Shorter Road Trips - Better Experiences
April 22, 2008 - 2:57pm — ecooley
As long as I could remember my family took road trips. Seldom did we travel by plane or boat. When I was a small boy we piled into my parents station wagon with our camping supplies and headed out for the campgrounds located around our home. We ate homemade blueberry pancakes (blueberries picked that day), slept in the back of the station wagon during thunderstorms, and hiked trails along waterfalls. The experience was spectacular and was the quintessential family trip.
Today I have an 18 month old, and a wife who wants a vacation. I am struck with the realism that the cost of gas is getting higher and my pay check is shrinking. No fancy trips to the beach, so I believe this year I am returning to my own heritage. The family get-a-way will be local get-a-way.
So this year I believe our lodging accommodations will include camping at our State Parks. I am interested in trying out Shawnee State Park or Prince Gallitzin State Park. I have been to Greenwood Furnace, Canoe Creek, and to Little Pine. All of those are great rural camping locations with great trails, camp sites and visitor centers. The facilities are clean and the staff is helpful. I love our State Parks because most have swimming, hiking, and biking opportunities. Some even have a museum, I love history (stories). It won’t be camping all the time.
I think we might take picnic lunches and dinners to some of our favorite attractions. Perhaps we will visit: Penn’s Cave to take a tour underground, check out the trains at Horseshoe Curve, take a cool summer walk on the trails at Allegheny Portage Railroad, or eat an ice cream at Delgrosso’s Park.
Perhaps it’s best that our vacations maybe one-three day events. Our local stories provide for some great experiences. Coal mine tours, stories of Indians and Soldiers, garden tours of wealthy industrialists, caves and quarries waiting to be explored, train rides and train watching, fishing and canoeing, and so much more all within a half hour drive of my house. Gee why would you want to leave Central Pennsylvania?
If you are looking for some ideas for things to visit this summer go to your local bookstore and check out the "Local" section. Most have some great books on attractions and camping options.
Anyone up for a StoryTrax.com Road Trip to State College for some PSU Creamery Ice Cream? I am planning a day in June.
- ecooley's Stories
- Login or register to post comments
Comments
Short road trips
When my kids were little my husband and I would take a week off during the summer. One year we rented a houseboat and tooled around Kinzua Dam and camped on the beach in a different spot every night. We swam, fished and beach combed all day and everyone got a chance to be captain. It was really incredible. Over the years during that annual week each of us would write down what they wanted to do for one day. In preparation we would get out the Pennsylvania atlas and we would pour over the many attractions within a few hours drive from home. My youngest daughter wanted to ride "horseies", so we went to a great place over by Wellsboro and took a sunset ride near the Grand Canyon of Pa., campfire supper included. We still talk about that trip. My boy wanted to go tenting near his favorite fishing stream. We sat in out little tents during a torrential downpour and played cards until the tent leaked and we decided to make a mad dash to a nearby B+B. The B+B was actually my choice for our trip, so it worked out great! No complaining allowed no matter what the trip. I guess where you go dosen't really matter. It's spending those moments together, everyone sharing each others favorite thing to do.
B&B it!
There are lots of B&Bs around too. (some of us aren't campers...i need running water) I like heading down thru West VA and Western MD...Berkeley Springs, Harpers Ferry. Pittsbgh isn't bad either, the Zoo, Carnegie Science Center.
I think lots of us are in the same boat, Erin. and if we find the 101 altoona website, let me know!
Great ideas
And don't forget the local trails. The Lower Trail near Williamsburg is really nifty at this time of year, just before the vegetation really pops. You can see canal remains, iron furnace features, etc., but at this time of year there are great wildflowers and amazing birds!
Read more stories at storytrax.com.
Yes
Trails are great inexpensive get a ways. I enjoy the Lower trail. I especially like the Alexandria end of the Lower Trail. Scenery is beautiful and the walking is easy. Good suggestions I forgot about those places.
READ MORE STORIES
101 things to do
i heard there's a website with 101 things to do in (and around) the altoona area. with a little creativity and ingenuity, you can do lots of day trips and half day trips without going overboard.
"What's my secret for happiness? I think of every day and almost every moment as if it were a Friday afternoon rather than a Monday morning." Corben Geis
Website address?
Sounds interesting. Do you have a web address? I did a a casual search on google and it turned up an impressive list of things to visit. Perhaps the best idea is to make a list and make it a goal to visit each of those places, record the experience and check it off the list.
Heading to Punxsytawney today. You can bet I am going to try and visit Phil.
READ MORE STORIES