Day 3

Day 3: Wednesday June 24th, 2009

Forewarned with the understanding that light will get through no matter where we sleep, I was able to prolong my slumber until 6:15. I got up, took out the Stansport cooking stove and the percolator and made the weakest coffee I have ever had. So I let the percolator work and work, using 24 oz. of water to make 8 oz. of mild coffee. Once again discouraged by the coffee making process, I begin to explore the map and possible routes to our next destination; the Allegheny National Forest. Map
Tara and I packed and were on the road before 9am heading first to the Grand Canyon (of Pennsylvania), which is to the SE of Galeton. We entered the location into Nuvi and one missed turn later came across our third black bear in 2 days. This one was still a cub that was trying to cross the road. We decided not to stop to take a picture in case momma decided to make her presence known. In order to get us back on track Nuvi led us on an exciting adventure through 6 miles of unpaved road.
We made a quick stop in Shunk, Pa at the General Store where, for the third time, I absentmindedly opened the back gate instead of the window to get something from the car. I mentioned before that the car is packed thoroughly, but in order to fit everything we fill the back with the gate up, then close it, open the window and stuff more things against the door, so when the back gate is opened first, multiple bags fall out. This opening caused a melamine bucket to break, but not the glass carafe from the feeble Field and Stream Coffee Maker. Sheepishly, I repacked the car, grabbed the postcards that I intended to send and entered the quaintest little store with a Post Office Window that I have ever experienced, complete with four older gentleman playing cards in one corner.
We continue on and follow the signs this time to the visitor center of the Grand Canyon (of Pennsylvania), while Nuvi kept insisting we turn down every unpaved road we came across. The view was outstanding with the bright sun and clear blue skies, but the visitor center had a fly infestation that quickly drove us away.
As we continued west across the state, we foolishly relied on Nuvi and encountered 15 more miles of unpaved road. This included the last 7 miles that went from Westline, PA due west along the Kinuza River with some terrifying drop offs to Red Bridge Campgrounds, our destination, in the Allegheny National Forest. As soon as we made it safely I checked the settings on our mischievous device and found that we had the shortest distance selected instead of the fastest time. Hopefully we will be unpaved road-free for the remainder of the trip.
Our Campsite (#25) had a wonderful view of the Allegheny Reservoir and a sunny field that we were able to dry out our tent fly and ground clothes. We managed to set up camp in just 30 minutes, collected our firewood from the Camp Host, and cooked up Jalapeno Burgers with bell peppers and onions for dinner. Following more S’mores and a shower in the excellent facilities, we settled into our camp chairs to watch the fireflies in the field and the stars come out for the first time on our trip (1st night was cloudy, 2nd night we were tired).