My wife buys potted flowering plants in order to entertain, but then she allows them to die in their pots. This time around, instead of letting them die, I decided to take them to the graves of my grandparents on both sides, just to give them a place to live and grow. The graves near New Bethlehem, see below, had been neglected for decades. I thought I would find our family graves at Rockland (Venango County) in the same sad state. But I did not. My aunt or cousin is maintaining them beautifully, so instead of planting flowers, I took a hike.
Little did I know that there’s a long, narrow lane that descends from the Rockland area all the way into the valley of the Allegheny River, as it passes through the northern forests. People have vacation homes down here, and it really is beautiful. There’s an old rail trail called the Allegheny River Trail, which runs at times between people’s lavish summer homes and their riverside decks and picnic tables—right through private property.
I followed the trail a little over 2 miles southward, where it passes through some state game lands and through some very expensive looking pieces of private real estate.
There was this strange little place…
And a few of the summer homes out here were old and modest.
This place might be a year-round home—palatial with lots of outdoor space and terraced decks down to the water.
It was sunny and cool with just enough of a breeze to keep things fresh. The birds were all in concert. The shade was deep and comforting. Such a beautiful walk alongside the river of my life. I like having a life-river. I’ve lived all over the world and the nation, but I keep returning to places where my old original river still flows. I need to put the kayaks in this summer…
The rail trail doubles as a road in places, which is not the best of all worlds. But it would be worth coming back to this hidden place of hidden luxury escapes.
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