Drove One Hundred Miles To Hike Four Miles

Heading To Allegheny State Park

7:21

It's a cloudy, chilly, and windy morning as I found out when I went out to kayak.  Our flag was still but once I got in the water and away from the shore, the northeasterly wind took over, rocking my kayak and even splashing over the side.   I got as far as the reeds and turned around and fought my way back, into the waves and wind.

Kayak Morning

Yesterday was a long day trip as we decided after kayaking and breakfast, to drive to Allegheny State Park and go for a hike.  So Evie made a couple of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, grabbed some water and I grabbed my pack back, and camera and we were off by 10:30, arriving around 11:30 at the Art Roscoe Cross Country Skiing Warming Center, closed for now. 

Map Of Trails

We were not sure which trail to hike having been here numerous times over the year but decided we had not walked Sweetwater, close to four miles total.  It was a good choice, not too difficult, some ups and downs, with lots of deadfall from the past weekend's heavy winds.  About an hour and a half in, we finally regained the major trail and to our delight, there sat a nice bench, perfect for sitting on and eating our lunch and resting.  

Sweetwater's Terminus

A Respite And Lunch

We then had a 25-minute walk back to our car.  We enjoyed the hike even though a sameness to the trail became boring after awhile, woods filled with leafless trees, paths strewn with leaves and deadfall but that's what to expect in late fall.

Finishing Up

We drove home partially on backroads, passing our favorite restaurant/bar, The Horseshoe Inn, open with a few cars in the parking lot.  We also passed the now-closed Nic N Inn, a restaurant with many great memories.  We ended up browsing a shop a friend recommended called The Country Lane, just south of Kennedy on Rt 62, turning on Ericsson Road.  It's not my kind of shop but even I enjoyed looking at all the Christmas and country items.  We were tempted but our better angels got the best of us and we left without buying something we did not need.

Countryside, Bone Run Road

We didn't get home until 4:00, tired out from our drive and hike.  We took it easy, enjoying a glass of vino at 5:30 and I picked up a fish fry from the Seezurh House at 6:30 because we did not want to cook.  We enjoyed our dinners and watched the usual, Colbert and The Great English Baking Show which, we realized from the media, had created quite a stir because of who the show sent home.  We tended to agree that Hermine should have been saved.  We ended the night watching a French movie on Prime called Mr. and Mrs. Adelman, humorous at times, probably worth watching.