Vacation

We had high hopes for an outdoorsy week but were thwarted by a lot of wet weather. At least it was warmer than the week we had in May.

We made the best of it, though.  You know how it is - great weather makes you want to be outside biking, hiking or canoeing, but we had  a list of places we wanted to visit too. So we set off to accomplish that list.

Just glad to be out of the car.

First up, Erie Zoo. We had rave reviews from John's friend Tim Moriarty, who lived near the zoo for about nine years. We left Oil City to sunny skies but it got pretty dark about Union City. A brief debate about turning around ended with us continuing north. Ten minutes later we were engulfed in sheets of water. John is the Best. Driver. Ever. but I was terrified. He found a place to pull over and we waited it out for about 25 minutes. Finally, it slacked enough to continue. We were a little baffled by how long it took us to get to Erie, only to discover we missed the proper turn off of Rt.8 to come onto Peach Street. Two hours later, we found the zoo.

Orangutan - pretty awesome

But the zoo was fun. We got to see a Red Panda with her cub - so cute but too far away to get pictures. John loved the gibbons, they looked like chimpanzees and were quite acrobatic. And noisy. While we were in the Orangutan house, I kept hearing this shrieking chatter, and thought the staff should turn down the fake jungle CD. It was actually the gibbons. They inflate their throats to make this shrieking communication. Now I understand when people say the jungle is never quite.

OCD Black Bears.

I was pretty intrigued by the black bears, which were actually brown. They kept pacing on their rock shelf, and one always turned to the outside, while the other turned to inside and gave a little hop. We checked back on these guys and they paced all afternoon.

The rhinos were huge, the warthogs were funny, the kangaroos looked like you could pet them (no, you couldn't) and I wished the giraffe had come out of its enclosure. The zoo is large enough to get your fill of wildlife, but not overwhelming in the walking department. They have a great kids' section with a train ride. The zoo has partnered with the Erie botanical group and the grounds are lovely.

Warthogs. They're about the size of shetland pony.

One of two rhinos. I was pretty amazed to watch them lurch around in the mud.

Aren't these cute? you totally want to pet them. I think they  would kick me.

Shout out to Hoss' Restaurant where we enjoyed a couple lunches. Your parking lot has admirable drainage.

1936 Packard auctioned off in Franklin. John would not let me bid on this. But I look so awesome next to it.

Franklin had their Fourth of July Festival and we caught the annual Outhouse Races. I love this! Groups decorated their outhouses and set them on wheels so four racers could push the outhouse with one occupant along a course, do a Chinese fire drill, then race to the finish. Kudos for the level of creativity.

One of the contestants

We caught up with the Wheelhouse Pottery guys who are ready to open their wine bar. If you're in Venango County, they're doing a wine and potter event July 20 at Wanango Country Club, and will be displaying at Kennerdell. I love these guys. They always make me feel like their favorite customer.

Skeletor. In Franklin shop window. Really. Who is the target shopper for this? Zombies?

Did you know PA has four lighthouses? Did you know one is on the Allegheny? Yes, you never know when errant kayakers will go aground. This beauty is in Tionesta and is a private endeavor in honor of their family. Like so much of this area, the grounds are beautiful.

Kayakers saved from running aground due to Lighthouse.

Tionesta businesses also converted a parking lot into a cute mini-mall with tiny shops and a playground. Across the street is a coffee shop - developed because the owner said he couldn't get a decent cup of coffee in town. The coffee was better than decent and has a limited menu. They were really hopping that afternoon.

Drove home and had to pull over AGAIN because of sheeting rain. Now, this is amazing, in Oil City, people drive like snails. On the snaking road down the hill beside the river, there were driving like maniacs. In the freaking storm. Unbelievable. John pried my hands off the door rest when we got home. I'm a nervous traveler and this is why I don't fly, despite invites from every Israeli I've worked with, to visit them in Israel.

Gratuitous shot of John.

Of course I was watching the weather to get out and bike, and we did get a great opportunity. We drove the bikes over to Franklin and biked down past the Belmar Bridge, to the God Rock. The day started overcast, which worked out well since we didn't get to hot. It brightened up by the time we got back to Franklin and we had lunch at Luna's - where we've celebrated our Anniversary the last couple years.

Our last adventure was fishing. We returned to Tionesta to fish off the pier by the lighthouse, but it was not our lucky day. We tried two other spots, but no fish. Still, it was wonderful to be outside by the river. Venango County is really beautiful this summer - lush and green.

Tionesta Spillway

We're hoping to get a little more outside time, and I'd like to get to Lily Dale, NY. We'll see.