‪PikeEDA's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

‪PikeEDA's Channel‬‏ - YouTube

Grey Towers Historic Site-Festival of Wood

Had the chance to visit the National Historic Site-the Grey Towers, former home of Gifford Pinchot long considered the forefather of the American Conservation Movement and first head of the US Forest Service. The Mansion and grounds are registered National Historic Significance Site. For the last 7 years the facility has hosted the Wood Festival on its grounds. Run by the Forest Service the 2 day event featured free parking and admission and a whole host of crafters and food tents all of which were reasonably priced. Billed as an educational event to showcase the Pennsylvania forestry industry there was no shortage of eye opening exhibits for young and old alike. The event was well organized running shuttle buses from the overflow parking lots well down the hillside from the main grounds and the Pinchot mansion. Did i say "free parking and admission"? Cannot remember the last time i was able to take the entire family out and leave my wallet firmly in the back pocket. Food and beverage vendors were spread throughout the event sites and all were very reasonably priced. There were numerous lumber cutting, carving and educational tents and all the exhibitors were friendly and knowledgeable. The Forest Service Rangers put on a great show for the kids. The main mansion and grounds were well maintained, the recent beneficiaries of Federal Reconstruction Grants which upgraded the walking paths and benches that lined the grounds. Shuttle busses ran from zone to zone throughout the event at regular intervals making travel throughout the festival easy for event the most physically drained parents amongst us. The kids are already asking when the next festival will be held and we have poenciled onto our calendar for 2012.

Had our first outdoor excursion to the Bushkill Falls off route 209 just outside Milford PA. The falls are billed as the "Niagara Falls" of Pnensylvania and while the park did not dissapoint, comparing this natural wonder to the actual Niagara Falls is a stretch to say the least. What bushkill lacks in power and thunder it certainly makes up for in natural splendor and in its wooded surroundings. The trails are steep, the rails shaky and steps uneven and broken. This is a trip not for the faint of heart or physically challenged. kids under 4 are free and the charge for entry for kids is reasonable. Trails can take from 15 minutes for the novice trail up to 2.5 hours for the most challenging trails. We were amazed by how steep the red (our choosen trail for the day) truly was. Going down into the grotto was a difficult task surpassed only by the ascent back up and out. The entryway to the falls is packed with the usual "tourist trap" shops and eateries...do yourself a favor and work up a solid appetite on your hike and then take a quick trip further down Route 209 and find a more reasonably priced restaurant as there are plenty of choices. Plan on a solid half day and arrive early as parking lots and the narrow trails fill up quickly leaving little room to manouver.

Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Pocono Lifestyle Blog. After 42 years in neighboring New York State it was clearly time for a change. The family and i packed up and moved to Milford Pennsylvania in July of 2011. I still work in and earn the "New York" salary but pay 1/4 the taxes and have found an entirely new way of life just as an added benefit. It is my hope to use this medium to showcase our experiences in the Pocono region of Pennsylvania and show the rest of the country just how truly luck we are to be living the Pocono Lifestyle.