Croswell's Grand Canyon Of Pennsylvania Tour
The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania? I, as well as most of my travelers, had not heard of this location. Off we went to enjoy the colorful fall foliage AND to find this Grand Canyon.
Our first travel day took us across Ohio, the northern tip of West Virginia, and into Pennsylvania. We enjoyed lunch at the Cracker Barrel in St. Clairsville, Ohio. We arrived at our dinner location, the Peter Herdic House of Williamsport, PA, that evening. What a beautiful setting – this historical, restored Victorian mansion on Millionaire’s Row. This was dining at its best! We had salad, chicken champagne, rice, vegetables, and chocolate mousse cake. We were allowed to walk to the second floor and explore. From the first floor eating area, we were able to look up and see (through a chandelier) all the way to the third floor copula. It was gorgeous. One waitress filled us in on the history of this building and the part the owner played in the lumber boom industry of the 1800s. Logs were floated down the Susquehanna River and the logging business made several Williamsport residents millionaires.
The next morning, we left very early for our hour drive to Wellsboro, PA. We picked up our guide and proceeded to the location of our scheduled covered wagon ride which departed from Ansonia. Our ride was a Conestoga wagon pulled by two horses. The ride took about two hours. The fall colors were popping out. We got some great photos. We were beside a creek and watched an Eagle, seemingly sitting on a log, enjoying a bath in the water. It was a little chilly, enough that we were happy to have dressed in layers as suggested.
After lunch in Wellsboro, our guide took a few of us on a short walking tour of this beautiful town. He told this story: A man from up north somehow found his way to Wellsboro. He was so attracted to the beauty and uniqueness of this small town that he called his wife and said, “Honey, I’ve found Bedford Falls!” Bedford Falls is the fictional town depicted in the classic movie “It’s A Wonderful Life.” This family relocated to their “Bedford Falls.”
Next, we drove to the destination of our curiosity at the Grand Canyon overlook. This grand canyon is actually named “Pine Creek Gorge,” and is a 47-mile gorge carved into the Allegheny Plateau by Pine Creek in north-central Pennsylvania. Its deepest point is 1,450 feet. The distance rim-to-rim is about 4,000 feet. Unlike the Arizona Grand Canyon, this canyon is covered with trees and was showing off beautiful fall colors.
Our evening meal was scheduled at Le Jeune Chef, located on the Pennsylvania School of Technology Campus. This was their teaching restaurant where students study in the culinary program. We were taken to a private banquet room where round tables were set up with white tablecloths, cloth napkins, dinnerware, silverware, and stemmed drinking glasses with water and iced tea. It was elegant and beautiful. Everything was delicious, including dessert (lemoncello cream cake).
The next day we toured the Rowley House on Millionaire’s Row, a masterpiece of Victorian architecture. Next, we visited the very nice Taber Museum. I met up with one of our lady passengers and she said “You know you’re old when you go into a museum and see something that you worked with on your first job (in 1950 at GE) – a telephone switchboard!” Once back on the bus, I asked her if she minded if I shared what she said. She didn’t mind and people enjoyed her remarks.
Our next stop, after lunch at Perkins, was at The World of Little League Complex in South Williamsport. We were taken to the field and sat in the stadium seating while facts and information were shared. Its too bad that the museum was closed (adjustments because of Covid). The area was beautiful with the rolling hills of Pennsylvania all around.
That evening, we arrived for our overnight stay in Lancaster, PA. Our evening event was at the Dutch Apple Dinner Theater. We ordered food from a menu and a delicious meal was served before the entertainment began. What a treat! There was wonderful entertainment by very talented performers of the play, “Million Dollar Quartet.” This Broadway musical depicted the one-time impromptu jam session that took place between Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, at Sun Records Studios in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1956. Wow! What a way to end our tour! Everyone loved it. As we were leaving, we saw three tour buses in the parking lot. What a joy to see that tourism is picking up, in spite of Covid.
From the Escort Seat of Maxine Harris