Fall in PA

Well, it’s official. Summer is over. What a drag. But with the fall comes a whole new set of things to do and see. Crisp air, the smell of wood smoke from fireplaces (mostly mine because I can’t light a fire to save my life).

And if you happen to live in the Northeast, you get the treat of seeing the fall foliage colors. Depending on where you are and what type of summer it’s been, the colors can be not so hot (last year) or beatiful (the year before).

This photo was taken driving near Johnstown, PA. We went camping in the Laurel Highlands of PA and drove through the area on the covered bridge tour. You can get a map that’s marked with the covered bridges and then go on a scavenger hunt to find them. We had a blast. The leaves were just starting to change, it was still warm enough to walk outside without a jacket, and the weather was beautiful.

Fall is a great time for camping. There are a lot of places to go in PA, NY, and New England.  I love camping in the fall.  It’s cool at night, so sitting around the camfire is so cozy.  We spent four days at Jellystone Campground near Ohiopyle, PA.   We spent one day touring Frank Lloyd Wright’s Falling Water, about a mile from the campground.  But at this time of year, make reservations early, because they book up fast!

Laurel Caverns

We spent another day in the Laurel Caverns.  It rained that day, and the higher in the mountains we drove, the foggier it got.  It was so foggy, we barely found the caves.  You can get a tour that takes about an hour – the guide has lots of great information, and the price is reasonable.  If you are really adventurous, you can do the “extended” tour – you even get a hard hat with a light on it.  That tour takes you to parts of the caves that are not light, and don’t have handrails or safety features. That tour takes about four hours and I’m too claustrophobic to brave it

We took the tour two years in a row, it’s a fun place to bring people who haven’t seen the caves before.  We picked up some cool souveniers, too.  Too bad the weather was so bad that year – apparently the view is amazing from the entrance to the caves – accross a deep valley full of fall colors.  Maybe next year.