Skookum Traveler: On the Road to Rhode Island (PA, NY)

I’ve been wanting to make a trip to Rhode Island and surrounding states for years—I have roots there going back to the 1630s. The mini-dream was finally to be during an extended Columbus Day weekend in October (see above for the actual Rhode Island part). Our first stop was at the chocolate factory in Hershey, Pennsylvania (October 10). We only had time for a quick tour of the museum this trip, but found it curious enough and the hot cocoa was excellent. We’ll return when I can also ride the Comet, a 1946 wooden roller coaster that looks strikingly similar to the one I used to lust after as a pre-teen at the Lagoon amusement park near Salt Lake City, Utah (Lagoon's White Coaster is nearly 100 years old and still operating).

The Comet.

Inside the museum.

The Hershey Kiss machine.

Mold for Hershey bars.

They used cast iron bathtubs to tote the chocolate around.

However, the main event for the day was a sidecar motorcycle tour at Jim Thorpe, PA. I rode on the bike behind our chipper guide, while Kris got the pod. Vroom-vroom, it was smiles all the way. The town’s unusual name has a somewhat convoluted history, but I’ll leave that to readers to sleuth on their own. Suffice it to say, it’s a very cute, historic town on a hill (reminiscent of Ellicott City near Baltimore) and well worth a visit and overnight stay. However, to get some more miles behind us, I’d reserved a room farther up the road in Port Jervis NY, which in hindsight was not the best plan. The latter town was much less interesting. And because we left Jim Thorpe after dark, we apparently missed a lot of great scenery along the Delaware Water Gap. That said, the Erie Hotel and bar in Jervis was quite special in its own right, even if the surrounding town seemed a little dull and groggy.

Hells Angel wannabes.

Jim Thorpe.

The town's namesake hero.

Just another lump of coal in coal country.

Downtown Jim Thorpe, PA.

Hitting on a Halloween babe.

Erie Hotel bar.

Another reason I wanted to visit Port Jervis is because I have a distant ancestor who settled nearby in Minisink in the 1700s, when relatively few non-natives inhabited this remote region beyond the colonies. In the morning, we stumbled on the historic Fort Decker stone house that was built just after the Revolutionary War from the remains of the fort itself. As best I can tell, my ancestors included both Patriots and Loyalists, so it must have been a hell of a time for all. I’ve got my work cut out for me trying to make sense of the family roots.