The annual weekend trip to Lake Naomi in the Poconos was blessed with lovely weather – and I got to extend it by a day. Here are some views of the lake.
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Back to Lake Naomi
A panorama of the same area. This woman with three small dogs was quite the character. St. Nicholas Byzantine Catholic Church in nearby Pocono Summit. I’ve always been fascinated by this Church and decided to take a closer look. -
Somerset Starry Day
Somerset County definitely has some different looking barn stars, This lacy looking white design seems to have been particularly popular.
I like the contrast between the barn and the wind turbine. 
Here’s another different style. 
These sheep were just chilling in the July heat. 
Here are some of my other favorite views around the county, 
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In and Around Bedford
The town of Bedford contains some interesting sights for the traveler. The Bedford Village Archeological Site is an archaeological site was once occupied by a Monongahela culture village. Today, the site is the location of Old Bedford Village, an open-air museum, containing a variety of historic structures transported to the site from the surrounding towns of Bedford, Everett, and Rainsburg.
Some of the structures at Old Bedford Village. 
It was a nice surprise to see this lovely horse and pony. 
Adjacent to Old Bedford Village is the Claycomb Covered Bridge. It was was built in 1880 in Reynoldsdale and was moved to its present location in 1975. It is a burr truss design, 126 feet long, which has been reinforced with steel to support bus traffic that frequents Old Bedford Village. The structure is unpainted and the roof is constructed of Cedar shakes. The deck consists of crossboard planks and the sides are totally enclosed. It sits on poured concrete abutments.
Near the entrance to Old Bedford Village, I couldn’t resist a stop at the Penguin, which has a large menu of hard and soft ice cream and other treats.
Finally, one of Bedford’s iconic sites is the Coffee Pot. -
Late Winter Sets the Scene for Spring
It now feels more like Spring in Chester County, although the calendar still says it’s Winter. The weather, however, can’t seem to make up its mind. We start with a few scenes around Kimberton.
French Creek 
Further east, I’m not sure what these critters are. They may be llamas or alpacas. 
I loved the golden hour glow on this house. 
At this house, it is apparently still Christmas. -
More Westward Ho
Just west of Altoona, the Horseshoe Curve is a three-track railroad curve on Norfolk Southern Railway’s Pittsburgh Line in Blair County, Pennsylvania. The curve is roughly 2,375 feet (700 m) long and 1,300 feet (400 m) in diameter. Completed in 1854 by the Pennsylvania Railroad as a way to reduce the westbound grade to the summit of the Allegheny Mountains, it replaced the time-consuming Allegheny Portage Railroad, which was the only other route across the mountains for large vehicles. The curve was later owned and used by three Pennsylvania Railroad successors: Penn Central, Conrail, and Norfolk Southern.
Horseshoe Curve has long been a tourist attraction. A trackside observation park was completed in 1879. The park was renovated and a visitor center built in the early 1990s. The Railroaders Memorial Museum in Altoona manages the center, which has exhibits pertaining to the curve. The Horseshoe Curve was added to the National Register of Historic Places and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1966. It became a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark in 2004.
When I visited the curve, I was lucky to have a train passing. The building at the top of the funicular can be seen in front of the train. 
The Visitor Center complex. 
Heading north from the Altoona area, Prince Gallitzin State Park sits in the forested hills of the Allegheny Plateau surrounding sprawling Glendale Lake. Vistas offer scenic views of the 1,635-acre lake with its 26 miles of shoreline, which is a favorite of anglers and boaters. Campers flock to the large campground and also enjoy hiking and other outdoor activities. The varied habitats of the park make it a home for many types of wildlife, and a rest stop in the spring and fall migrations. One of the more developed parks, it boasts a marina along with its other facilities. A state game lands is adjacent. Here I saw two clueless ring necked pheasants just standing there and enjoying the view of the traffic on Beaver Valley Road.
Some of the camping cottages. 
The 2,981-acre Yellow Creek State Park is in Indiana County along one of the first “highways” in the state, the Kittanning Path. This trail was used by the Delaware and Shawnee nations and by early settlers. Today, visitors enjoy the sand beach, picnicking, and educational and recreational programs. The 720-acre Yellow Creek Lake is a destination for boaters and anglers. The lake and park are an important rest stop for migrating birds. The park is named for Yellow and Little Yellow creeks, which flow into the lake. Both creeks contain yellow clay in their banks and bottoms.
A great group of horses chilling after a ride. 
One of the state park yurts. 
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Celebrating the Lancaster County Buggy
A day out in the rural areas of Lancaster County will provide many encounters with horse drawn buggies, whether in motion or stationery. Sundays tend to be particularly busy, with people going to church or visiting neighbors.
A small child looks on … 
Traffic Gap with a miniature of the Clock Tower (full size below). 
People who drive buggies need to shop too. Stores in the area often have hitches, or even simple open sheds, for horse parking. -
Northern Lancaster County Covered Bridges
Today’s visit to Lancaster County includes some covered bridged and nearby views. First up is Weaver’s Mill Covered Bridge, which spans the Conestoga River. The 85-foot-long (26 m), 15-foot-wide (4.6 m) bridge was built in 1878 by B. C. Carter and J. F. Stauffer. It is also known as Isaac Shearer’s Mill Bridge. The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. It is painted red, the traditional color of Lancaster County covered bridges, on both the inside and outside. Both approaches to the bridge are painted in the traditional white color. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
Weaver’s Mill Covered Bridge 
The Bitzer’s Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that is also on the Conestoga River. It is the oldest bridge in the county still in use. A county-owned and maintained bridge, it is also called Martin’s Mill Bridge, Eberly’s Cider Mill Covered Bridge, and Fiand’s/Fiantz’s Covered Bridge.
The bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. Added later, secondary steel I-beams support the bridge from underneath. The bridge is currently unpainted. It was formerly painted red on the outside, and the inside of the bridge was not painted. Both approaches to the bridge were painted white. In July 2006, the bridge sustained some damage to its sides including some missing or broken panels. The bridge was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.
The bridge was built in 1846 by George Fink and Sam Reamsnyder at a cost of $1,115. They used a single span, wooden, double Burr arch truss construction. The bridge has historically been referred to by a number of names that reflected the various mill owners. In 1962, it was proposed to replace the bridge with a concrete span, but the plan was discontinued after much public outcry.
The Conestoga River 
An impressive corn crib. The Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge is a covered bridge that spans Cocalico Creek. It is also sometimes known as Guy Bard Covered Bridge (after a local jurist) and Rettew’s Covered Bridge (after the person that Rettew’s Road is named). Due to heavy road traffic on the aging, one-lane bridge, construction on a new steel and concrete bridge to bypass the covered bridge occurred in the summer of 2006. The bridge was disassembled and reassembled a few miles downstream to replace an existing one lane bridge. It was located at 40°10′11.4″N 76°12′16.8″W (40.16983, −76.20467) before being disassembled.
Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge was originally built by Elias McMellen in 1873 at a cost of US$2,075. After being swept away in flooding, the bridge was rebuilt in 1891, again by McMellen. It stayed there until it was disassembled and moved in 2006. The bridge was reconstructed in 2009. The bridge was reopened on Middle Creek Road in December, 2010. Keller’s Mill Covered Bridge has a single span, wooden, double Burr arch trusses design with the addition of steel hanger rods. The deck is made from oak planks. The bridge is the only all white bridge in the county, with no red. In fact, just about all covered bridges were whitewashed both inside and out. It is the only bridge to have survived the transition from whitewashing to the red color commonly used in barns throughout the county. The bridge is not painted on the inside.
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The Ephrata Cloister
The Ephrata Cloister or Ephrata Community was a religious community, established in 1732 by Johann Conrad Beissel at Ephrata, Lancaster County. The grounds of the community are now owned by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and are administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. The Cloister’s website can be found at https://ephratacloister.org and provides the following information:
Conrad Beissel, Ephrata’s founder, came to the site in 1732 seeking to live as a hermit following his own religious ideas. He believed earthly life should be spent preparing to achieve a spiritual union with God at the Second Coming he felt would soon occur. By the early 1750s, nearly 80 celibate Brothers and Sisters were housed in impressive Germanic log, stone, and half-timbered buildings. At the same time, nearly 200 family members known as Householders, occupied nearby homes and farms.
Celibate members followed a life of work balanced with hours of private prayer. Wearing white robes, they adopted sparse diets, and slept little, all in an effort to provide discipline as they prepared for an anticipated heavenly existence. Labors included farming, papermaking, carpentry, milling, and textile production. The Cloister was known for the German calligraphic art of Frakturschriften, created in a distinctive style considered the first of this folk art produced in America, self-composed a cappella music written using Beissel’s rules for four-part harmony (with over one-thousand original compositions), and an ambitious printing establishment creating works for the use of the community and neighbors, including the translation and publication of the 1500 page Martyrs Mirror for the Mennonites, the largest book printed in colonial America.
The Society declined after the death of the charismatic Beissel in 1768. The last celibate member died in 1813 and the next year the remaining Householders incorporated into the German Seventh Day Baptist Church. Members continued to live and worship in the Cloister buildings until the close of the Church in 1934. Marie Kachel Bucher, the last surviving resident of the Ephrata Cloister, died on July 27, 2008, at the age of 98.
Here is a look at the exterior of the buildings. There was an event going on that Day called “Charter Day” which was wrapping up as I was arriving in late afternoon.
