THE HOTEL CRITTENDEN

AT THE TRAFFIC LIGHT IN COUDERSPORT

At first glance the Hotel Crittenden on the main intersection in Coudersport Pennsylvania looks impressive. A neat strong clean looking building diagonal from the Potter County Courthouse. You have to stare at it as you wait for the light to change. It takes a while and the building is impressive in this small town anchored by this main intersection.

The hotel is under renovations, and there’s only four rooms available. There are not if any other accommodations in town though. They cater to the star gazing crowd at Cherry Springs State Park and on promising days when the weather looks like it will hold the hotel brims with people.

The Taproom offers an array of good beers and a menu that has a lot more on it than just hamburgers and normal pub food. There’s a smoker in the courtyard outback and the first night Janet had a brisket sandwich and I went for the pulled pork. It was very good. The second night we were there was Taco Night and because it was National Tequila Day (isn’t every day?) the bartender Kayla gave us healthy pours of Cuervo Gold for $2.50.

The room we stayed in has a bit of history. Eliot Ness, of Untouchables fame, met here, as well as in the dining room, with a ghost writer to capture his antics battling Al Capone and the Chicago mob. Ness had come to Coudersport on a business venture and eventually passed away in town in 1957. Such is the Untouchables myth that this year the first Eliot Ness Fest was held the weekend before we arrived. The festival was so well attended that the Hotel Crittenden ran out of food. The proprietor phoned us as we were driving through the fierce rains that if we arrived and she was gone, she was out getting more food.

It was a good place to stay.

THE HOTEL CRITTENDEN

THE 8TH WONDER OF THE WORLD

THE KINZUA VIADUCT

With our Circadian Rhythms intact because rain prevented us from stargazing at Cherry Spring State Park the night before we had the entire day to do something. We did not have to sleep in and recover from a late night of peering into the Milky Way. So, we lingered at the Crittenden Hotel in lovely Coudersport PA, located at the traffic light, and eventually took our breakfast at the Tea Room and Café down the street. I had an egg sandwich on a bagel and Janet had Eggs Benedict. The café is neat and clean, and the food was great, and the portions were filling.

THE TEAROOM AND CAFE IN COUDERSPORT 

GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 6

We decided to drive about an hour west on Route 6 to the Kinzua viaduct. A long time ago I saw a picture of this soaring edifice first erected in the late 1800’s and thought it was the most frightening thing possible. This train trestle that spanned the gorge looked spindly and eerie and I thought it would be impossible to support the trains that would utilize it. 

 

THE KINZUA GORGE BRIDGE

For a long while it was quite safe and durable. Soaring over 300 feet in the air the viaduct was the longest and tallest such span in the world at that time and the fascination with this engineering marvel was global. People would travel from Pittsburgh and Buffalo just to see the structure and take excursion train rides over it.  It was as tall as the Statue of Liberty! The Kinzua viaduct though was a financially feasible move. First completed in the 1880’s the train trestle spanned the Kinzua gorge and shortened the trip to Buffalo enough to justify the cost. Pennsylvania had abundant resources of coal, timber and hemlock bark used for tanning and the train systems needed to feed the industrialization of the country.

Kinzua was first constructed with iron, but 18 years later as trains got heavier the structure was replaced with steel and remained in use commercially until 1959 and became part of the Pennsylvania Park System in 1963 and in 1987 a 97-mile round trip excursion train line from Marienville to the park was offered and would cross the viaduct, turn around on the other far side of the gorge and go over it again. The Knox, Kane, Kinzua train line operated until 2002 when needed repairs to the aging structure were started. Then in July 2003 a tornado ripped half the structure down. Pennsylvania then repurposed the wreckage to create the Kinzua Bridge sky walk and visitors can walk a 300-foot restored section that leads to an observation deck offering soaring views of the gorge and the wreckage of the rest of the bridge.

SHELTER FROM THE STORM

There is now a pristine visitor center offering interactive displays and movies and there is a rail to trail course from Mt. Jewett to the Bridge Park opening next month. The remnants of the steel bridge jutting out into an unsettling expanse of air can be seen safely from the visitor center, but we HAD to brave the heights. Just a few steps onto the thankfully sturdy bridge the ground falls away and we are looking down onto the tops of trees. I was thankful the strong wind that usually whips through the gorge wasn't blowing and threatening to whisk me to my demise. That wind forced the trains to creep slowly across the gorge or get derailed by its force.
I didn’t care the day was thick with humidity and no wind to cool us; I was safer.

NOT MY FEET!

I kind of walked in the middle of the two walkways separated by railroad ties so I had a better chance of survival. The ties were open and I could see through them ALL THE WAY DOWN. The ties supported a double set of tracks showing an ingenious technology used to keep trains from derailing. If the winds knocked the train off the inner track, the outer set would keep them from derailing completely. I didn't go near the guard rail at the edge of the walkway either. If winds could knock a train off tracks then I was a goner with the first gust. 

Somehow, I managed to make it to the end of the skyway. While Janet did pirouettes on the railing I gripped it and peered down on the remnants of the Kinzua viaduct ripped apart by the tornado. I swear I saw several sets of human remains down there! Off in the distance was the other shard of the bridge, but far below were the mangled towers and their foot pads. Aiding my fear was the plexiglass panel at the end of the skyway. I closed my eyes and walked across it! As we walked back I ignored the kid doing cartwheels along the walkway... that is actually true.

TWO SET OF RAILS

We then walked down the gorge to peer back up at the bridge skyway. In the humidity we sweated, but at least we were on the ground.

We briefly considered the two-hour drive to Buffalo to eat chicken wings at the Anchor Bar, but instead headed for home and dinner at the Crittenden Hotel, located at the traffic light in Coudersport.

Again, I marvel at how Pennsylvania embraces its past and makes it easy to visit and enjoy her resources. Joking aside it was very good to visit the Kinzua Bridge Park..

it's safer on the ground

KINZUA STATE PARK

Thanks for reading.

TIMING IS EVERYTHING

PHASES OF THE MOON

Turns out that stargazing is pretty much a haphazard activity involving patience and luck. Oh sure the night is always there following the day, and anyone can step outdoors and peer up at the heavens, no matter where you are, but there’s no guarantee you’ll see much of anything. There will be a couple of planets, a constellation or two and the moon. But, it won’t be dark enough to really see the night sky.

There are a lot of factors that impact stargazing, firstly the disruption of the Circadian Rhythm of humans who like to sleep when it’s dark. Then there’s weather and clouds that impact the clarity of the night sky and then there’s the moon. As the moon waxes and wanes its light increases from a new moon, reflecting none of the sun to a full moon and then decreases or wanes towards a new moon again to begin the cycle anew. 

CARPE NOCTEM

So, these factors impact the casual stargazer who may not have the foresight or intelligence to consider the cycles of the moon, or the weather or the necessity to get out there in the middle of the night to truly experience the night. Yes, timing is everything and even if you properly plan there still is a lot of luck involved. Even the Dark Sky Park of Cherry Springs State Park in Pennsylvania which is the best place on the East coast for stargazing there’s just 60 to 80 nights of optimum viewing per year. It’s not a light switch you can flick on.

If we had planned this trip last week it would have been perfecting timing. The new moon this month was July 13^th and today, July 24^th the Waxing Gibbous should finally set around 3 am. We could have dealt with that, except that it’s pouring. Even if we wanted to get out there and wait and hope for the skies to reveal all their stars the rains are drenching us. Last week we were blessed with beautiful clear weather.  

What’s especially sad is that on Friday, July 27^th, the day we return home, there will be a full lunar eclipse that will be the longest in the 21^st Century. It will last approximately 103 minutes! We will miss it here at Cherry Springs State Park, but perhaps we’ll see it at home?

CARPE BEER 

Timing is everything. It’s time to get a beer at the Crittenden Hotel.

from Wikipedia

Rain rain go away

So much for seeing the stars. Here we are in beautiful downtown Coudersport PA and it’s raining and the forecast calls for much more rain throughout the night. We’re holed up in our hotel, the Crittenden, located at the traffic light in Coudersport; you can’t miss it.

The rain is not just wreaking havoc on the stargazing we had expected to do at Cherry Springs State Park, a Dark Sky Park, and perhaps the best place to see the Milky Way on the east coast, but it is also putting a “damper” on the entire area. Word has it that flooding has gotten so bad that Hershey Park Amusement Park has closed down for the day and a state of emergency has been declared in several Pennsylvania towns due to flash flooding. The rain will not abate tonight…or tomorrow. I fear there were not be any stargazing on this trip.

Janet and I drove the 200+ miles to Cherry Springs today at least thankful we weren’t going this far and also have to camp in the rain. Facilities at the Park are rustic; no hot showers, etc., so early in the planning stages of this trip we opted for a hotel. On our way to Coudersport and our hotel we did stop at Cherry Springs and surveyed the grounds and the night sky public viewing area and resolved to return in the future. Even tomorrow, Tuesday night, looks bad.

UNTOUCHABLE…WHO KNEW?

Turns out the hotel we are staying at… the only hotel in Coudersport I might add… The Crittenden…. has a unique history. Eliot Ness, of the Untouchables fame, had moved to Coudersport in the mid-1950’s as part of a business venture and eventually died here of a heart attack in 1957. Prior to his death he met regularly at the Crittenden with a ghost writer to document his battles with the Chicago mob and Al Capone. Ness died before the book was finished, but the highly sensationalized account led to the myth of the Untouchables, the law enforcement agents who could not be bribed or scared off by the Chicago mob. The Ness legend endures and we are staying in room 1 at the Crittenden, the room where Ness and his ghost writer would meet.

Hotel Crittenden 

The Crittenden is being renovated, but the room is clean and neat and overlooks the traffic light with the county courthouse rising into the rain drenched sky. Thankfully there is a bar/restaurant downstairs boasting a reasonable beer list and a nice menu served with large portions and decent prices so we don't have to go hunting for food or drink. Coudersport is about 12 miles outside of Cherry Springs State Park. There were places closer to the park to stay, but the Crittenden is a good hotel with a friendly staff.

HOTEL CRITTENDEN

Eliot Ness

NESS FEST

Turns out the 1^st annual Eliot Ness Fest was held just this past weekend honoring the town’s most famous citizen. The weekend featured walking and speakeasy tours, a “bootleg booze convoy hijacking”, a parade and afterwards a reenactment of the arrest of Al Capone. Also viewings of different documentaries about Ness and the movie The Untouchables with Kevin Costner were shown at different times at the local theater. Evidently the weekend soiree was so well attended and unexpected that the Crittenden ran out of food on Sunday.

 ELIOT NESS FEST

Hopefully the rain will clear out sometime soon. 

Thanks for reading.

COUNTING STARS ON THE CEILING

CHERRY SPRINGS STATE PARK

Growing up in Harrison, NJ, just across the Passaic River from Newark and less than 10 miles from the Holland Tunnel that leads to lower Manhattan, there were no opportunities for stargazing. The only stars we could see were the running lights of aircraft approaching nearby Newark Airport. There was always an orange glow in the night sky.

Turns out I am not alone.  Few people have ever seen a truly dark night sky. Light pollution from urban areas washes out the stars and the incredibly beautiful celestial display, the Milky Way. It may be there, but you can’t see it. The only Milky Way I ever saw was a candy bar.

 

Not what I'm looking for

Janet has!  When she was on her excursion through the Grand Canyon last summer she slept beneath the Milky Way nightly. I had expressed an interest in seeing the Milky Way for the first time and the Captain of this ship made it happen. She has arranged a trip to Cherry Springs State Park, just over 200 miles from our home here in Collegeville.

WOULD YOU LIKE TO SWING FROM A STAR?

Cherry Springs State Park is a “Dark Sky Park” and is perhaps the best place for stargazing on the east coast. Depending on luck and cloud cover the full night’s array of lights will be on display; not only the Milky Way and constellations, but asteroids, meteor showers and perhaps the International Space Station! I am truly excited for this opportunity. Park stats say that per year there are anywhere from 60 to 84 optimum stargazing nights. On such great nights the Milky Way is so brilliant it can cast a shadow.  

 CHERRY SPRINGS STATE PARK

Cherry Springs State Park

Cherry Springs is isolated, surrounded by thousands of acres of the Susquehannock Forest and at 2,300 feet above sea level the air is clearer. It is dark here, with no light pollution or sky glow from buildings and since 1999, active steps have been taken by the DCNR, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, to preserve this dark. Flashlights used by nighttime visitors are required to have a red filter, which has the least effect on night vision, and they are only to be pointed at the ground. The nearby Cherry Springs airport was purchased and shut down in 2006 and several “star parties” are held at the park a couple of times per year. At Cherry Springs it is possible to see up to 10,000 stars with the naked eye. I’m “looking forward” to this trip… pun intended.

Pennsylvania DCNR 

 

YOU ARE HERE

FLY ME TO THE MOON

For those of you who have only seen the Milky Way as a candy bar, the Milky Way is actually where we live.  It is a barred spiral galaxy where our solar system is located. It’s called “milky” because under optimum conditions it appears as a band of light so thick at times individual stars cannot be seen by the naked eye. In case you’re trying to get directions, our solar system is about 26,000 light-years from the galactic center, on the inner edge of the Orion Arm, a spiral-shaped concentration of gas and dust. What we are trying to see when we go to Cherry Springs is the galactic plane where the majority of the galaxy's mass will lie.

Light pollution greatly affects one’s ability to see the Milky Way. The sky needs to be quite dark and the moon below the horizon. We leave for Cherry Springs Monday, July 23rd, and the moon should set around 3:30 am that evening.

I KNOW YOU’RE THERE…

An interesting resource is STELLARIUM. It’s a planetarium for the computer that shows a realistic sky in 3D. Set your coordinates and you will see the stars as they should appear with no sky glow. One night I found the Milky Way on Stellarium, but outside in the streets there was nothing but the planet that was also listed. The program also shows asteroids, meteorites and satellites passing overhead at the time!

Thanks for reading! Wish us luck in our search for the Milky Way while eating a Snickers bar.

RUN DON’T WALK

IT EATS YOU ALIVE

Phoenixville celebrates its role in the 1958 B-Horror classic The Blob this weekend with BLOBFEST. In the movie the oozing critter from outer space dissolves and absorbs people, getting larger and redder as it preys on the good citizens of Phoenixville. Locations for the shooting of the film include several in Downingtown and Royersford, but it is Phoenixville’s Colonial Theater that gets top billing. Even though the star of the film, Steve McQueen (in his first role) has warned people of this terror from outer space people have ignored him and are attending a film at the Colonial. The Blob gets into the theater devours the projectionist and oozes through the camera holes and attacks the audience.

Mayhem ensues and the film’s most iconic scene of people fleeing the theater occurs.

TEAM VFH ABSORBS THE MAYHEM

Tonight the Run Out, as it is called today, is reenacted in kicking off the BLOBFEST Antics. Tickets to actually be part of the theater fleeing the “Blob” were sold out a long time ago, but people gather on the street to watch the revelry. For the first time since your lovable Blobs first started absorbing and mooching in 2009 we plan on fighting the crowds and going to BLOBFEST. It’s free and should be fun.

On Saturday there is a whole ledger of street fair events in Phoenixville including a costume contest and a fire extinguisher parade (fire extinguishers were integral in the film) and several viewings of The Blob and other similarly-themed films throughout the weekend. Phoenixville is already a great town to visit with its vibrant nightlife, and the BLOBFEST is just another reason to visit.

BLOBFEST 2018 

LIFE AFTER BLOB

Like the Blob the Colonial Theatre has absorbed the building next to it and expanded. Once a bank, the mini complex offers two more screening rooms as well as the main auditorium.  They show first run and classics there for a very reasonable cost as well as concerts. I recently saw the original The Producers there and Hot Tuna in concert. If you want to simply visit the theater and see the plaque that commemorates the film and there is nothing going on the volunteer staff will allow you entry. I recommend strongly you take along a bag of ice though, in case you get some sticky red stuff on you.

THE ORIGINAL RUN OUT

DOING LAPS

Okay, summer is here and sadly the pool invites to your favorite adorable moochers so far have been light. Just want to point out that if you are interested in having this charismatic swim team grace you with a visit to your pool, then you MUST extend the invitation. Now your presence is not necessary when we visit but you must make arrangements for our entry beforehand. If pool passes or necessary keys or entry instructions are not left for us, you will miss out on the opportunity for Team VFH to visit.

Synchronizing your wishes to be so honored by our lithe bodies plying your cool waters on a hot day, we will happily document our presence and post on this blog. Of course If you wish to remain anonymous we will respect and just send you a picture of our lissome bodies relaxing at your pool via email. Now, if you plan on ALSO being there at your pool we WILL pose for pictures with you, but the limit is two (2) separate pictures.

We will do this all for you for free. We promise to provide our own towels, but expect leisure flotation devices to be available.

SIZE MATTERS

Now unfortunately in the past some invites were a bit sketchy. We once had to contend with a kiddie wading pool and these certain devious people, who will remain nameless here, ALSO had their kiddie in the pool! How unfair is that? We honor them with our presence and when we did a cannonball we displaced ALL the water in the pool and it took a while to fill it back up. So to make sure our valuable time is not wasted we must insist all future pool invites must include a photograph and we will get back to you as soon as possible.

SLIDING SCALE

Future kiddie pool invites are not to be automatically excluded though. There is a sliding scale of accoutrement available to you lucky hosts. Here is a small list:

POOL TYPE                                     EXTRA INCENTIVES REQUIRED

Kiddie:                                Fill the pool with beer/tequila. Steaks on the grill 

Standard Amoeba:            A six pack, or margaritas, sandwiches will be okay

Olympic sized:                  A couple of tepid PBRs and/or a warm bottle of water, chips

Working Hot Tub:             We’ll bring the wine

So, summer’s here. If you want the Mooch Mariners to swim at your pool, you’d better send that invitation.

Hope your summer is going swimmingly. Thanks for reading....Remember to send those pool pictures to: greg.dunaj@yahoo.com

PRESIDENTIAL PROCLAMATION 5219

NATIONAL ICE CREAM MONTH

Lap this one up folks, since 1984 a Presidential Proclamation has deemed July as National Ice Cream month and the third Sunday in July as National Ice Cream day. Signed by President Ronald Reagan the proclamation urges the good citizens of these United States to observe these events with “appropriate ceremonies and activities.”

Oh Yeah.

Although the proclamation only mentioned specific dates in 1984, the celebrations have continued ever since, mostly by the ice cream manufacturers.

This year National Ice Cream day is July 15 and there are a lot of sweet deals out there. (pun intended).

Here’s a few:

CARVEL: Buy one get one free cone or cup soft serve ice cream on Sunday, July 15.

CARVEL 

BRUSTERS: They constantly offer promotions like free kid cones for those vertically challenged and doggie sundaes. Their Sweet Rewards program is a great cost savings and for National Ice Cream month they are even offering more giveaways to the loyalty club members as well as rolling out several new flavors like: “Espresso Yourself”

BRUSTERS

PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM: This delightful Philadelphia museum is offering free ice cream all day on July 15 to everyone… not just the kiddies.

ICE CREAM AT THE PLEASE TOUCH MUSEUM 

BASKIN-ROBBINS: Download their loyalty app for savings on cones. Help BR in celebrating their 31 original flavors on July 31^st by getting $1.50 scoops all day!

 BASKIN-ROBBINS

DIPPIN’ DOTS:  They are celebrating their 30^th Anniversary by offering free Dippin’ Dots and prizes at participating locations on July 15.

 DIPPIN' DOTS

Despite this quick list there are many more I’m sure. Shops across the country will probably offer some sort of freebee. Show up July 15 and ask what they are offering.

It's your civic duty to eat ice cream
or... DON'T say "no" to ice cream

God Bless America…and Ice Cream.

COLLEGEVILLE ANTICS

AS LUCK WOULD HAVE IT

Team VFH is cheap, but at least we enjoy our lives. It’s not like we’re sitting in the dark and hoping for good luck to come our way…we strung out party lights along our back deck to help with its search. With all the plants and the lights our little deck is a green oasis and during the summer months we spend a lot of time lounging amid the pastoral scene. It makes the wait for that good luck all the more pleasant.

Friends and neighbors who stop by and visit also make the wait for good luck a bit easier. They always remark on how lovely our little party square looks. We tell them how fortunate we feel and if you can ignore the traffic chortling past on the nearby street you can readily imagine you are anywhere else in this wide beautiful world. But, as luck would have it we are in Collegeville in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

That may sound like I am making fun of our little burg, and I guess I am, but truthfully it really is very pleasant here. From our perch, peering between the ferns, we can see a pastoral expanse of green, the home of a ball field and playground. If you can ignore the cars barreling down the street one can imagine an undulating flow of pasture and serenity.

Also from our perch our bird feeder is the delight of goldfinches, chickadees and woodpeckers, the occasional crackle notwithstanding as well as a rather brazen chipmunk.  We sit out here and the world seems like it slows and we smile at our good fortune.

our dog likes EVERYONE

Summer concerts are held across the street sponsored by Collegeville and the good citizens bring their lawn chairs and the kids flounce about to the cover bands that bless us with their performances. Sometimes we sit on the deck to listen, we’re that close, sometimes we take the dog out for a spirited walk amongst the crowd. It is a good to see so many coming out for these shows. 
COLLEGEVILLE

DA BEARS
Collegeville is aptly named, as it is the home of the Ursinus Bears, a liberal arts school where J.D. Salinger attended, albeit for one semester in 1938. Often with towns that have colleges in or nearby there are many benefits. Although before she met me Janet had never explored the campus just up the street, Ursinus and her lovely grounds is dotted with sculptures and fountains and now we stroll the 170 acre campus with the dog yapping at everybody including the statuary.

The school sends out pamphlets announcing different events, like art shows at the Berman Museum or movie nights on the front lawn.  The other night we strolled onto the campus to see the crowd assembled for that evening’s viewing. Lots of kids were tumbling about. It was a good turnout and again we smiled at our good fortune to live here in Collegeville, and took our dinner at the food trucks gathered for the occasion..

 URSINUS COLLEGE

Team VFH’s home base is a good place and we offer to all our readers an open invitation to visit and to see what the fuss is all about.  

Just bring beer.

Love to all and hopefully you’ll find your own little oasis so close to home.