EASTER WEEKEND ROADTRIP – Part I

Three days, two nights, no reservations, minimal destination planning, and mostly on the scenic route (i.e as little main highway as possible). THIS is my kind of road trip. The original ‘plan’ called for heading south into Maryland, then west to Route 15 then following Route 15 south to north through Pennsylvania into New York. Stopping whenever or wherever the mood struck. A newspaper article the weekend before about the Bedford Springs Resort, newly renovated and full of history prompted us to change our plans and head for there on the first day.

As is our custom we headed out Friday morning for breakfast. The Trolley Stop is closed - it is now a Mrs. Marty’s Deli as mentioned in an earlier blog entry – so we settled on the Koffee Korner on Jackson Street in Media. It’s not the Trolley Stop, but it was good.
From there we headed south on Route 1 to 695 around the top of Baltimore to 26 West to Frederick where we picked up and 40 and followed 40 and 144 west to Cumberland MD and then north on 220 to Bedford Springs and the Resort.

It was much bigger than either of us imagined. We decided to park and go exploring. FIRST we had to find a bathroom. It had been several hours since breakfast and well… you know. Normally, I wouldn’t spend even this much time on telling anyone about the bathroom but you HAD to see this place. I took this picture from inside the hallway looking back at the entry door. It was lined with benches and mirrors. I guess if there was a long line (which there no doubt would be since there were only two stalls) you could sit, rest and use the mirror to fix something.

The hotel staff was very friendly. They seemed to expect lookers and so we did. The history of the place was evident in pictures and written history in each room. Due to the number of natural springs in the area people came here to rest, relax and recuperate. The building was designed – inside and out – for residents to see and be seen and to take full advantage of the mountain air. Each room opens to a balcony. The sound of the water and the clean air would have put me to sleep easily. We walked on of the trails which lead to the springs and a wedding grotto before getting back in the car. It has an interesting history, including being the summer white house for James Buchanan, the only US President born in PA (until Emma decides to run that is)

From here we followed Route 30 east to Chambersburg to pick up route 11. In Chambersburg we ate dinner at a local restaurant called the Lighthouse. They had a seafood buffet which was ok but the whole place smelled really ‘fishy’ which started to get to me after awhile. We followed route 11 toward Harrisburg where it joins with route 15. We found a Quality Inn in Enola just north of Harrisburg on route 15 for the night. Just before we stopped for the night we were treated to a gorgeous full moon. It was huge and orange. Unfortunately the picture didn’t turn out. (We need to learn more about how the camera works best) We also had a very nice view of the Harrisburg skyline at night across the river – again the photo didn’t turn out. You’ll have to trust me.

Stopping at this point had two benefits. One, it was getting dark and we could start out again in daylight so we wouldn’t miss anything. Two, Villanova was playing Clemson in the first round of the NCAA tournament starting around 10:00 p.m. More on that in my next entry.