Blue Rock Station,
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-740-674-4300 (phone)
+1-740-674-6303 (fax)
Or contact us by e-mail.
1190 Virginia Ridge Rd.
Philo Ohio 43771 USA
+1-
Or contact us by e-
Copyright 2008 Blue Rock Station, All Rights Reserved
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To prevent deja vu, alter your view for leaf gazing
Sunday, September 17, 2006
By Bob Batz Jr., Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
NEWS FLASH: The region is morphing from mostly green to golds and oranges and reds. The change already has commenced in the north and at higher elevations and is expected to move down through October.
Oh, we know this spectacle, like stories about it, hasn't much changed for hundreds of years. But who can resist? For something different this season, you could alter your viewpoint and try enjoying the fall foliage from a different perspective.
From a wagon. You can see colorful, unpaved parts of Armstrong County you never knew existed on a horse-drawn ride, promises Dragon Run Forge & Livery near Cowansville. Denise Brinsfield says the fall wagon rides are especially popular, which is fine because she and her family love to go out then, too. For $250, a group of guests get up to three hours in the wagon, which can hold 10 passengers (more if they're smaller). She says it's very "de-stressing," in part because it's slow, which not many things are these days. And there can be a campfire after. Visit www.dragonrunlivery.com or 724-543-3367.
On horseback. Of the many places that offer riding, Hickory Creek Wilderness Ranch has one of the best locations -- near Tidioute, Warren County, surrounded by the Allegheny National Forest and near Hickory Creek Wilderness Area. The cool, nonbuggy fall is the best, says rancher Jennifer Heenan. "The horses are real spirited, because they're feeling good, too." Rides range from $40 for two hours to $120 for six hours and lunch, and there's a $55 steak dinner ride. There are sleepover options, too, including the "bunkhouse" and a campground (www.hickorycreek ranch.com and 1-814-484-7520).
Leading a llama. For something really unusual, visit Blue Rock Station, a sustainable living center just south of Zanesville in east-central Ohio. It's home to Ohio's first "Earthship," a sustainable home made from tires and bottles, that you can tour. But this time of year, it's lovely to trek out into the surrounding woodlands with two of the center's four llamas. They don't carry you, but they carry your pack and a snack to eat in a grove of flaming sugar maples.
"The color is beyond belief," says Annie Warmke. After an hour or two (including a llama "poo break") it's back to Earthship center for a three-course lunch of local produce and hot British tea. Treks ($35 adults, $25 children 12 and under, including lunch) are available by appointment, mostly on Fridays and Sundays. Nearby is Blue Rock State Park and the 4,500-acre Blue Rock State Forest and McConnellsville and its four museums, all about a 2 1/2-hour drive from Pittsburgh. Learn more about the center and area attractions at www.bluerockstation.com or 1-740-674-4300.
From a fire tower. At Cook Forest State Park, you always can make the 80-foot climb up the retired No. 9 Fire Tower, which, on a clear day, lets you see for 15 to 20 miles. And on some days, the park opens the "box" on top for tours and programs. The fall schedule wasn't complete at press time, but you can contact the park at www.dcnr.state.pa.us and 1-814-744-8475.
From a ski lift. For its Fall Fest on Oct. 14-15 and Oct. 21-22, Peek'n Peak Resort & Conference Center in New York's southwestern corner offers all kinds of free fun, but the high point has to be the ski lift rides. Spokesman Chip Day says, "The view on the way back down overlooking the valleys below is really breathtaking" (www.navr.org or 1-716-355-4141).
On a dogsled. Nor do you need snow to go dogsledding, not at Husky Power Dogsledding near Deep Creek Lake in Western Maryland's Garrett County. Their dogs love to train year-round, and guests can help by being pulled on a new German-made Touri dogsledding cart, one of only a few in the United States.
Linda Herdering says a "dryland mushing" adventure involves a musher and up to two adult passengers plus up to two child passengers pulled by eight to 12 dogs. She says that while on a lower snow sled you can't see much more than "dog butts," the Touri gives you a better view of how the dogs work. Cost runs from $10 for a 10-minute ride to $150-$195 per person ($95 per child) for a several-hour "musher experience," and custom group visits are available, too. For details including the schedule and to make reservations: www. HuskyPowerDogsledding.com and 1-301-746-7200.
From a hot-air balloon. Fall is the favorite flying time of Jeff Davis, the pa in the ma-and-pa operation that is WindsAloft. The Somerset County family offers wonderfully quiet and low hourlong flights over the mountains, which shine now.
"You have this palette of color -- it's just beautiful," says Mr. Davis. "And then you throw in a few critters ..." Cost is $175 per adult and $75 per child ages 10-14, which includes, for adults, a champagne toast upon landing (www.windsaloftballooning.com and 1-814-443-3625). Ragge & Willow USA Inc. is a balloon and airship company based in Bovard, Westmoreland County, that offers "Fall Colour Tours" of 60 to 90 minutes for $250 per person (ragge-and-willow.com and 724-836-4777).
"Western Pennsylvania fall foliage is publicized in Europe," says co-owner Sigrun Koestler, a native of Germany. "People who live here don't appreciate what they have."
From a plane. Every day during the Autumn Leaf Festival in Clarion -- Sept. 30 to Oct. 8 -- you can hire an airplane ride from the Clarion County Airport. Fifteen to 20 minutes costs $25 per adult and $23 per child (12 and younger), or three people can rent the whole plane for $125 an hour (1-814-226-9993). Rides are available at other times, too. And on Oct. 1, there's a Fly-in and Drive-in Breakfast there. For more on the festival: www.clarionpa.com.
From a chopper. Cherokee Helicopter Service also will take you up to see the trees from above -- for about $1,800 per 1 1/2 hours for up to five people (www.cherokeehelicopter.com and 724-845-9132). Besides a standard Pittsburgh tour, says owner Ken Walker, "We'll take people wherever they want to go."
From your own chopper: You can find self-guided motorcycle tours through the Alleghenies at the Web site www.thealleghenies.com).
On track. Fall is the bread-and-butter for excursion railroads, and there are several of them around the region offering extra trips. A nearby one is the Kiski Junction Railroad in Schenley in Armstrong County. Cost for the roughly one-hour round-trip on the Allegheny River is $9 for adults, $8 for seniors 60 and older, and $7 for 4- to 17-year-olds. Reservations are required (www.kiskijunction.com and 724-295-5577).
VWH Campbell, Post-Gazette
A mother and son view the colors of fall on Two Mile Run Road in Ligonier on a morning walk.
Click photo for larger image.
