Waterfalls Galore!

 June 27, 2024

We have covered a lot of ground since leaving New Hampshire.  A few years ago, we started taking tours of state capitol buildings.  We made time for a stop in Albany, NY and we were not disappointed.  This building cost more to construct than the U.S. Capitol in Washington, DC.  So much grandeur and history in one place.  Our grandson portrayed Ulysses S. Grant for his living history project in May and we found him represented as well as Theodore Roosevelt, Abraham Lincoln, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  It was 95 degrees that day so the coolness of the vast spaces in the capitol was most welcome.

This carving of RBG was added in 2023.

intricate carvings at every turn

On our way to Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area, we found this under an interstate bridge - New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania.

The heat abated a bit by this time after hitting 97 in Port Jervis, NY so an early morning hike to Dingmans Falls was enjoyable.

Silverthread Falls - 80 feet tall

Dingmans Falls - 130 feet (second tallest in Pennsylvania)

I spent 45 minutes on a bench here in the cool of the morning

before other visitors started to arrive, just listening to the water and reflecting

on our many blessings.

A return visit to Watkins Glen State Park in NY was a major stop on this trip.  To get there, we went through Elmira and stopped to see locations in the area related to Mark Twain.  The NY Welcome Center 

is quite interesting.

Mark Twain's writing study, now on the campus of Elmira College.

When our son, Joel, was in the Army, his first posting was at Fort Drum in upstate New York.  One weekend in 2011, he met us at Watkins Glen and we hiked the Gorge together.  I wanted to do it again although I struggled so much more this time.  Lots of people, but quite lovely and refreshing waterfalls throughout. The stone steps and walls built by the CCC are still very functional.

start of the Gorge Trail

This is the point where we decided not to hike the steepest last half mile of the gorge

and exited to the rim trail and walked back to the parking lot.

We returned to Pennsylvania to spend a week in a few state parks that we had wanted to visit over the years, but never did because most of our time was spent in Johnstown with relatives.  The first state park we camped at was Ricketts Glen near the second highest elevation in PA.  More waterfalls!  22 of them, but I was determined to reach the tallest one.  Slow and steady with my trekking poles, we saw 4 of them.  When we started the Falls Trail, I had something special in my pack - a dusting of my sister's/niece's cremains in the canister.  I stopped at the third waterfall and carefully made it to the edge of the flowing water and rinsed it out . . . another good-bye in a beautiful place.  This time I got more emotional than I did last week on Mount Washington as I remembered the time in 2009 when Kathy and Taylor met us in New York and Taylor saw her first waterfall.  Powerful memories!

rinsing the canister at Cayuga Falls

at the top of 94 feet tall Ganoga Falls

In my younger days, I would have hiked to the bottom of the gorge.

I know my limits these days.

We stopped in Harrisburg for a tour of the Pennsylvania Capitol building before claiming a campsite at Blue Knob State Park.  We then visited the lovely gardens at the Sunken Gardens at Mount Assisi in the community of Loretto on property once owned by steel magnate Charles M. Schwab.  He sold the property when he lost his wealth during the Great Depression.

Basilica of St. Michael the Archangel in Loretto

Statue over the gravesite of Demetrius Augustine Gallitzin, known as 

Prince Gallitzin.  He was a Russian aristocrat who emigrated to the U.S. and became 

a Catholic priest.  He founded the settlement of Loretto.

We spent our last two days in Pennsylvania camped at Ohiopyle State Park, a mecca for white water kayaking and rafting.  We also explored historic sites along U.S. Highway 40 - Historic National Road and where George Washington served as a young soldier.  The story goes that he had second thoughts about running the rapids at Ohiopyle.

Ohiopyle Falls on the Youghiogheny River, a tributary of the Monongahela

Cucumber Falls, Ohiopyle State Park.

This visit to Brian's birth state was very different than the many others we have made over the years now that his mother is gone.  We had the opportunity to spend extra time at locations we said we would visit "someday"  and now we have.