Friday, July 15, 2011

The journey nears its end

The journey through the last few states seems to have gone very quickly. It was only Wednesday afternoon when we arrived in Chicago, Illinois. Thursday's journey through the remainder of Illinois, Indiana, and good portion of Ohio concluded with a visit to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. Today, Friday, we travelled out of Ohio and into Pennsylvania, our final state of the 9 we traversed.


The landscape at the conclusion of our trip is reminiscent of the beginning. Like the state forests we crossed in Oregon on the way to the coast, we passed through the Allegheny Forest on our way to the scenic Route 6 in Pennsylvania. We picked up route 6 in Kane, PA and stopped at the Route 6 Diner in Smethport. The diner was small with a counter and table service. The food was quite good, albeit a bit pricey for a diner. After a satisfying meal, we continued along the winding route 6 passing a few quaint town until our arrival in Wellsboro, PA. The Sherwood Motel is our final night's rest before the remaining journey home on Saturday.


Wellsboro is an entry point to the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, a moniker that doesn't quite live up to its name. The PA Grand Canyon is quite beautiful despite its smaller size. We arrived at the East Rim of the canyon, marking the 3500th mile of the trip. The canyon featured a difficult hiking trail but the Barrecas talked the 1 mile descent to the bottom of the canyon, stopping along the way to photograph some small waterfalls. The mile journey back up the trail was taxing but we persevered, completing the trail in 1 hour and 15 minutes, well below the average 1 hour and 30 minute hike. Kelly impressed us all with her ability to handle the hike just two months after a major surgical procedure.





The town of Wellsboro offered several dining options and after dinner, we took a stroll along the streets, stopping for ice cream of course. Back at the hotel, Cece went for a swim and then we settled in for the night.

On Saturday, we'll hit the road and travel another portion of the scenic PA Route 6 before turning southeast toward home.

1 comment:

  1. Hi Cecilia. When are you coming home. Last night

    I did fireworks and sparklers. Today I'm going

    to a baby shower at Sea Isle. Bye.

    ReplyDelete