AmosTravelingDog: Do 6! in Pennsylvania

If you ever traveled through New England, you now that the states are much smaller than the rest of the US. Maine and New York are larger, but one tends to travel them in the short areas. At least I do. Traveling from the East to the West, Pennsylvania is one of the larger states to go through. Thus, we have a larger post.

We spent the day in PA, following the signs of "Do 6" across the state. This was the Route 6 I wanted to see. Don't get me wrong, The other smaller states offered sights and smells, but this state had a plan. They wanted to be the state that held the National U.S. Route 6 Museum and Visitors Center in Linesville, although funding never fully came through. They are still trying and you can help by clicking on the Do 6 link above.

We left the Skyline Motel after playing some ball with the dogs in their back yard area. It felt great to be out of New England and in a totally new area never before seen by us. We had wifi from the iphone, so I logged onto the computer to get some more info on Route 6. I had bookmarked a lot of web pages and wanted to reference them while Tom drove.

We headed towards the Chamber of Commerce in Mansfield, PA, home of Mansfield University. We had started to do the search for morning coffee, and nothing beats a college town for finding some espresso. We parked around the corner and Tom played with the dogs in a local park while I went to the office. I was looking for Route 6 travel guides. The lady in the office gave me plenty of info, but nothing on Route 6. She did tell me about a Rest Area & Visitors Information up by Tioga, only 10 miles North.

We headed towards the rest area with the hopes of getting more info. The rest area was in a beautiful spot above a green valley and two connecting reservoirs. There where big puffy clouds in the sky and the sun was shining. A top ten day!

We were greeted by a large statue of a lumberjack at the entrance of the rest area, which was bright and airy and clean. (a plus when traveling) I walked towards the desk, past racks and racks of area sites. I am not a big fan of collecting flyers of places I will not go to. Save a tree and all. I asked the clerk for some information on Route 6. She went to the back room and got a brochure. Finally, something that says Route 6.

Towards the back of the building, they had more displays of concerning the area. What caught Tom's eye were the stuffed critters on the far side of the room. Having been with Max and seeing his new love of these taxidermic animals, we took a few shots, hoping that he could see them one day.

We picked up a few additional brochures for a few sites that we thought we could see. The first of these was Leonard Harrison State Park, The Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania. It was amid the Tioga State Forest, less than an hour away.

We had been to The Grand Canyon a few years back. Yes, it's deep. Yes, it's beautiful. Yes, everyone should see it. When the day is done though, it's a big hole. I am sure traveling down to the river is amazing, but from the top, big hole.

We got to the park, passing a few more touristy sites, and parked. We walked towards the visitor center going by the standard gift shop offering the same T-shirts, sweatshirts and caps with their logos and cute bears. On the opposite side of the gift shop was an interactive area that showed movies and dioramas of the work done by the Civilian Conservation Corps. It also had many more taxidermic animals.

Looking South

Looking North

Monument for the Civilian Conservation Corps

Actual Photo of CCC

We didn't stay too long at the park. The dogs were in the car and we had to keep moving. The second brochure we picked up was for the Kinzua Bridge State Park located in Johnsonburg a few hours away. Apparently, this bridge was once called the 8th Wonder of the World, but it's demise was an F-1 tornado in 2003. Rather than tearing down the bridge, they made an overlook and accessible by all to view the viaduct and the Kinzua Creek Valley. The view of the Fall foliage is supposed to beautiful here the first few weeks of October.

We took the dogs for a walk on the bridge, had some lunch and then headed to the final destination in PA. The Zippo/Case Museum in Bradford, about 30 miles North.

This was one of my favorite stops while traveling. It rates up there with the Largest Ball of Twine in Cawker, Kansas and the Beer Can House in Houston, Texas. It is a bit more corporate than the two, but I love a company which produces in America.

When you arrive at the museum, you are greeted by the 1947 Zippo Car and lampposts topped with huge Zippo lighters. When you enter into the museum, you are instantly tossed into the sales area. There you can purchase any Zippo currently available from iconic to specialty. You go past the sales area and you are thrust into the history of the Zippo Lighter and Case Knives.

1947 Zippo Car

Zippo Street Lights

American Flag of Zippos

"Zippo" by Cesar given 7/18/1997 for the Grand Opening

Political Zippos

Spin the Wheel for an Interactive Experience

The Zippo Clinic. If your Zippo Breaks, They Fix It for Free!

Iconic Zippo Ad Campaigns

For My Canadian Folk

It was a great tour and it costs nothing. Something for everyone to enjoy. My only regret is not getting a lighter. Remember, we are on a budget. I can always order online and know that it will last me a lifetime.

We got back on the road and headed towards the TransContinental Highway. Route 6 split into two roads. Route 6 and Route 6 North. I was torn as to which one we should take, but we were headed towards Amherst, Ohio to see our friend Martha and I wanted to see the Great Lakes, so we took 6N. We had been following the Do 6 signs for hundreds of miles and I was looking forward to seeing Mile Marker 1.

As we approached the border of PA and OH, the mile markers went from the north-side of the road to the south-side of the road. We counted down. MM15. MM14. MM13. I finally figured out that mile marker 1 would be on the north side of the road. We stopped and I was able to get this shot.