|
|
147x50.gif) |
Harrisburg, Pennsylvania's online News, Opinion, Arts and Entertainment information archive, serving the PA Capital Region. |
 One
Tank Getaway:Fall in PA A Breathtaking Journey By Rail by Andrea Stape |
|
| Directions
to the Stourbridge Rail Excursion
Follow I81 North to Route 380 South, to Interstate 84 East, to Exit 5. Turn left onto Route 191 North, continue to Honesdale (approx. 18 miles.) At traffic light, turn left onto Main Street, proceed approximately 4 1/2 blocks. You will see signs for train parking on the left. Call the Wayne County Chamber of Commerce for Reservations 1-800-433-9008 Times: Things to Bring: Places to Eat: Jack Trainor’s Ehrhardt’s Lakeside
Restaurant Places to Stay: Cherry Ridge Campground The Silver Birches Lakeside
Resort |
One of the most enjoyable things about Pennsylvania is the change of seasons. Right now, we are coming into what many feel is the most colorful and enjoyable season PA has to offer. As the trees change into their fall wardrobe, it’s almost as if Mother Nature provides this amazing landscape as an apology. It’s her way of making up for the misery of a hot and humid summer and a visual treat to carry us through the bleak and dreary winter weather. In order to help you truly enjoy the wide variety of brilliant colors that Pennsylvania has to offer, MODE Weekly (Formerly MODE Magazine) has put together a Fall Foliage tour guide. So, throw a thermos of cider in the back seat, pull out your PA road map and get ready to embark on a breathtaking road trip through Pennsylvania’s wooded wonderland. According to the State of PA tourism bureau, Pennsylvania has 127 varieties of trees and every one turns a completely different shade in the Fall. However, for your viewing pleasure, this doesn’t happen all at one time. The state, according to the tourism board, can be split into three zones: Northern, Central and Southern. Leaf colors in each of these zones peak at different times. For example, the Harrisburg area is located in the Southern Zone, which reaches its color height around October 18. This month’s One Tank Getaway is a road trip, which has been constructed to give you optimum viewing throughout the middle of the month. To begin your trip you need to take Interstate 81 North towards the Poconos and almost immediately the percentage of color will increase. Due to the cooler weather in the North, the color change occurs earlier than in our southern portion of the state. As you climb into the mountains, take note of the sweeping vistas that line either side of the highway. One particularly breathtaking view can be seen on the left of 81N right before you pass through Hazelton. In order to fully enjoy the landscape, make sure to pull off the highway into the scenic view rest-stop. The destination of this month’s journey is an hour and a half farther north of Hazelton at the Stourbridge Rail Excursion in Honesdale, Pa. Located in the middle of Wayne county in the Northeast corner of the state, this relaxing train ride gives you the perfect opportunity to view Mother Nature in all her glory. The Fall Foliage ride runs twice a day on Saturdays and Sundays from the beginning to the middle of October. The trip leisurely rolls visitors through a four and one half-hour trip along the Lackawaxen River. The beauty of the rail trip is that you get to just sit back and observe. This way, the car isn’t swerving all over the road as you try to look at the scenery and drive at the same time. A second perk to this trip is that you can make it either a day trip or a weekend trip. Harrisburg is less than three hours from Honesdale. This means that if you would like to indulge in an early morning breakfast, you can easily take the first train, which leaves at 9:30a.m and returns by 1:30p.m. Otherwise, you can leave the Mid-State later in the day, board the train for the 2:30p.m. trip and plan to stay in the Poconos overnight. In the middle of the rail excursion, there is a one and one half-hour stopover in Lackawaxan. This stop gives you the opportunity to get off the train, stretch your legs and get a closer look at the foliage. There are two main attractions at this stop. The first is the Roebling Aqueduct Suspension Bridge, which is absolutely spectacular. This bridge was originally built as an extension of the D&H Canal. Since barges were unable to navigate the swift current of the Lackawaxen River, the bridge was constructed with high wooden sides which would fill with water and act as a pathway for the barge to travel. The bridge is now used for vehicular travel, but it continues to be a fascinating site. The second attraction, is the Zane Grey museum. This famous Western writer has a museum dedicated to him, and it is an interesting study in American history. Both sites are within walking distance, but a shuttle bus is also provided from the train for your convenience. Whether you decide to take the morning or afternoon trains, you should plan to have either an early or late lunch at one of the wonderful eating establishments in Honesdale or in the nearby town of Hawley. For a more casual lunch, Jack Trainor’s in Honesdale offers a lunch menu with hot and cold sandwiches, salads and burgers. In Hawley, Ehrnardt’s Lakeside offers a more eclectic variety with choices like The Marie Antoinette, a sandwich of sautéed shrimp and crabmeat topped with Monterey Jack cheese on French bread. Another interesting option to this trip is whether or not to stay overnight. A weekend excursion in the middle of October can prove to be a welcome getaway before the rush of the holiday season. There are many places to stay in the Poconos, from campgrounds to full-fledged luxury resorts. If you are planning to stay overnight, before or after the train ride, we suggest The Settler’s Inn in Hawley for an elegant evening meal. Renowned for its fine food, The Inn is a suburb place to dine. In addition they provide 18 guest rooms at their Inn. However, weekends fill up fast, so reservations must be made well in advance of your vacation. Overall, the Stourbridge Rail Excursion is the perfect way to observe the wonders of Mother Nature. The train runs until the 18th of October, and even this late weekend affords you wonderful fall foliage viewing. So, whether you are out for a weekend, or a day, catch a glimpse of the color while you can because it will be another year before the fiery auburns and lemon yellows of Fall capture your imagination again. Fall Resource Directory — The Pennsylvania Tourism Board has a fall foliage hot line, 1-800-fall-in-pa. This hot line gives you weekly updates of the best places in PA to observe fall colors, as well as the percentage of color that can be seen in each of the states’ three zones. The hot line also provides a series of shorter driving tours. —For a trip to the Western part of the state, check out this fall foliage cruise in Pittsburgh. Leaving from Pittsburgh this six hour cruise down the Allegheny River runs Wednesdays-Saturdays from October 8-October 24. Call The Gateway Clipper Fleet at 412-355-7980 for more information and reservations. —To the East of Harrisburg, there is a historic site in Reading, PA that provide a magnificent view of the fall landscape. It is a Japanese Pagoda, which was built in 1908. From the top, visitors can see for 60 miles. The Pagoda is open daily from 11a-4p. Call 610-320-4256 for more information. —Closer to Philadelphia is
Longwood Gardens, located in Kennett Square, PA. Longwood has over 350
acres of outside gardens that come alive with color throughout the
month of October. For more information call, 610-388-1000 or —Take a walk along the Appalachian Trail. The trail cuts through the Southeastern part of Pennsylvania. This is an ideal way to get up close and personal with the falling leaves. Call 258-5771 for a guide to trails and walking tours in Pennsylvania.
|
|
©1990-2003
Copyright
ScotGiambalvo.com. “MODE Weekly™”, and “MODEweekly.com™”
are trademarks of Scot Giambalvo. |