More Of My Short Visit to Boiling Springs, And Gettysburg , I Will Be Back, So Much More To See.

Back to my recent visit to Boiling Springs and Southern Pennsylvania. We were up early on Saturday morning, my nephew to try to catch some trout in the famous Yellow Breeches,  and me to explore the quiet and quaint town of Boiling Springs. 

It was a warm and muggy morning and a mist formed over the cool waters of the Children’s Lake outside our bed and breakfast home. . I took an early  walk around the lake a few times, watching the ducks, geese and swans enjoy the summer morning and rising sun. 

I also saw a few blue herons and followed this fellow, who seemed to want me to take his photograph. 

He would fly a short distance along the sure, almost inviting me to follow, and when I did, fly to another spot a short distance away.

I enjoyed watching him and the other waterfowl but wanted to explore the town itself. I love walking the side streets and alleys of a town, you learn so much about the folks and history that way. Here is a link to some more photographs of the blue heron. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/boling-srings-blue-heron-saturday-july-30-2016

Boiling Springs began as an early industrial town, with the creation of the iron furnace that was built even before the Revolutionary War. It also had grain mills, one of which still remains along the lake. 

The businesses created wealth as evidenced by the many beautiful residences along the lake and Front Street, some of whose owners  helped the fleeing the horrors of slavery through the Underground Railroad. 

I walked the streets, again enjoying some of the beauty of the town,  this time many of the flower gardens the residents planted and proudly maintained. 

It was a nice little town, very quiet on a Saturday morning. I returned to the lake, to again enjoy the waterfowl, including this mom taking her family for a walk.I met up with my nephew and we returned to our bed and breakfast where we shared a wonderful breakfast with a fellow visitor and enjoyed the wonderful stories of our hostess,  the well traveled Kitty. It was a delightful morning. Here is a link to some more photographs from my morning walk. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/boiling-springs-friday-evening-saturday-morning-walks-july-2016

After breakfast, and some more pleasant conversation, since it was another hot and sweltering day, too hot to fish, we decided to drive back to Gettysburg. We  made our way to the battlefield Memorials . And they are everywhere around the town of Gettysburg.

We decided to first visit Culp’s Hill. I had only visited here once, years ago, and didn’t get to see the impressive monuments erected by the States, both northern and southern, to their  fallen soldiers. I was immediately reminded of the National Park at Vicksburg Mississippi that I visited a few years ago.

I decided to visit  Culp’s Hill since a Hazleton  native, Colonel Ario Pardee, of the 147th Pennsylvania Infantry, led his troops in battle here and there is a field named after him. We hadn’t planned the trip, and had no maps or information so we couldn’t find the field.  We were given directions by Facebook friends but the road is one way and by the time we exited it had started raining.

We drove past the impressive Pennsylvania memorial and took a quick drive through the town of Gettysburg. We headed back to Boiling Springs since there were severe thunderstorm warnings. We got back to our bed and breakfast just in time. I listened to the wind, thunder and torrential rain from my room, thinking how the original residents would have experienced similar weather, when the first built the house,  not long the horible battles of  the Civil War was fought nearby. Here is a link to some more photographs of our short tour of the Gettysburg battlefields. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/gettysburg-saturday-afternoon-visit-july-30-2016

Once the storms past we drove into Carlisle for a nice dinner at the Rustic Tavern. We drove back into Boiling Springs were my nephew did some fishing and I enjoyed some quiet strolls around the peaceful lake. I was in bed early and up before dawn the next morning since I wanted to take a hike on the Appalachian trail which passes through Boiling Springs.

I hiked north, as the trail meandered through  wooded tracts of land  between corn and soybean fields. I enjoyed the songs of the birds and saw a few deer on my walk.

As I hiked on the trail, which was once part of the Underground Railroad I  thought of the fleeing slaves, who used these same trails to escape to Canada, and freedom, and wondered what they were thinking as they walked here, probably under the cover of darkness.

When I was young I had dreamed of one day hiking the trail from Georgia to Maine but never got the opportunity. Maybe I still can some day. I know I would love it.

I walked out a few miles and returned to enjoy another nice breakfast, and conversation with Kitty, and then my nephew fished the Yellow Breeches one last time while I explored it’s banks.

I came upon both a great blue and green heron fishing in the stream and spent some time hoping to see them catch a fish. The blue heron made one lunge at a fish but appeared to come up empty. It was a peaceful way to spend a Sunday morning. Here is a link to some more photographs of the herons.https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/boiling-springs-great-blue-and-green-herons-sunday-july-31-2016

I continued to walk along the stream and headed back into town where I made one last walk along the peaceful lake. Here is a link to some more photographs from my morning hikes. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/boiling-springs-sunday-morning-walk-july-31-2016

We had to be back home in the afternoon, but I made one last stop in the college town of Carlisle to introduce my nephew to this famous Revolutionary war heroine, the famous Molly Pitcher. She is buried here in a famous old cemetery. We took a brief walk in the sweltering heat  through the tree lined streets of Dickinson College before we drove up the interstate and back home. It still amazes me how there are so many things to see and do so close to my home. I love to travel but, in my opinion,  there is no better place to live than in Northeastern Pennsylvania.  Here is a link to some more photographs from our brief visit to Carlisle. https://keepyoureyespeeled.net/photographs-page-2/nggallery/photographs-page-two-blog/carlisle-sunday-july-31-2016

“The purpose of life is to live it, to taste experience to the utmost, to reach out eagerly and without fear for newer and richer experience.”
― Eleanor Roosevelt