The Keystone State - The Pocono Mountains

Pennsylvania - part 3

(Sightseeing)

June 18, 2018 - June 20, 2018

Finally made it to the Pocono Mountains - having heard of them for years.  I actually never realized they were in Pennsylvania until we arrived there.  It's very beautiful country in eastern PA right next to the New York border.  

Quiet Valley Living History Farm

We visited this PA German farm where they have people in period clothing interpreting what life was like back in the 1800's.  The original German man picked a beautiful setting for his farm, complete with a stream to provide them with water.

The entrance to the farm.

Some of the farm buildings.

One of the interpreters showing us how things were done in the old days with equipment operated manually.

We're in the original part of the house - basically a room dug into the side of a hill then created with stonework.
It served as the entire home for years until they could afford to build a wood structure above this.
Since it was the original home, it had a huge fireplace with lots of heavy pots and pans.  The interpreter is showing us an
old time toaster which was set on the floor near the fire. When one side of the bread was done you turned it with your foot
until the other side was near the fire.

Gourds were grown in the garden and used for many things, including musical instruments.
You can see the stone work that formed the wall against the hill that was dug out.
The door leads to a root cellar.

  

This was the master bedroom of the wooden house that was built above the original home.

A kitchen was added at some point as modern conveniences became available.

Corner cupboard in the kitchen shows off the woman's prized possessions.

As children began to fill up the main house, this little cabin was built for Grandma and Grandpa.

The fireplace in the little cabin.  Notice the bed folded up on the left of the picture. 
Ropes kept the mattress from sagging and is the origin of the phrase "sleep tight"
as the ropes needed to be tightened on a regular basis.

The interpreter is showing us one of the devices used to measure the length of the yarn that has been spun.

Brick oven used to bake bread on the farm. 
The bricks are heated with a fire which is removed before the loaves are placed inside.

Bushkill Falls State Park

Bushkill Falls is a series of 4 waterfalls linked together with the wooden walkways and steps (lots of steps).  How they built them kind of amazes me.

You have to clamber up and down the rock sides of the ravine created by the river on these wooden walkways.

This is the main falls which is the bottom most of the four.

Just a few of the many steps.

Laura and Barney on the walkway next to a rock wall.
Barney loves it when he can go with us!

Beautiful setting isn't it?