Pennsylvania Travels

 

Had an end of the summer trip to Pennsylvania - in the Delaware Water Gap area and finishing up by visiting Gettysburg. It was a pleasant week for the most part, though we felt some of the remnants from Hurricane Ida in the area. It rained all of one day and we ended up losing power in the resort we were staying in for about 12 hours. But we were able to enjoy some wine tasting, both in Pennsylvania and New Jersey and in Ohio on the way home. We enjoyed the outdoor pool and exploring the area. We saw some of the results of all the rain - mostly in high river banks, standing water and some closed roads.

We started our trip visiting Mildred, PA and the cemetery there where several Coleman ancestors are buried. We then headed to Shawnee on Delaware, PA for our stay. One of our bucket list items we decided on recently is to visit a winery in as many states as possible. On Monday we had a delightful visit at a winery in New Jersey where we tasted several wines and wine slushies and met the owner of the vineyard. Tuesday we visited a winery in Pennsylvania recommended to us by the New Jersey vineyard owner where we were able to enjoy wine flights and wood fired pizza on the deck looking out at the vineyard. 

Wednesday was the rain day so we visited the Pocono Indian Museum, a local history museum and had lunch at a nice restaurant nearby. We felt like we were the only ones eating there. We lost power Wednesday night, waking up on Thursday with no power so headed out for breakfast and to see what damage the storm had done. The Delaware River was high and over the banks in some places. We tried to explore the National Park area but some of the roads were closed due to flooding. We headed up to Milford, PA where we visited Grey Towers National Historic Site.

Grey Towers is the ancestral home of Gifford Pinchot, a man known as a conservationist and a forester. He was the governor of Pennsylvania as well as the first head of the United States Forest Service. The house was not open but the grounds were and there was also a small building running home movies and newsreels of his life. The most interesting place was the Finger Bowl which they actually sat around and served dinner there.

The Pinchot family has a long standing goal of conservation, civil rights and social justice.  His following quotes seem to fit with the actions of those who suggest we do more for climate change.

Unless we practice conservation, those who come after us will have to pay the price of misery, degradation, and failure for the progress and prosperity of our day.

Conservation means the wise use of the earth and its resources for the lasting good of men.

The vast possibilities of our great future will become realities only if we make ourselves responsible for that future.

The earth and its resources belong of right to its people.

We enjoyed looking at the gardens as well. It was a pleasant day after all the rain the day before and a nice way to spend the afternoon.

We headed to Gettysburg the next day. On the way we stopped in Lancaster to see the Lutheran church there. In Gettysburg, we visited the town square which neither Paul or I recalled visiting from previous times there. We had a wonderful supper sitting outdoors at The Pub restaurant. We drove around Gettysburg College. Paul had found out that he had a relative who had attended the college there in the 1850s and had become a Lutheran pastor in Lancaster, PA. Our first stop the following morning was to find the Lutheran church in Mt. Joy, PA where Gail had an ancestor who belonged there and is buried in the cemetery. We visited the battlefield the next day as well as the Lutheran seminary grounds. 

We headed for home, stopping at a winery in Ohio where we sipped wine and snacked on pretzels in the middle of soybean and corn fields. It kind of felt like an oasis in the midst of the farmland. Our wine tasting in Ohio made state number 20 of state vineyards we have visited. We stayed overnight in Columbus and headed home the next day.