The weather was perfect. It was cool enough to need a light jacket, breezy but not too windy, and slightly overcast. No one needed to worry about sunburn.
The farmers market was pretty typical of the kind of vendors we've seen at other farmers markets. Only one stand actually sold farm products. In the afternoon, Jay and I bought bought a cookie bar to snack on while waiting for our train ride.
Because we got to Jim Thorpe so early in the morning (in order to get a parking space), we had time to walk around town and look at all the shops and restaurants lining the streets. We didn't go into any of the shops, but we did have breakfast at the Bear Appetite Cafe.
After eating, we walked up the big hill to the Asa Packer Mansion. It wasn't open for tours when we got there, so we walked around the grounds until we could get into the mansion. Asa Packer made his millions as a railroad man and founded Lehigh University. His home was richly decorated with a lot of hand carved mahogany wood and beautiful chandeliers.
Right next to Asa Packer's mansion is the home of his son, Harry Packer. The Harry Packer Mansion is now a bed and breakfast hotel that holds murder mystery weekends. It's very fitting given that the Harry Packer Mansion was used as part of the inspiration for the design of the exterior of the Haunted Mansion in DisneyWorld.
By 1pm, we were ready to rest ourselves on a relaxing train ride. We boarded the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway train. We passed by many people enjoying the biking trail through the state park, as well as people in canoes and kayaks in the Lehigh River.
The fall foliage was very pretty, although we didn't see much of the bright reds we usually have at this time of year. Perhaps the rain and warmer temperatures had an affect on the coloring. Still, seeing the mountains full of beautifully colored trees was an awesome sight to behold. No one puts on a show that can top Mother Nature.
No comments:
Post a Comment