsville to hide it, only to find that there really don't seem to be many good hiding spots IN Pottsville. The box sat in my car for about a year and I made two or three more trips to the area, casually driving around and expanding my circle of search. And now, I decided that today was the day that I had to hide this box, freeing it from its 22 month captivity. So I again drove to Pottsville, drove around Pottsville, drove up and down the hilly streets in Pottsville and in frustration started to head home yet again after finding that the only place that seemed suitable to hide a box was in a beautiful cemetery and it just didn't feel right to put a beer stamp in a cemetery.

I soon noticed a woodsy area to my left as I was heading south on Route 61 and made a turn into the road to find that these woods were owned by the Tumbling Run Water Treatment Facility. Unfortunately, there were no trespassing signs on both sides of the road for miles. But I persisted for 3.6 miles and found a little pull off which was unposted. Six large white stones prevented me from driving up the little road which obviously led to a nice view but they didn't stop me from walking up the road. I came to a little clearing and looked all around me at the mountains which towered over me and soon noticed a little fir tree to my right. This looked like the ideal new home for my little box. I hung it, much like a Christmas ornament, off of a hook, deep in the tree. Please do not remove the hook when you find this box, just lift it off gently.

While you are in the area and if you have the time, please consider taking the tour. You can find the information on it at http://www.yuengling.com/index.htm.


Kaleidoscope #3

Did you ever drive by a road time after time and each time you do it, you say "next time I come this way, I am going to see what is down that road"? Well, there is a road like that a little north of Port Clinton and today was the "next time" that I had promised myself. I drove up this road which is right off of Rt. 61 and is sometimes gated. I found out why the gate is there as I drove up and up and up. There is no way that I would even want to consider driving here in the snow or ice. I found a map which gives the elevation at 1300 feet and I hope to head back there soon to verify that with my GPS.

I drove 2.9 miles enjoying several different vistas on my way up and when I saw a towering fire tower, I knew I had reached the end of the road. The fire tower is fenced off and I can only imagine the views that one would see from it. Not me, though, heights terrify me so I would never have been able to climb it even for a spectacular view.

I parked at the fire tower and walked to the gravel road behind the brown and white striped gate. As I headed downhill, I saw a large evergreen ahead of me on the left side of the road as the trail begins to bear to the right. A little further along, there were a pair of almost matching three foot stones on either side of the trail and I passed through them.

A little further along I saw a trail heading off on the right side of the road and decided to explore that area a little bit. I walked back to the little raised island and headed clockwise around it to the first faint trail on the left and soon saw a three trunked tree which looked like a good spot for my Kaleidoscope #3 box.

I hope you have the time to enjoy the views while you are driving up this mountain, they were beautiful on this lovely sunny day.

Saturday, April 14, 2007

Kaleidoscope #1


KRAP YTNUOC OLLOPA

I passed by the sign for this little park while driving to another box and decided to turn around and see what was there. Boy, was I really glad that I did. It was a lovely little park in the middle of nowhere and looked like the perfect spot to place a box I have been carrying around for a few weeks. I also took the opportunity to try out my GPS which I received two Christmases ago and still can’t use. With it, I found that this walk is 1.2 miles long and there is a 226 foot elevation, so although it is not the most challenging walk I have ever taken, it isn’t really a walk for kids or those more out of shape than I am!
Begin at the beginning – take #1 from the parking lot and stay on #1, not hard to do since all the trails are named #1! When #1 splits, take the straight ahead #1.
As you approach a tree laying across the trail with a narrow cut in it to allow hikers to go through it, you will also catch your first glimpse of the Susquehanna River. Go through this narrow cut and continue on the trail.

You will pass several more trees which have been cut to allow people to remain on the trail. As the trail begins to go slightly downhill and you see a stone wall on the right and a full view of the river on the left, look for a long downed tree. Its root end is close to the trail. Go to its other end and look in the little niche on the river end of the tree. Please use only black ink on this stamp. Take it home to add color to it.

1/2/2010 -Box has been found in good condition by Idlemoon.  Thanks for the update!

I Heart Joe


It was the summer of 1968 and I was in love with Joe, the older brother of one of my best friends, Lyn. We all were in the same grade in high school and to Joe, I was just his little sister’s friend so I had to keep my unrequited love a deep secret. Joe’s family was the only family that I had ever met who had two homes – a winter one and a summer one. They were only about 25 miles away from each other, one being in the countryside of Starview and the other along the Susquehanna River in Long Level. As soon as school was out for the year, their family migrated to their life along the river and I was a frequent visitor that summer of 1968. Their house was close to the river, only the road and a narrow strip of shore separated them and we would spend hours sitting in their yard, just watching the boats go by. Sometimes we would walk over to the marina which was always a hubbub of activity, with boats constantly coming and going. We would often buy ice cream at the snack shop there. Other times we would go over to the park which was right on the northern edge of their yard and walk around a bit, swinging on the swings or just hanging out on the picnic tables – again watching the river go by. When it was time to go home, Joe would pile Lyn and me in his teeny little MG convertible (these were the days before seatbelts) and we would race along the river roads with the top down to my home in East York.

A few years ago, Lyn and I were reunited after 35 years at our class reunion. Unfortunately, Joe was not able to join us since he had passed away several years previously from pancreatic cancer. The day after the reunion, Lyn’s mother prepared a wonderful brunch for several other of our high school friends and me at her home in Long Level, which was now her permanent home, and we did a lot of reminiscing about Joe and how much we had all cared about him. Sadly, it will be the last time I ever visit that home because Joe's mother died a few months later when she never recovered from a broken hip.

I have placed a box in Joe’s honor in the park next to his home in Long Level. To find it, go to the south west corner of the park. Here you will find several picnic tables and an intersection of several fences. Northwest of the tables is a rotten stump and about three steps from the stump is a rough barked tree with a nook in its base. My box for Joe is in this nook.