10:30 AM - Lancaster County, here we come!

Nicole and I decided to save the best for last--Lancaster!

12:00 PM - Strasburg Railroad

The Strasburg Railroad was by far the most crowded destination we visited. Nicole and I, feeling very spiffy, decided to splurge and buy tickets for the first-class car (as opposed to open-air car, dining car, or coach). The train was nice, luxurious, and spacious. As we resided on velvet sofas and were served lemonade and pastries we traveled along the 9-mile track from Strasburg to Paradise--ironically named, since it did not look extremely nice... The Strasburg Railroad was first incorporated into the Pennsylvania General Assembly in 1832, and originally carried both passengers and freight loads. President Lincoln even rode on the railroad! Unfortunately as the imminent demise of railroads as a major mode of transportation came, the Strasburg Railroad was left to deteriorate. It was not until 1958, after two railfans Henry Long and Donald Hallock restored the railroad and opened it to visitors. In 2008 the railroad will celebrate its 50th anniversary as a tourist attraction.

Passing another train...

The view out of the car window...

Nanner's Tip #4 - The Gap Diner

THE GAP DINER

Conveniently located on Routes 30 & 41, Nicole and I enjoyed a nice stop at a diner for some all-American pie!

I suggest the strawberry pie!

2:00 PM - Bird-in-Hand Farmer's Market

The Bird-in-Hand Farmers Market is the perfect location to scoop up some of the scrumptious local goods ranging from: preserves and pies to sausages and cheese. Open exclusively on Fridays and Saturdays from 8:30 am to 5:30 pm, Nicole and I had a wonderful time wandering the stalls (although it was a bit busy).

The famous Shoofly Pie...

Shoofly pie, an Amish delicacy, is a pie made out of molasses that became a household favorite due to the fact it could be left out and did not spoil as easily as other pies. The name "shoofly pie" was given after bakers would leave the pie on a window sill to cool and would constantly have to "shoo the fly" away.

3:30 PM - Lititz: Wilbur Chocolate Factory Store & Candy Americana Museum

Outside the museum & store...

The history of Wilbur Chocolate began when Henry Oscar Wilbur started the business H.O. Wilbur & Sons in 1884. The business, which ran out of Philadelphia, specialized in manufacturing fine cocoa and chocolate products. The signature product, the Wilbur Bud (similar to a Hershey kiss), was created in 1894 and continues to be a favorite among Wilbur customers. By 1934, the company had expanded to three locations, but decided to consolidate to Lilitz, PA where the factory currently remains and operates. The company is now known was Wilbur Chocolate Company and is a subsidiary of Cargill, Inc.

The museum is equipped with old-fashioned cocoa tins, recipe cards, cocoa refiners, grinders and roasters, candy molds, cocoa tins, antique artwork, and an impressive collection of rare chocolate pots and antique glass candy jars. The museum also provides a video how chocolate the confection is made from the growth of the beans.

Best of all, there is a glass window which allows a peek into the factory itself. The Wilbur Chocolate company produces 170 million pounds of chocolate and candies a year.

Me, next to some antique chocolate molds.

Nanners Tip #3

The Bullfrog Brewery - Williamsport, PA

They have plenty of micro, local brews... including the "aging hippie" ale.

The FUNK burger... don't mess with it unless you have a huge appetite!

The blue cheese burger & sweet potatoe fries

The veggie pizza.

It was sooo good, we ate there twice! All the staff is friendly, and the food is well priced and tasty!

Day 1, 7:30 AM - Departure, young explorers!

Laura equipped with the "explorer hat"
The driver.
We're lost!
Back on track!

Equipped with Trivial Pursuit, music, David Sedaris on tape, and bundles of food, the four young explorers (explorer juniors, if you will): Nicole Kim, Maxine Krenzel, Michelle Liu, and Laura Tomlinson were off on a dangerous and exciting journey to the northern part of central Pennsylvania. They had never traveled to such foreign places! Their first stop would be the mysterious ghost town of Centralia. Things were running rather successfully until the TomTom tried to thwart the explorer juniors' plans! The sneaky GPS device re-directed the troupe to Bloomsburg, PA! Perhaps the TomTom was preventing the well-traveled explorers from seeing such enigmatic sights... but luckily a kind group of truckers helped them merrily on their way--Success!

Day 1, 10:30 AM - Centralia, the world on FIRE!

Before we get to BURNING FIRES and SMOKY HOLES, a little history to start...
Centralia was a small town first established in 1856 and was first known as Centreville. The anthracite coal industry in the area was the main employment for its citizens. Until the 1960s, most of the town thrived on coal mining. In the 1960s, many of the coal mining companies went bankrupt, leaving town citizens to bootleg mine coal. However, in 1962, some coal ignited after the weekly garbage was burned in the local landfill, which was located in an old, unusued mine pit. No one could extinguish the fire and it continued to burn for two decades. The carbon monoxide produced by the fire harmed several people in the town. In 1979, hot fuel levels shocked locals--they were now aware of the possible dangers of this mine fire. Two years later, when 12-year old Todd Domboski suddenly fell into a hole that opened under his feet, state-wide attention had increased. Luckily, he survived and the incident brought national attention to Centralia. $42 million was spent by the federal government to relocate Centralia's locals. Many took up on the offer and moved to nearby towns while a few citizens remained. In 1992, Pennsylvania claimed eminent domain on the properties in the borough and subsequently, in 2002 the US Postal Service revoked the town's zip code, 17927.
Some say that the mine fire is a government conspiracy organized by the government to obtain the mineral rights and rich deposits of anthracite coal in the mines; however, none are sure of the actual value of the coal.
Like Williamsport and Jim Thorpe (more on those two towns later), Centralia was a source of Molly Maguire activity in its early years. The secret organization originated in Ireland in order to protect workers from large mining corporations. According to newspapers of its era, the organization had thriving activity in central Pennsylvania anthracite coal mines. Many violent crimes were attributed to the Molly Maguires--especially in the years of 1876-1878. While there is no actual evidence of such an organization, much of its fiery history is written in the accounts against it.

Centralia really is a modern "ghost town." There is evidence of life in a few occupied homes and a couple moving cars but the area of land where the town once stood is largely empty. A bench marked Centralia sits next to the fire station and a handful of roads go off Route 61. We drove up an empty stretch of gravel, disappointed with the lack of smoke-filled holes. After getting out of the car, we found a handful of small holes that were emitting smoke. As we walked around, we found the larger pits. The ground was warm and we could see the heat waves. The experience was a bit chilling but satisfying--I had never been to a ghost town before.

Day 1, 11:30 AM - Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort

Located in Elysburg, Pennsylvania, Knoebels Amusement Park & Resort opened in 1926 and is still run by the Knoebel family. Most of the games and rides are charmingly old-fashioned--wooden roller coasters, a carousel from 1913, spinning teacups, a ferris wheel. The rides are also pay-per-ride, so no park admission fee. In fact, it's the largest no-admission park in the United States. The rides were all priced reasonably between $0.70 and $3.00.

The history of the amusement park started with "tally-hos"--Sunday afternoon hayrides. Knoebel farm tally-hos picnicked in the Knoebel's woods. Henry Knoebel's sold refreshments to the hayriders. In 1925, he built a pool for the tally-hos and it opened in July of 1926, in addition to a new carousel. Hurricane Agnes and a flood both put the park under gallons of water and mud but many helped to get the park up and running in both instances.

The boat ride.

We caused a major hold up when Maxine & Laura's boat tailgated ours!

The actually rather scary ferris wheel...

There are no pictures but Maxine and I braved a famous wooden rollercoaster!

The nice garden tram--very relaxing.

Day 1, 2:00 PM - Arrival in Williamsport and Lunch

After the stomach churning thrills in Knoebels, we had had enough. We were ready for a bit of lunch and Victorian civilization. Williamsport was a mere hour away!

Williamsport is the largest city in the northern central Pennsylvania area. It is the county seat of Lycoming County and its population is roughly 31,000 people. The founding of the town is a rags-to-riches story: Michael Ross and William Hepburn were of the working class but obtained plots of land where Williamsport now stands. Ross' "Virginia" and Hepburn's "Deer Park" would eventually be combined to form "Williamsport." The official incorporation of the city was in 1866.

Like Altoona, Williamsport was a huge boomtown during the Industrial Revolution. In the late 19th century, it was known as "The Lumber Capital of the World." Also, it once was home to the most millionaires per capita in the world. Fun fact: Local high school, Williamsport Area High School uses "The Millionaires" as its mascot.

Interestingly, Williamsport is also the home to the Little League World Series and the Little League Museum. Although, the explorers aren't particularly attached to the sport, the denizens of the town are proud of the local pastime.

Day 1 - 5:30 PM Ulysses, PA and Maple Syrup

On our long quest (2.5 hours away from Williamsport) for maple syrup, we finally arrived in Ulysses (not before we got lost and had to stop by a general store for directions). Alas, Ulysses was nothing more than a strip of houses and a few stores here and there, so we decided to visit the Kountry Mart to see if we could find any of the renowned Ulysses maple syrup.

Among the isle of generic brand maple syrup we came across "Hamilton's Maple Syrup." After asking the check-out girl where perchance we could find more of the maple syrup, she directed us down multiple paved and dirt roads, through farms, and finally to the Hamilton Construction Company, Farm, House, and ultimately--Maple Syrup Store.

After accidentally knocking on the Hamilton's house door, Phyllis Hamilton kindly directed us to her store a few yards down (but obscured by trees).

Inside the store held a barrel of goodies: maple syrup, maple candy, maple nuts, maple cream, maple sugar, etc. After buying a significant load of maple products Phyllis was kind enough to show us around her and her husband's factory located behind the store.

How do you ask is tree sap transformed into the wonderful, tasty, syrup? Well it starts with the trees. Phyllis and her husband have over 6,000 taps running to the trees on her land. The trees are hooked up to vacuum system (white lines) and drop lines (blue lines). The vacuum system, which some claim harm the trees, facilitates the flow of sap because the trees produce sap very slowly. For sap to form it must freeze overnight, thaw in the morning, and finally flow through the vacuum lines. These lines must be constantly checked, maintained, and repaired when squirrels and other natural forces destroy them. Phyllis's husband begins tapping the tress anywhere from mid February to late April until the trees begin to bud because then the sap does not taste good. Unfortunately, this year, due to the warm winter and cold spring the trees did not produce a good turn out of sap.

As the sap is collected from the trees and through the vacuum lines it eventually is stored in this white holding tank, located right outside the factory.

The sap is then funneled into the reverse osmosis machine which takes out some of the water (making sugar water aprox. 6% sugar)

After it funnels through the reverse osmosis machine it travels to the piggy bank pan where the pan begins to heat the sap.

Eventually the sugar begins to boil and goes through a white tube (the evaporator). Lighter syrup floats to the top as the heavier syrup remains in the bottom. This system is heated with natural gas, which although is more expensive provides a more even heat, keeps a constant boil, and runs independently. The syrup must be boiled down to 67 bricks, which means that that the syrup contains the entire 2% sugar it originally had (out of 98% water). This labor of love is especially painstaking because 40 gallons of sap = 1 gallon of syrup.

Hamilton's Maple Syrup Products

19 Bunnell Road

Ulysses, PA 16948

Telephone: 814.848.9853.