Ben and Allie enjoying some time sitting down along the river bank
Today marks the end of our first week in Kennerdell. We arrived last Sunday at just about the exact time I'm writing this post, around 5:00 PM. We chose this area for several reasons. First and foremost was the close proximity to Ben (around 30 minutes). We also chose it because it looked so beautiful, peaceful, relaxing and an easy place to avoid crowds. Absolutely nothing has disappointed us in the first seven days, even though the activity around here picks up significantly on the weekend.
Allie taking Beth for a walk on the River Trail
Not wanting to be left out we picked up our pace over the weekend as well. After spending some time at Ben's house on Saturday morning we came back and found ourselves in the middle of a three car traffic jam on the private gravel road that leads to our Airbnb. Thanks to some skillful maneuvering by all three drivers we were all quickly on our way with simple waves and smiles instead of yelling, cursing and drawing weapons.
The boat traffic on the river has also increased noticeably over the weekend. During the week we'd typically get 1-2 boats pass by. Today, the boat traffic has more than doubled. I've counted five different boats zipping along the river!
Allie was here all day and she could count the number of different boats on one paw!
Late Saturday afternoon we ventured out to find and explore a portion of the Sandy Creek Trail. This is a twelve mile paved multi-use trail that as the name implies, runs along Sandy Creek before it empties into the Allegheny River. Like the Allegheny River Trail, which it intersects with, it too is a "rails to trails" conversion. Sandy Creek is rather small and not always visible, but this does not diminish from the spectacular scenery along the tree lined trail. From the trail head where we started (Rockland Road) we walked three miles to the 1,385 foot long Belmar Bridge that was built in 1907 with the financial backing of John D. Rockerfeller. It was built with the intention of being part of a rail system between New York and Chicago. However, according to what I read it mainly served as a bridge for the local coal industry. The bridge is a really cool site to see, walk or peddle across while imagining back to the early part of the 1900's when the coal industry was booming in this area. In addition to the Belmar Bridge we crossed five smaller bridges and passed through the 967 foot long Mays' Mill Tunnel. Unlike the curved Kennerdell Tunnel, the Mays' Mill Tunnel is straight so there is light at both ends of the tunnel!
Today has been a fun filled day of dog sitting. We picked Allie up early this morning before Ben went to work and kept her until he got off and came to get her. On the way back from his house this morning we passed a special treat along the road. Although Lancaster County is considered "Amish Country" in Pennsylvania, we have discovered that there are quite a few Amish families in this area. This morning on one of the small roads, within just a couple of minutes, we passed eight Amish families riding along happily in their horse drawn buggies on their way to worship. As we passed by, there were smiles and friendly waves from both parents and children.
Ben and Allie took off about an hour ago. The sun will be setting soon and we'll have survived the wild and wooly weekend in Kennerdell. Thankful that we found this riverfront paradise in Northwest Pennsylvania!
