I am starting out my blog with a write up of a trip I took in 2009 across the southern half of the state.
There is just something about the Lincoln Highway that creates a strange desire to seek out anything weird. Not weird in a bad way, but weird in a corny, touristy way. And that same desire struck my boyfriend & I as we traversed the Lincoln Highway through Pennsylvania. But first, I will tell you about the reactions we got from people BEFORE going on the trip.
Among the many reactions we got upon telling people where we planned to go were:
- "What's the Lincoln Highway?"
- "Where is that?"
- "But there's nothing there!"
- "Why would you want to do that?"
- "But the turnpike is shorter."
But the answers to those questions are easy.
What is the Lincoln Highway?
The Lincoln Highway is the first transcontinental highway in the United States. It ran from New York City to San Francisco. It was the first chance for motorists to see America while staying on one road. Today that road is now somewhat in disrepair & roughly overlaps several major state & federal highways.
Where is that?
In Pennsylvania, it roughly follows Routes 1 & 30, which is probably only a hop skip & a jump away if you live in the southern portion of the state. In fact, once you get west of York County on Route 30, you encounter many red, white, & blue signs with a penny (Lincoln's head) on it that lead you in the right direction of the Lincoln Highway. You really can't miss it, unless of course you are blind, but then you wouldn't be driving. Onward.
But there's nothing there!
Oh, quite the contrary. I assure you, the Lincoln Highway is home to MANY things you simply cannot see anywhere else. You just can't. So unless you also have Gettysburg or a giant pied piper in your backyard, you are wrong to think there is nothing there.
Why would you want to do that?
Why the hell not? Just because it's not the beach, a roller coaster, or ridden with alcohol doesn't mean it can't be fun. In fact, it was a very fun trip that I would definitely do again.
But the turnpike is shorter.
Okay now granted the Pennsylvania Turnpike takes about 3 hours off the trip. But then you don't get to see anything exciting on your ride, except for maybe the wind farms in Somerset County, depending on your definition of exciting. Also, the Turnpike from Philadelphia to Pittsburgh has quite a toll on it. Over $21, depending where you get on & off . So why not put that extra $21 towards gas & take the exciting route? Why pay an extra 13 cents a mile if you don't have to. Besides, the turnpike is too cliché.
Now that we answered those ridiculous questions, I will tell more about the desire to seek out the weird. I came up with the idea, basically from reading the book
Weird PA by Matt Lake. If you live in PA, & have not read this book, go borrow it from the library & you will have a desire to seek out the weird too. And it's not boring, it has lots of pictures, if that's any encouragement. Throughout the book I noticed that most of the strange & corny attractions were along the Lincoln Highway. So I consulted my boyfriend to see if he wanted to go, & he said yes.
Fast forward 3 months. We finally set off! We hopped on route 30 in Downingtown & headed west. At first it just felt like we were heading to school, & that's rather depressing. But once we passed the Millersville exit & crossed over the Susquehanna river, it began to feel more like an adventure. Once we got past York, PA, I was no longer familiar with the area, which made it feel more like an adventure, seeking to quench my thirsty desire for the unknown.
Our first major stop was Gettysburg. I feel ashamed that I have lived in Pennsylvania my whole life & never once been to Gettysburg. But I finally made it! And I was in for a surprise. I pictured it being quiet & respectful of the bloody battle fought here. But it was kind of the opposite. It was loud & touristy. With lots of drivers who wouldn't drive the speed limit or even seem to notice they weren't the only people there. It's about the same size as Valley Forge Park, but there are many, many more monuments. So many that we didn't get to check them all out for fear of not getting to our next destination in time. It was different than I thought it would be, but I intend to go back & finish being a tourist myself.
Our next major stop was Mr. Ed's Elephant Museum. You might think this sounds ridiculous. In fact you're probably going to close your browser right now, but just at least finish this paragraph first. Mr. Ed's is not your typical museum. First off, it's a tiny shack looking thing on the side of the road. In fact, you might just think it was some shady local candy joint. But good news, they have candy! And it's not shady. If you get a chance, buy some fudge, it's delicious. They also have a kids play room. Yes sounds stupid, but lots of fun for the kid at heart. But when you get into the actual elephant museum you aren't sure what to think. It's so amazing that you really can't even put your thoughts into words. You think, yea, sure, how great could thousands of elephant statues be? But there were so many (besides the fact they were closing) that I don't even know if I got a good look at all of them! Best of all, the magic is free.
We stopped somewhere in Chambersburg for dinner. But that's not important. The important part comes after that. Once you pass Ft. Loudon, your car begins to ascend the first mountain. Tuscarora Mountain - Elevation: 2123 ft. Now if you fear hilly, windy roads, this road is NOT for you. (In fact on the turnpike they warn truckers to beware of route 30 for this mountain. They even use an ellipsis [...] on the sign. They mean business). Also, if you have never driven the mountains before, do not panic if your engine temperature rises, just simply shift it down one gear during the ascent & descent. The views were amazing from the first mountain but the road was so windy that they were gone almost right after you saw them. But they really were amazing. But as the mountain can also tax a car, it can tax your body too. Especially if you are prone to ear popping or nose bleeding. But if you are willing to ignore those problems, then more power to you! We went up another mountain shortly after. Sideling Hill Mountain - Elevation: 2195 feet. But after this mountain you can descend to a hilly but somewhat constant elevation in Breezewood, Everett, & Bedford. In Everett, there is also a giant quarter on the side of the road, begging you to take it's picture.
We spent the night in Bedford. It was strange because the air was so clean compared to at home. Yes we were RIGHT next to the interstate & less than a mile from the turnpike, but the air was STILL cleaner. And it was still quieter, ironically. The next morning we stopped at the Bedford County Visitors Bureau since they never sent me my stuff. We grabbed the usual stuff & an overglorified brochure for Gravity Hill. We saw a giant coffee pot & took a picture of that. Then we headed for the town of Schellsburg. We turned at the only traffic light in town, then set off for Gravity Hill. It wasn't hard to find, but the directions are wrong in the sense that you come up on the end of it instead of the start. So you have to drive a mile or so down this windy narrow road in order to turn around. But we did it, & much to our joy, it works! After that we went back to Schellsburg. We took pictures of the giant Pied Piper statue & some gas pumps. I didn't mention this before but now is as good a time as any!: Along the Lincoln highway, between York & Ligonier (rough estimate) there are 22 vintage gas pumps that were painted for the Lincoln Highway. And there are several murals as well. Worth a look!
Upon departing Schellsburg we began our ascent up the biggest mountain of our trip. Bald Knob Mountain - Elevation: 2906 ft. I later came to find out this is a very well known geological feature called the Allegheny Front. But about halfway up is the site of Grand View Point Lookout. There are plenty of places to pull over on either side of the road. You get out & there is a breath taking view. Supposedly on a clear day you can see 3 states (PA, MD, & WV) & seven counties. And we had a clear day. And there are just so many ridges of mountains that I'm positive we could see WV on that day. This was also the former site of the SS Grand View Ship Hotel. But in 2001 it burned down because the people who owned it felt the need to leave a TV on in there, & it started a fire (that's the rumor anyways). This is also the site of an important geological feature called the Allegheny Front (read as: super steep incline). The Lookout Point is literally halfway up the front... On the way down the mountain we passed a huge wind farm. I'm for wind energy & all, but it just totally ruins any nice views that were previously there. And they are rather distracting being so close to the road. We also passed a giant Praying Mantis statue & a giant Double Bicycle statue.
At the bottom of the mountain we reached Stoystown & Jennerstown before ascending the final mountain. (Laurel Ridge) Ligonier Mountain - Elevation: 2684 ft. Now by the end of this last mountain my ears had had enough of the pressure/altitude changes. They must have popped a million times at this point. At the bottom of the mountain we passed Ft. Ligonier followed by Ligonier. I hate to admit that for lunch we stopped at McDonald's, but we were starving & it was the first thing we saw that we were sure was cheap food for college kids on a road trip budget. We continued driving & in North Huntingdon Township we arrived at the Big Mac Museum. This is really just a hyped up McDonald's with a bunch memorabilia in glass casing. But we did manage to get a picture of the giant Big Mac in the play place.
We continued our journey into Pittsburgh. My boyfriend wasn't too thrilled about this part since he had seen Pittsburgh 2 other times this summer. But I was excited because I've never been there! We continued to follow Route 30 into West Virginia & Ohio. We went over this super shady bridge (literal & metaphorical). This completed our Lincoln Highway journey.
On the trip we also got lost in a random neighborhood in Pittsburgh which wasn't where we were supposed to be at all. And we did take the turnpike on the way home. But the trip was truly an experience. It was relaxing, but inspiring. It was a side of Pennsylvania that most people don't ever get to see in their lifetime. And sadly, most people don't even know it exists. But the Lincoln Highway is a magical place that I hope to travel again sometime, maybe even in full one day, completely across the country. But for now, I will settle for all the happy memories from the Pennsylvanian stretch of the nation's oldest highway.
More information on places mentioned in this blog:
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Gettysburg, PA
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Mister Ed's Elephant Museum (site does have ads & pop-ups)
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Bedford County Visitors Bureau
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Gravity Hill, PA
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McDonald's Big Mac Museum
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Lincoln Highway Heritage Corridor (for all things Lincoln Highway)
