Suburban Girl : Architecture

Picnic Woods Road

Lycoming County is in the section of Pennsylvania

referred to as the Pennsylvania Wilds.

Who doesn't love wild?

Farm in Lycoming County

We planned our time around

the county seat of Lycoming County:

Williamsport

and the

McIntyre Wild Area

(for our dose of Wild)

Old Schoolhouse in Lycoming County

If Williamsport sounds vaguely familiar,

it is probably because this is where the

Little League World Series is held.

Lycoming County

There are a lot of outdoor activities based around

the many state lands.

I did some research and chose the

McIntyre Wild Area

because that was the area with
the greatest number of options

that I thought would be of interest to us.

And it was interesting,

to say the least.

Anyway, we drove directly to the Frazier Covered Bridge.

Lycoming County

Since we were arriving from the southeast

the bridge was 'on the way.'

Frazier Covered Bridge

The bridge is no longer open to vehicular traffic

and is accessed by a little road that cuts through a farm.

Frazier Covered Bridge

From there I planned to photograph a Country Church

AKA Old Moreland Baptist Church.

We found the new Moreland Baptist Church

but our T Mobile gps service

wasn't working

as is usual in more remote places.

So we never found the Old Church.

(We only have t mobile for Europe.

but obviously haven't gone since Covid began.)

Sigh.

We then went to the McIntyre Wild Area

located 30 min north of Williamsport.

We located the Miners Run Waterfall

which can be seen just off of Rock Run Road.

Miners Run Waterfall

From the Miners Run Falls

you can climb up the stream bed (no trail)

and see 5 additional falls within .6 mi.

The best directions to do this are here.

Miners Run Waterfall

As far as photographing the falls,

I was with my husband...(enough said)

and I did not carry a tripod

since with the husband in tow

I would not have had the time to set up

and photograph like a real photographer.

Miners Run Waterfall

Not to be too hard on him because

the conditions were not right for good photos anyway.

The dappled sunlight created bright brights and dark darks.

I did have an 10 stop ND filter

but it if fell off into the water,

which I retrieved because said husband refused to,

but now the glass was foggy

so I didn't use it.

Miners Run Waterfall

After our rigorous hike up

we decided to take a McIntyre Rd to the Band Park Vista.

Oh boy, this WAS wild.

The McIntyre "Road"

The road was possibly a road decades ago,

now it is a crater like abandoned path.

I DO NOT recommend doing this with

any vehicle that does not have

high clearance and AWD or 4WD!

Between the dappled light and the puddles

we had a hard time seeing the craters

and no idea how deep they were until we were in them.

Band Rock Vista

Close to the vista the 'road' has a loop.

We parked the car there and walked the rest of the way.

That was a very good decision

as the road gets even worse.

Band Rock Vista

The view was beautiful

and the weather spectacular!

The view from here is 180 degrees.

Band Rock Vista

Two roads of the McIntyre Wild Area

From here we went back to Williamsport

and check into the Holiday Inn Express (good experience there)

conveniently located near the

Riverfront Path of the West Branch Susquehanna River.

We road our bikes on the path.

West Branch Susquehanna River Path in red.

Followed by a ride down Millionaires' Row lining 4th Street,

The homes once belonged to the Lumber Barons of Williamsport.

If you love residential architecture

Millionaires' Row will make you swoon.

Up next was dinner at Boom City Brewing Company.

After dinner, we blindly set out to find a good spot for sunset

and fortunately found Picnic Woods Road

over looking a farmed valley.

Sunset, Jersey Shore PA

It was soooo worth it.

The clouds were amazing.

Sunset, Jersey Shore PA

Day 2 began with another bike ride.

This time we road 31 miles

on the beautiful

Pine Creek Rail Trail

which we accessed via a small town curiously called

Jersey Shore

15 mi west of Williamsport.

The photos speak for themselves:

Pine Creek Rail Trail

Yes, all 31 miles were worth it as well.

When we returned to Williamsport

we took a trolley tour (cash only, recommend exact change)

which explained much of the history of Williamsport

and we saw a lot of things we would have

otherwise missed.

Mansions in Williamsport

There are more beautiful homes located

off the beaten path of Millionaires Row.

You can find them near

Belmont Ave & Campbell St.

and

Grampian Blvd & Franklin St.

Mansions in Williamsport

The trolley tour also includes

past and present Little League information.

First Little League Game Statue

If you can do this tour,

do it early in your trip

then you can revisit the things

that interest you.

Brick carvings depicting transportation modes

After our Trolley Tour

we ate a late lunch at

Bullfrog Brewery.

(The portabella mushroom sandwich

was the best I've ever had.)

Then we left for home.

Here are additional ideas you can trade out

or add to your itinerary:

In Williamsport at the intersection of 3rd & Market Street there is a "Bases Loaded" sculpture installation depicting a little league field using each corner, then located throughout the town you will see an occasional outfielder. It is really cute. I didn't know about this until the trolley tour and then it was too late for me to go back and photograph it.
A few interesting sites to watch for throughout the town: St James Ep. Church, Williamsport City Hall, English Center Suspension Bridge, The Old Jail (now a night club)
Two additional covered bridges we didn't see: Buttonwood and Cogan House.
Hiawatha Riverboat. We just didn't have the time but the weather was so beautiful it would have been lovely to do.
Lebo Vista."This vista is located at the end of Lebo Road and is a spot that you can drive right up to. From here, there are expansive views overlooking this impressive gorge and the area to the north from 1,300 feet above Pine Creek." (uncoveringpa.com)
There are lots of state parks and lands with trails, views and waterfalls.
Riverfront Park
' "Inspiration Lycoming County" is the world's largest portrait mural. Painted by famed mural artist Michael Pilato, the mural depicts the history of Lycoming County.' (PAwilds.com)