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Mount Tammany – A Great First Solo Hike

Leave a Comment / Melinda MacArthur / March 23, 2023

I’m afraid of going on solo hikes. Since I was young, every time I explored the woods above my house, I was with my brother, friends, or dad. Rarely would I go up there on my own. I’d heard stories of mountain lions, snakes, and bears (oh my!). And BOY have I seen plenty of snakes and bears. Mountain Lions? Not yet thank God. The only thing scarier to me than the wildlife are people, due to the occasional kidnapping in the woods stories you hear on the news. Especially for females. Mad props to everyone who solo thru-hikes anything. I could never.

That being said, I don’t want to have to wait on people to go on hikes and adventures and explore. Slowly but surely I’m working on getting out of my comfort zone, and learning to embrace a little risk (A little risk analysis never hurt anyone). Mount Tammany was the first proper solo hike I’ve been on (!!!) and I’m quite proud of myself for doing it.

The Red Dot

Mount Tammany is a beautiful mountain, reaching high above the Delaware Water Gap, right off Route 80 on the border of NJ and PA. The typical route is the red dot/blue dot loop, which is where you hike up the mountain on the red dot trail, come down on the blue dot, and finish off from the Appalachian trail for a short spell. It’s a little over 3.5 miles in total. I found this hike initially through a friend and then got a little more info from AllTrails (no, not sponsored by them…. yet…).

If/when you decide to hike up Mount Tammany, keep a few things in mind. First, the parking lot is confusing. There are a few of them. My GPS directed me to one further down that ended up being closed off so I missed the better parking lot. I then had to K-turn and go under the underpass to park on the other side of the highway because it was a one-way to get to the good parking lot. I then had to WALK back under the underpass with no sidewalk while hearing the roar of 18-wheelers above me and hope that some ding-dong wouldn’t come flying through the underpass and hit me. It was a terrifying 30 seconds. 0/10. Ok it wasn’t actually that bad, but you get the point.

Second, prepare for a lot of rock scrambling. Once you’ve made it to the correct parking lot (the Not-Appalachian-Trail Parking Lot), you start the Red Dot trail. You can go the other way up/around the mountain if you’d prefer, starting on the Appalachian Trail. Who am I to tell you what to do? It’s a loop either way. Anyway. Assuming you follow the way I did-starting on the red dot first- the rock scrambling starts pretty quickly. It is a mountain, so I feel like it’s to be expected, but I do want to give everyone the heads up anyway.

The views just keep getting better and better as you climb higher. There were 2 times when I questioned, “is this the summit??” and the answer was no. Keep climbing. The summit was windy. Super windy. I went from sweating because of all the rock scrambling to freezing cold in a matter of minutes. While I had initially planned on eating my lunch there, I changed my mind REAL FAST after experiencing the wind. I took a minute to capture a couple of pictures and then continued on the trail, which turns into the blue dot trail at the summit.

The Blue Dot

The blue dot trail is much more chill than the red dot. No rock scrambling, no jaw-dropping views of the valley (sigh), just a lot of flat land for a bit. It follows the ridge line; so you’re still high up, and you see ~some~ cool views, but they’re not nearly as exciting as the red dot. I still had yet to eat my lunch, so finding a good spot for my hammock was my highest priority. Within about 15 minutes, I found a spot right off the trail that dipped down and out of view of other hikers. Propped up my hammock, brought out my PB&J, and started munching. I was writing a bit in my travel journal when all of a sudden, I hear a woodpecker.

A Brief Interlude to Discuss Woodpeckers

I LOVE woodpeckers. I love all birds, period, but woodpeckers are definitely higher on my list than most. They’re such funny lil things- just like pecking trees to get some lunch. Iconic. I had my camera on me, so it was time to try to get a video. I slunk around, trying to get a good view of the woodpecker and film it. It was such a beautiful woodpecker! A red-bellied woodpecker, to be precise. The lil man was just doing his thing and doing such a marvelous job at it. Seeing that lil guy was by far the highlight of the whole hike. Views? Fantastic. WOODPECKER? Even better. I just wish I’d brought my binoculars smh. After bird-watching for a good minute, my bird friend flew off, presumably to another insect-infested tree for dessert.

Unfortunately, the video footage I have didn’t come out very well— all the more reason to buy another camera that’s not as old as me.

And… back to the solo hike

At that point, I decided it was probably best to continue my hike, so I packed up my hammock and continued on the blue dot trail. The blue dot will gradually start going downhill, and while it isn’t rock scrambling, it can still be a tad tricky to get down, so be careful. It merges with the Green trail, briefly, and you get to follow a pretty creek.

It then connects to the Appalachian Trail (white), which I honestly was not anticipating so I did get a little confused and had to ask another hiker if I was going in the right direction. Spoiler alert: I was. Thank you, fellow hiker, you saved the day. This is why it’s always good to have a trail map/picture on you.

That brought me back to the Appalachian Trail parking lot, which was only a few minutes walk away from the dreaded underpass.

I slept really well that night let me tell ya.

Mount Tammany is beautiful, tiring, and overall, a good time. It was a perfect intro solo hike for me since it wasn’t a long hike and there were plenty of other hikers on the trail. I will still continue to be scared while going on a solo hike/doing anything, but I definitely feel a bit braver now. And very happy I got a video of the woodpecker, even though it came out blurry 🙂

Thanks for reading! Drop a comment if you’ve been to Mount Tammany/what you thought of it!
Is there a solo hike you recommend?

Until next time,
-Mac

Mac on their solo hike of Mount Tammany — *^{Back when I had long hair lol}*

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How to go on a proper Philly Adventure

Leave a Comment / Melinda MacArthur / June 9, 2022

I lived in Philly for about 8 months. There were highs and lows, good and bad, and plenty of lessons learned. Now that I’ve moved out of Philly, I’ve had plenty of time to reflect, and I want to share some of what I learned with you all–especially for those of you who may be interested in moving to Philly. Keep in mind that I am not a city person, I grew up in middle-of-nowhere North Jersey so my perspective is a bit different than most. That being said, here’s your guidebook to a proper Philly adventure. Enjoy!

My Personal Philly Bucket List

One of the biggest highlights of living in Philly-or any city really- is that there is always a TON to do. They have stuff for everyone-museums, fun activities, delectable foods, strong drinks, and coffee shops aplenty.

Museums

The Franklin Institute: Easily one of my favorite places in Philly. A science museum with plenty of hands-on activities. While this is generally geared towards families with kids, I definitely went a few times with friends. A wonderful way to bring out your inner child. The Astronaut Ice Cream in the gift shop is an absolute must-have. The last time I went, the IMAX theater was still closed due to COVID. But if you have the chance to watch an IMAX film, do it. It’s an incredible feeling of being completely immersed in your surroundings, and the next-closest thing to virtual reality.
The Academy of Natural Sciences: Part of Drexel University and the oldest natural science museum in the Americas. Perhaps the coolest thing in this museum is the dioramas, displays of taxidermied animals in their natural habitats. It feels like being in a zoo of sorts. A zoo frozen in time is the best way to describe it.
The Museum of the American Revolution: To me, this felt like I was in my 8th-grade social studies class all over again, but on steroids. Take a step back in time to learn about the Revolution-how the war came to be, some of the major battles, the challenges faced by Indigenous People, how black people were treated during the war, and plenty more. For all you tea people out there, they have a “cocoa tea” in the gift shop that is surprisingly tasty. I expected it to taste like watered-down hot chocolate but it doesn’t. Rather, it’s a refreshing tea that has just the right amount of sweetness (in my personal preference).
The Art Museum: There is so much to say about the art museum and so little time, though I feel it speaks for itself. An overwhelming amount of artwork that seemingly never ends. Don’t fret if you can’t see it all at once- a general admission ticket works for two days. I spent a few hours there once and barely scratched the surface of what there is to see. I’d recommend going on the first Sunday of the month or Friday nights for free admission.
The Mütter Museum: Go here if you have a strong stomach and a desire to look at weird stuff. I, for one, do not have a strong stomach and felt a bit faint about halfway through. That’s about all I’m willing to say about that. Very fascinating museum nonetheless though, with a room of human skulls, an area of bizarre bone deformities, and the largest human poop.
The Liberty Bell Center: It’s a whole National Historic Park. In the middle of Philly. Can’t get much better than that. Pack a lunch to enjoy on the green, and be prepared to wait in line for a while to see the actual liberty bell. I haven’t actually been in the museum portion of it, the outdoor section is pretty fascinating.
Penn Museum: Another one of my favorite museums in Philly- a lot of global history, ranging from the Aztecs to Africa to Asia. The Ancient Egypt exhibit is perhaps the most profound though-they have real mummies there. Like, those are the bodies of actual people who once lived on this earth. It really strikes you when you come across the first one, and leaves you with a bit of existential dread.
Independence Seaport Museum: Ok so I still haven’t actually been to this museum but my brother and I did go to their submarine. The sub was an interesting experience-picturing yourself hundreds of feet underwater in this cramped sub and trying to not die in a war. Surreal for sure. I’m sure the museum is great too I just haven’t made it there yet :/

Some museums that I wanted to visit but haven’t made my way to yet (unfortunately) are the Rodin Museum, the Barnes Foundation, and the National Museum of American Jewish History, though there are plenty of other museums to check out. Philly is a wonderful city for all history buffs out there.

looking down one of the blocks in the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia, PA. — ^{Eastern State Penitentiary}

books in the Philly Aids bookstore, notably "cette nuit la liberté" — ^{Cette Nuit La Liberté in Philly AIDS bookstore}

Activities

This is kinda a broad category of things you definitely gotta go to while in Philly, just because. I could go on and on about what there is to do in terms of random activities but these are my top recs.

Blue Cross Riverrink: They have a Summerfest and a Winterfest-so no matter when you go there’s plenty of fun for the whole family. It’s a roller-skating rink in the summer and an ice skating rink in the winter. There are plenty of activities ranging from mini-golf to amusement park games, to food and drinks aplenty. And right on the river too.
Eastern State Penitentiary: Ok so this does fall into the museum category as well but I’m putting it here for their “Terror Behind the Walls” in October. As a museum, it’s dope as hell–plenty to see and learn about (you get to see Al Capone’s cell) and it’s cool to wander the grounds and pretend you’re in an episode of Orange Is the New Black. I haven’t done “Terror Behind the Walls” but I’ll be damned if I don’t make it there this October since everyone raves about it.
Mural tour: They have a proper mural tour for the city, but it’s honestly just really nice to walk around and enjoy the inspiring murals throughout the city. There is so much incredible talent casually strewn across buildings.
Kimmel Center for Performance: I saw John Mulaney here. 10/10 would recommend. Great for all theater nerds out there, as well as anyone into comedy, orchestra, and plenty more.
Dilworth Park: It’s kind of hard to miss Dilworth Park while in Philly. It surrounds city hall and hosts plenty of events throughout the year. I would highly recommend going during December when it turns into a giant Winter Village full of shops to purchase holiday gifts for friends and family.
The Magic Gardens: I feel like this could be classified as a museum because of the indoor section but I’m putting it under fun activities because it doesn’t feel super museum-y. Jaw-dropping mosaic artwork by Isaiah Zagar and there’s nothing else quite like it. It feels like you’re getting dropped into a maze in an I SPY book.
Night Life: Y’all there is so much to do if you’re over 21 in Philly. I didn’t go out much because I was bartending most nights until 3 AM. Given that, I don’t think I’m necessarily the best person to give advice on where to go. That said, if you identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, it’s a rite of passage to go to Woody’s Gay Bar. At least once. There are other gay bars in the area, but I found that as a queer woman specifically there were rarely other women at other bars so usually I stuck to Woody’s.
Manayunk Main Street: So many restaurants and quaint little shops to check out, as well as a path that runs along the Schuykill River, with the opportunity to see turtles. Doesn’t get much better than that in my opinion. My personal fave place is Valerio Coffee Roasters right on Main Street.
Cherry Street Pier: Definitely a place where you have to look ahead of time to see what events are planned. Feminist flea markets, dance parties, a gorgeous beer garden, and studio spaces for artists to work/display their artwork. There is always something going on.
Watch a Sporting Event: Football, hockey, baseball, basketball, no matter the sport, Philly games are iconic. Philadelphia sports fans are truly on another level, and for proof of that, look no further than when the Eagles won the Super Bowl back in 2018.

"the works of the insane" mosaic from the Magic Gardens in Philadelphia, PA. — ^{One of many quotes from Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens}

Mac and friends taking a goofy picture together at the Magic Gardens in Philadelphia, PA

Restaurants/Coffee Shops

Philly has great food. A lot of it. Like, a lot a lot. These are my favorite haunts from my time in Philly (restaurants and coffee shops alike) and I’m sure you’ll find one that fits your fancy. Don’t hate on me if I didn’t get the “real good places or whatever” this is a wholly personal preference. I’m not much of a foodie, so these are just the places that stuck out for me. Trust me, there are a TON of places that I still want to go to but haven’t made it there yet.

Angelo’s Pizzaria: Ok Ok so I know the whole “Pat’s and Gino’s” debate about who has the best Philly cheesesteak and how you “have to try both of them” but imagine my surprise when I learned that most Philadelphians feel kinda “eh” about them. I still haven’t been. You wanna know a phenomenal Philly Cheesesteak place though? Angelo’s. Right on 9th and Fitzwater and the best Philly Cheesesteak I’ve ever had.
Sampan: The best way to explain Sampan is pan-Asian appetizers. I think they have bigger plates too, but every time I went, my friends and I would just get a bunch of the appetizers and split them. They’re SO GOOD too. While you’re there, check out the graffiti bar in the back it’s really fascinating and the bartenders there are really great.
Tom’s Dim Sum: Tastiest Dim Sum in the city, for sure. If I had the money I’d go there every. Single. Day. The dumplings are delicious and definitely a must-try, though everything on the menu is pretty good.
McGillan’s: The oldest running tavern in Philly- and for good reason. Great food, great vibes, and great drinks. Warning though: the ciders will get you very hungover. I learned that one the hard way, unfortunately.
Reading Terminal Market: Another absolute must-see in Philly. A staple of Philadelphia, Reading Terminal Market is a ginormous indoor market with food stalls of all kinds, deli meats, fresh food, coffee, and gifts. One of their merchants, Luhv, sells 100% vegan deli meats, for those of you who may be interested.
Fresh Donuts: Y’all gotta try their apple fritters here. Hands down the best apple fritters out there. As someone from NJ who is rather proud of our bagels, Fresh Donuts does pretty well on their breakfast sandwiches. Also, everything there is dirt cheap, so you know it’s gonna be hella good. I’d recommend calling ahead of time.
Moshulu: If you’re looking for a fancy date night right on the water, look no further- Moshulu is your spot. Bit pricey, but well worth it. Should probably be a fan of seafood to go here.
Cake and Joe: One of the coolest coffee shops in the city, in my humble opinion. And I’ve been to quite a few. The presentation for their pastries is to die for, coffee is pretty good, and they have “calpis,” a Japanese drink that tastes kinda like yogurt. Unsure how exactly to describe it but it was quite fascinating to me.
Dizengoff: If you’re a hummus fan, please go here. Outside of hummus, they don’t have much else but this is perfect for a light, mouth-watering snack or lunch.
Bar Bombón: Ideal for anyone with a vegan diet-100% of menu items are vegan. But it doesn’t taste vegan it’s kinda wild. I was convinced their cheese was real cheese… but it’s not. Very tasty food, very wonderful experience.
Nine Ting Restaurant: Y’all I had never heard of hot pot or had any idea of what it was prior to going to Nine Ting, and let me tell you, it was an EXPERIENCE. For those of you who don’t know what it is, think of a Hibachi grill where you’re your own chef. All you can eat. Bring a bunch of friends and your own alcohol for a night to remember.
Lil Nonna’s: Some of the best Italian food in the city, if not the best. The garlic bread is truly a gift from heaven, and I will stand by that until the day I die.

a calpis from Cake&Joe, a coffee shop in South Philadelphia, PA. — ^{Calpis from Cake&Joe- very tasty!}

the inside of Cake&Joe, a beautiful coffee shop nestled in south philadelphia — ^{Cake&Joe coffee shop-absolutely perfect}

Philly Advice

Have a student ID? Bring it with you to the museums for a discount. I graduated from college last year, but I still brought my ID everywhere with me and definitely saved myself a good couple of bucks.
If you’re looking to save a couple of bucks and don’t mind walking a bit through the neighborhoods, peek around for free parking. Spot Angels (I love this app) is great at helping you find those places, though of course, double-check the signs just in case. And if a neighborhood doesn’t feel safe, it’s probably not. Septa (their public transportation system) can take you just about anywhere and google maps is great at telling you what bus/subway/trolley to get on/where.
When using Septa, be aware of the pass you’re purchasing. The first time I accidentally somehow managed to purchase a week pass for $25 and then used it exactly once. Don’t ask how but it was a huge waste. I think they have weekend options, but definitely plot out where you’re going to figure out if it’s worth it to do that or just get a new pass every time you’re using it. Cards are available at the trolley, subway, and train stations, but not the random stops throughout the city, so if you’re taking the bus and don’t have a pass, bring $2.50 with ya per trip. Exact change, I’m pretty sure.
BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS. I grew up in a town where not a lot of crime happened, so moving to Philly honestly scared the sh-daylights out of me. Bring pepper spray with you, but be aware that most bars will take it if they find you have it on you. Same with sporting events. I lost a good canister of pepper spray this way RIP. Just be smart with what you’re doing, who you’re talking to, and where you’re walking.
Along with that, if a neighborhood feels sketchy, it’s probably sketchy, and you should probably leave.
If you’re planning on drinking, bring your ID (obv), and make sure other people with you have theirs/are 21 if you’re close to the drinking age. In Pennsylvania, all people at the table have to be 21 or older for someone to have a drink, unless it’s like, parents and their kids or something. Went on a date and my date didn’t have her ID, so even though we were both over 21, I wasn’t allowed to drink. Bit of a bizarre rule but something to keep in mind.
Bit of bartending advice: for the love of God, please know what you’re ordering before getting up to the bar, especially at a nightclub when it’s busy. Us bartenders have a constant line of people, so make it easier for everyone and don’t ask what we recommend. It will either be a vodka soda or a $42 shot of Don Julio 1942 depending on our mood. Along with that, tip your bartenders/servers. Please.
Have fun! Walk around places, stop at all the cute shops that strike your fancy (Open House is probably my favorite), and be sure to check in to see what events are happening while you’re there. You never know what you’ll find in the city.

Alright y’all, I think that’s about everything I’ve got for Philly! I’m sure there’s some stuff that I’m missing, but that’ll get you started. Above everything, plan your trip ahead of time but keep an open mind, and it’ll be a blast.

If you enjoyed this, take a look at my Resources page where I’ll have other bucket list ideas and plenty more fun stuff!

Until next time,
-MAC

a philly adventure in the ball pit of Concourse nightclub

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The City of Concrete Succumbing to the Elements

1 Comment / Melinda MacArthur / February 4, 2022

For all of you urban explorers out there, I’ve got a fun spot for you. The Concrete City in Nanticoke, PA, is a short drive southwest of Wilkes-Barre. Ripe with history, graffiti, and full of abandoned homes to explore, this is the perfect spot for a day trip.

Back in August, my friend Jaye hit me up to go on an adventure with her to Concrete City. She sent me a link to the Uncovering PA blog about it and after checking it out, I eagerly agreed. There were a few things that stood out to me. First, the City is open to the public, which means you don’t have to worry about trespassing (a blessing). Secondly, its history. I love checking out old places just to learn about what things were like back when they were in all their glory and imagine how people lived back then.

Our Trek In

*_{The haunting view of going up to the second floor}*

We decided to go on a beautiful Tuesday-birds were chirping, warm air, and playlist at the ready. It’s about a 2-hour drive from Philly, so plan accordingly. Tucked away from society, you have to park along Front Street and hike your way to the City. The coordinates for the city are 41.190043, -75.975617. From my understanding, there are two ways in. Uncovering PA explains the first option where you follow a trail from Front Street until you see the ruins. The other way–I don’t even know how Jaye and I found it tbh- is hiking from Front Street to Hughes Street and following a trail behind some houses, which takes you to a different side of the city. As far as I can tell, both ways work great, they just pop you out at different locations.

Jaye and I were incredibly excited when we got our first glimpse of the city, no more than a half-mile into our hike. There were two duplexes, one on either side of us, and our hearts soared knowing we officially made it. Within seconds, we realized we could smell a bonfire. It was a strong scent, but we didn’t see any smoke, nor could we tell what direction it came from. Only mildly perturbed, we decided to make a loop of all the houses, checking out each duplex top to bottom.

Some Brief Background Info on the concrete city

The Concrete City is 20 duplex homes laid out in a rectangular shape. There’s a basement and two floors to check out in each home. Jaye and I felt comfortable going up to the second floor and poking around but it’s still not the safest. There used to be a beautiful courtyard in the middle of the homes, complete with a swimming pool for the families to enjoy, but now the entire area is overgrown. (I found some really cute mushrooms though so that was definitely a plus). The houses are built from concrete and metal rods, which is a bit bizarre at first.

According to PA Bucket List, after a mere 11 years of inhabitance, the entire city was abandoned. This was primarily due to septic problems (or rather, a “lack of a septic system” problem), in 1924. Concrete buildings are also apparently quite damp and dreary to live in no matter the septic system.

While the houses are identical (structurally), I would still recommend checking all of them out anyway. We found that the graffiti in all the houses are unique and fun in their own way, and it’s also cool to see how each house is falling to the elements after nearly 100 years of abandonment. Jaye and I spent the whole day going house to house, checking both sides of the duplexes. We CAUTIOUSLY checked out the basements and found that many of them were flooding. Some of the houses were even starting to sink into the ground. We decided it best to avoid spending much time in those houses.

*_{A unique view right down the middle of a duplex, where the wall was destroyed}*

Disclaimer: The Concrete City is an inherently dangerous environment. Please proceed with caution at all times. You may visit at your own risk. Miniventure Mac is here to inform you what is available to check out, but you are responsible for assuming the risk of personal injury, damage to personal property, or any other incidents that may occur while visiting Concrete City.

We took a short break for lunch in one of the duplexes. Jaye told me afterward that this was her favorite part of the trip because “all I could think about was how, over 100 years ago, some coal miner and his family sat and enjoyed a meal in the same spot. It was beautiful and haunting to be so starkly reminded of how full life in these houses used to be.” And it really was.

About halfway through checking out the homes, we came across a nice friendly snake. I actually accidentally almost stepped on it when coming out of one of the houses and my heart skipped several beats, to put it lightly. Not a fan of snakes. Never have been, never will be. I blame that on my dad because he’s not scared of anything except snakes. So again, do be careful if you decide to visit Concrete City; there’s plenty of wildlife out there.

On the plus side, there are also some cute mushrooms. Please, enjoy this picture:

_{Mushrooms Peeking Out of the Ground}
_{by Melinda MacArthur}

Our Horror Movie Moment of the Day

Perhaps the most frightening thing we came across was when we were exploring one of the flooded buildings. As far as we could tell, the flooding was exclusively in the basements when we went, but by now there may be even more on the ground level. We climbed down just a stair or two leading into the basement before realizing the whole basement was entirely flooded. Easily a good 4 or 5 feet of water.

Jaye shined her flashlight to see if there was any cool graffiti and there was none. No graffiti. In all the other buildings that had flooding, there was at least some graffiti that was likely put there before the flooding. The only thing we could see was “SAVE ME” written in all caps on the far side of the basement, inches above the water level. A chill ran through both of us, and suddenly the air felt a bit colder. I have no doubt that it was just some kid goofing off but still, to swim across the water to write that ??? Terrifying. I hope they didn’t get some kind of infection from the water since Lord knows what’s festering in it. Jaye says that to this day it still creeps her out a bit.

At long last, we made our way right back to where we started. In the last house we went in we finally found answers to the mystery of the bonfire. Someone apparently had a bonfire in the house, no more than maybe a day or so prior to us arriving. The whole room was black with soot, and the air was pungent. Bottles littered the ground, and it was outright depressing to think what little regard some people have for this place.

A bit of good

As we were leaving, we passed a man cleaning up the area. He had a plastic bag and a trash picker in hand and that helped us feel a bit better about people doing their part to keep this historical location clean.

A tip for myself for future travels is to talk to strangers more. I regret not asking the guy about the area because he probably had some form of connection to it, given that he was taking his time to freshen it up a bit.

Overall though, it was a wonderful day trip, and Jaye and I have plans to do some more urbex exploring in the future, so stay tuned for that 🙂

Until next time,
-MAC
P.S. Shoutout Jaye for the dope pictures

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A Pennsylvania Treasure: The White Cliffs of Conoy

Leave a Comment / Melinda MacArthur / April 30, 2021

I’ll be completely honest with y’all: I found out about the White Cliffs from a TikTok. Say what you want about TikTok, but in my opinion, it’s a great place to learn about otherwise hidden gems. And what’s more-the White Cliffs are a mere hour and a half drive from me! An easy day trip, and that’s exactly what I did. My friend Chelsea and I decided that this would be the perfect break from an otherwise chaotic semester at school. We set a date, got a game plan going, and set out!

Early for me is anything earlier than 8AM, so waking up that morning was a bit of a rough go. I had to be up and at ’em by 7:15 to be ready to leave by 8. Let me tell you though, sometimes those early mornings are the ones most worth it. Chelsea is a blessing and brought me some coffee from Starbucks, an adventuring must-have. Since we were driving through Amish Country, we decided to make a few stops along the way.

At one point in Amish Country, we made a wrong turn and spent a solid 10 minutes fixing that. Something that we quickly learned is that there’s this thing called “Chicken BBQ Saturdays” every Saturday. The mouthwatering scent of BBQ sauce came wafting out of this tiny house, with the sign Dan’s Chicken BBQ out front. We decided that we would stop there on the way back since neither of us were super hungry at that point. That was hands down, our biggest mistake of the entire trip. Eventually, we made it back on the road we were supposed to be on and continued our journey.

The Cutest Amish Furniture Shop

After that, we went to this super cute Amish furniture shop, Peaceful Valley Furniture, and walked around for quite a bit there. They had candles, home decor, jams, and plenty of cute gifts in addition to furniture. I was able to get a few Father’s Day gifts for my dad which I’m super excited to give him. Chelsea got a gift for her boyfriend, and we headed back out to the road.

Driving through Amish Country feels like a step back in time. There are horse-drawn buggies everywhere, farmers out in the field, and not one graphic T-shirt in sight. Or a McDonalds for that matter.

The Hike to get to the White Cliffs

To get to the White Cliffs of Conoy, most people park at Koser Park. From there, walk South along the Lancaster County River Trail for about a mile and a half. What Chelsea and I didn’t realize when is that the walk there is just as fascinating as the cliffs themselves. There is a rich history of the cliffs, and you can follow it along with the signs along the trail. You can also explore some of the areas near the trail. Chelsea and I saw some dope ruins as we walked and stopped by a few of those, taking the time to check those out and imagine what life was like 100 years ago there, as the limestone industry was thriving.

the white cliffs of conoy in lancaster county, PA

At long last, we reached the White Cliffs. To say it was other-worldly would be an understatement. I honestly felt like we were on an alien planet. Because the cliffs are made of dolomite and limestone deposits, they’re entirely an off-white color. The cliffs themselves are 30 feet high above the Susquehanna River, so you really get a great view from up there. We walked around for a few, climbed down the cliffs to the river, and then back up again.

Maggie

At this point, we came across the most peculiar thing. A man with a large bird on his shoulder. Needless to say, this was about the last thing we were expecting to come across. We said hi and he offered to let us hold his bird, Maggie. She had no problem climbing on our arms and even cuddled up against us for a bit. He had a few party tricks up his sleeve with her, including tossing her up in the air and catching her. Not only did Maggie seem entirely unbothered, but it looked like she really enjoyed it. After chatting for a few, we said thank you and left to take a few pictures of the cliff.

Back in the car, Chelsea and I decided it was time to head back to Dan’s Chicken BBQ. We headed out, figuring our GPS would take us back, past it again, but boy were we wrong. After realizing google maps was taking us a different way, we decided to go off the beaten track and just drive. By this point, most of the places must’ve been closed and we ended up striking out after driving around Amish Country for over an hour. We did, however, come across a really cute Amish pop-up where they were selling eggs, veggies, and sweets. I opted for a banana nut bread and some chocolate oatmeal snack things that slapped.

chelsea and maggie, the bird — Chelsea and Maggie

Defeated by the fact we couldn’t find Dan’s Chicken BBQ but knowing we needed to head back, we got back in the car and headed home. Someday, we will return and find Dan’s Chicken BBQ, but in the meantime, if anyone finds it or knows where it is, please let me know.

Until next time,
-MAC

Melinda and Chelsea at the base of the white cliffs

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