Hello New York and last thoughts on PA…

There were a few other interesting places we visited while in Pennsylvania that I thought I would mention if others travel this way.

Colton Point State Park is the sister park to Leonard Harrison State Park that we visited when we went to see the Pennsylvania grand canyon. It is not as nice a state park or as developed as Leonard State park. But a little more primitive is not always a bad thing. The Rim Trail is a nice hike that traverses the ridge top and connects the many scenic overlooks to the grand canyon below.

There is a dirt road that leads down to the Pine Creek Gorge just off the road that leads up to Colton Point State Park. If you find this road it will run parallel to Pine Creek and you can just pull over to the side of the road and enjoy the beauty of the Pine Creek Gorge or the bottom of the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon.  A great place to have a picnic and enjoy the sounds of Pine Creek rushing by.

Elmira, New York – Originally inhabited by the Iroquois and later home to many POW camps for the confederacy gave rise to the nickname “Hellmira”. Now known as the place Mark Twain was buried and home to Woodlawn National Cemetery and a large state penal institution. The town as interesting as it sounds lacks real energy and you can feel the doom and gloom that once permeated the town.

We found a park on the outskirts of the town called Eldridge park that was the only gleaming light in this somewhat dismal little town. Here that have a putt putt golf course, paddle boats (dragon boats) for rent on the small lake, and best of all they have the worlds fastest carousel… these ponies could compete in Saratoga at the race track as they have been clocked at a speed of 53 miles per hour… fast, fast ponies. This park is a place that can bring the kid out of you and make you relive many childhood memories.

There were also a lot of nice towns in this area such as Wellsboro, Pennsylvania. This town was indicative of the quaint older towns in the area with a nice assortment of shops, restaurants and pubs.

But now we are in New York! We left Ives Run COE park and bid farewell to our new friends Jill and Steve. We are just north of Broadalbin, New York staying at a friends summer “camp” on the banks of the Great Sacandaga Lake. From here we will plan are next few weeks out and determine our winter plans.