Thoughts from the Road - #41011

8 Miles in Poe Valley

Jim dropped me off where the Milheim/Siglerville Pike intersects with Poe Valley Road and drove on to Poe Paddy State Park. Our idea was to run toward each other and upon meeting Jim would turn back around and we would get back to the car together. That would be about 5.5 mile for me and depending on how far he ran before we met it would be about 4 for him.

It was a great idea because next to no one was out on the roads. I am so familiar with the stretch of road that goes from the Kinzer's cabin to the state parks that I had no fear of what or who I would meet. The draw this morning was to enjoy a longer run along the beautiful streams in Poe Valley. It turned out to be a bit of a "walk" down memory lane.

It didn't take too long before I was jogging past Kinzer's camp. I looked up, took a picture, said, "Hey Glenn," and loudly said, "You old goat!" No one was anywhere close enough to hear me and it somehow cheered me to say that as I saw his memorial bench in front of the cabin.

My next memory was juts around the bend on a lovely "S" curve that I had to photograph. The road is more scenic than my memory of wrecking on my skateboard. The length of my one shin was skinned and probably one of the most painful accidents I had as a kid. Healing in the summer, sunburns and scraped knees, can lead to long sleepless nights.

I saw plenty of trails that I hiked and overgrown stretches Missy and I had cut through to take "short cuts" back to the cabin from the lake. It's along that stretch Jim, Arron, Evan, Missy and I also hiked up and over Little Poe Mountain. We came from the Boiling Spring on an old unblazed trail which dropped down onto an old logging grade. Some guy near Boiling Spring took us for a bunch of tender foots and said we would never find the old logging road. I think we were all pretty pleased when our little bushwhack went off without a hitch and we stepped onto it without a worry.

Just after I trotted onto the boundry of Poe Valley State Park, I could see the trees thinning ahead over the lake. It had been about 30 minutes of running and snapping random photos and I could see the lake just through the trees. I then caught a brief flash of a white wedge of tail feathers from near the far end of the lake. I never got to positively identify it but I am pretty certain it was a mature bald eagle soaring over the quiet Poe Valley Lake.

I stopped for a few photos and gave a careful look up and down the valley for the eagle but had to keep moving. I saw the new buildings along the beach and in the camping area and am excited to check them out this summer. The lake was so still and looks ready for warm weather visitors.

After running past the dam the road took a decided grade downhill and went from paved to gravel. Across the creek to my right, I saw where a group of us has hidden a geocache back in 2004. Poe Valley State Park had approved the location and a group of us came in after the first weekend of fishing season to clean up the park of any trash that was left.

The next miles were so scenic with old trees and curving streams. I surprised a turkey that was a distance ahead of me on the road. It ran for a few yards before taking off and flying low around the bend in the road. I knew I could meet Jim and anytime and imagined the turkey flying around and meeting him face to face. It didn't happen that way though and I saw Jim about a half a mile farther down the road.

Jim saw me coming and had snapped some photos. We had a cheerful reunion and he told me about an osprey that he got to see up close about a mile before we met. He wasn't sure if the photo he shot of it flying away turned out. It turns out that you can see it!

I told him of all I had seen and the couple of miles to the car went quickly. We stopped for quick drinks of water where he had parked in Poe Paddy State Park and decided to continue running the mile to the old tunnel. We remembered when we had brought some hot stew out to our friend Jan while she was camping and letterboxing.

Penns Creek was swollen and flowing with power. Jim joked that he was glad we hadn't brought our inner tubes along today. The emerald green waters were churning and raging. It seemed like no time at all before we came to the rail road grade and the wooden trestle that the Mid State Trail crosses. We snapped photos of each other crossing Penns Creek on the bridge then did the same near the old tunnel.

We had intended to run through the tunnel but it was very wet and some of the puddles covered the trail from side to side. Hiking shoes would have been perfect but wet running shoes are a different thing. I really didn't want cold wet feet for my last mile. Another reason I turned back was that progressing at more than a slow walk wasn't enough time for my eyes to adjust inside. Normally I have time to adjust but running felt too dangerous. We turned back and snapped more pictures.

The last half mile I slowly put the hammer down. I was pushing out of my comfort zone but the song I had on the iPod allowed for me to push to keep that rhythm and run less than a 9:00 MM for quite a length. It was a nice way to end the long run; I ended strong.

Jim and I changed clothes in the outhouse and freshened up for brunch at the Elk Creek Café. They had our favorite Creamy Mushroom Soup with Truffle Oil and Smoked Tempeh Sandwich on the menu! We got refreshing sparkling raspberry drinks and water to hydrate. It was a great morning to share in Poe Valley.

Elk Creek Cafe

Samhain 2008

If you could have been in downtown State College on Friday night, you would have seen hundreds of crazy folks. They were all dressed in costume for Halloween and and walking outside in the mild weather.

Although we walked around one block to check it out, RGBisMe, Mososo Kruppe and I spent most of our evening at the Elk Creek Cafe. We had a nice supper and stayed for the costume judging. Nick won second place with his awesome Green Man costume and I got an honorable mention with my Alec from A Clockwork Orange.

Poe Evermore

Our good group got together for a letterboxing triathlon this past weekend. We properly fueled up at Mad Mex where they were shocked and appalled that we were nothing like the PSU students who know how to consume plenty of alcohol before lunch time. The waiter nearly passed out because PA PAddler is such a lightweight when it comes to libations and was afraid to offer him anything other than prune juice.

It must have been that prune juice that put the sour look on PA Paddler's face and made him build a cootie barrier between him and the rest of the innocents at the lunch table. Hunter Jumper decided to order from a unique menu; a palette of well organized entrées that she had brought for everyone's enjoyment. When she has tasted every item, she intends to put the binder up for auction on eBay. The owner's approval is pending but, because jbzfarm generously picked up the lunch tab, I have no doubt you will see it listed sometime soon.

Serious storms threatened the area all day but that didn't keep anyone from hiking Mt. Nittany. I left the camera behind in case we got caught in a down pour but all we had were a few rumbles off toward MILESBURG. It was our reservations that evening at the Elk Creek Cafe that called us from the ridge top before every letterbox was found.

Mososo Kruppe and PA PAddler took advantage of the sampler of microbrews. Consensus was that Elk Creek Copper Ale is the best. I must try it next time out. They also agreed that the Brookie Brown was quite good, the Winkleblink was like soda pop and the Big Trout Stout was a little flat for a stout beer.

Appetizers were enjoyed after exchanges and PTs were swapped. I enjoyed sharing Of Things Arcane and Mososo Kruppe allowed everyone to see if It could be your Luck Day! Some cute parody stamps were passed around and ideas started to pop up for future carving. After the food was tucked in the markers and stamps came out again much to the surprise of the wait staff and manager. We have yet another new group name, the Elk Creek Coloring Club. More t-shirts and patches are being designed, put your orders in now - supplies are limited to those who are chaff (and chaffed).

A nice blues band kicked in at 8PM but some of us needed to find accommodations for the night. We packed up our markers and stamps and went outside to watch what seemed to be a most ill fated parking job before driving back home. Jbzfarm went off to their remote and romantic campsite, 4Rhines had a nice room booked at the Stephen's Motel (they were very happy with this) and the rest of us had paid for places at 2201.


Trying to get a jump on the next morning we decided to put the bikes on the car and inner tubes in the hatch back but not before we got a call from jbzfarm. The road that lead to their campsite was blocked with one of those notorious PA black and yeller gates. They decided to take us up on an earlier offer of pitching their tent in our back yard.


The next morning I woke to be treated to bagels and cream cheese; jbzfarm beat us to the punch and went out to get a bag of breakfast goodies to fuel us for the bike ride. The 4Rhines came over and some kick @$$ cosmos were mixed in my kitchen. I have never had the scent of vodka and triple sec dominate my kitchen at 9AM and I got a little giddy just smelling them. Hunter Jumper mixed them with precision and packed them into her cooler for the afternoon.

Our caravan met on the far side of the Coburn tunnel and as we exited our vehicles I felt the need to grasp the door handle so I would not levitate. There was a whirring noise that sounded like space aliens were trying to beam us all up. It was all around us over head although it looked like any other beautiful day in Penns Valley. This was my introduction to the never ending call of the 17 year locusts. The volume of the noise was almost annoying and quite spooky. We joked about them a bit as we got onto our bikes and prepared for a few miles on the rail trail toward Ingleby and beyond.

There were letterboxes to check out along the way. One letterbox had quite a steep and rocky climb to a view of Penns Creek and the Coburn trestle below. The happy hikers were careful not to mention to Stonefly (until later) that there was snake skin quite nearby. Successfully logged into one letterbox, we started down the trail for another .25 mile to pause for the same reason. It was this area that the cicadas were most vociferous. Undulating waves of drumming cicadas serenaded us as we pedaled on to Ingleby.

Five letterboxes were logged into along this trail before we had to turn around. Just like the day before, we had to leave a box unfound because we had plans to meet the rest of our party at a different location. Mososo Kruppe and Dabralady were going to be meeting us a few miles farther down Penns Creek to put in for the float.


Finally, the nine of us were all at one place at the same time; we have to make sure this happens at least once a year or terrible and monstrous things will certainly happen. Inner tubes were inflated, libations were chilled and a local fisherman waved to us as we put in near the trestle. The day was just right and water temperature (don't go by the initial look on Dabralady's face) turned out to be very nice.
PA Paddler and Hunter Jumper were the bar keeps and when the rapids allowed they served up a few potent treats. I rode in what PA Paddler called my dingy and tied RGBisMe to me for a while. The rapids kicked up again and I set him free so that he wouldn't get tangled and he spilled the last of the iced beverage we had been sharing.

RGBisMe and I daudled on the far bank for a while, trying not to give away the location of a letterbox that was right along the creek. Eventually we saw them exploring the correct location and went over to check it out. It had taken on a little water but the baggies had been closed down just right by the last finders (thank you wanting snow and Ms Beachys) so everything was in good shape. A humorous moment came when Puddleby tossed Stonefly their signature stamp and it stamped him squarely in the chest before he caught it.

More of Penns Creek was enjoyed after the letterbox and we each managed to get tossed out at least once. Mososo Kruppe saved my inner tube from escaping once and Puddleby had hers shoot out from under her at about the same time Mososo Kruppe took a tumble from hers. Dabralady ended up with a mashed shoulder and RGBisme and I had banged up shins.


The walk through the Paddy Mountain tunnel was so much fun and before we knew it, we were back at our vehicles. It was like we had defied some law of time to be immediately back where we had started. Nine letterboxers having too much fun and defying laws. Being one of nine, I look forward to doing it again.