Heading North

Interstate 81 in Pennyslvania is as familiar to me as the route to the grocery store. Placed on eastern part of the state from North to South, this road has provided me with some of the biggest pot holes, mesmerizing fog, sleet and wind-driven snow. On a good day, the repetitive scenery, and rhythmic sound of tires going over the concrete slabs can slowly put you to sleep. But on that day, heading northbound, that particular piece of infrastructure treated us to over 140 miles of vibrant color in every hue that nature offers, demanding our attention. Even DS, my thirteen-year-old son, took notice with a “Woah!”.   

Further north, as we passed by the familiar Central City Expressway, and approached the I-81/ I-84/ I-380 interchange, my heart had a pull to go east, to a little church in Elmhurst where my father once preached.  But we continued on I-81 North, past the familiar Viewmont Mall exit, until we reached the first exit in Susquehanna county.

First stop: A Really Big Bridge

We approached the Tunkhannock Viaduct, or the Nicholson Bridge as it is more commonly known, from the east side, which gave a broader view of this engineering feat. As we drove through the town of Nicholson, the bridge became more imposing, like a skyscraper. As if looking at it under a magnifying glass, we could see the streaks of rust, cracks in the concrete, and on the platform itself, a truck parked, with people looking over the edge. “Locals,” I thought.  It is a massive structure of concrete and steel, as much a part of the landscape as the town surrounding it.  

Going West!

In keeping with the goal to touch Wyoming, Susquehanna and Bradford counties in the northernmost part of Pennsylvania, we headed on Route 6 west, past the iconic Shadowbrook Inn and Resort where us Scranton folks would drive the 40 minutes just for the ice cream. We landed on State Route 87 south, which took us through some of the most uniquely eye-catching countryside, and were treated, once again, with some of the most illuminating fall foliage we’d seen thus far.

Sweet Sullivan County

To give Sullivan County it’s due diligence, we went back to The Forksville General Store and Covered Bridge, where we devoured lunch at a picnic table right next to the Loyalsock Creek. Hillgrove Covered Bridge was a short distance away, and it was worth every mile out of our way to experience it.

Heading Home

What lie before us was back-and-forth of four and two line highways, providing scenery of country roads, small towns and utilitarian highways. Which is why, perhaps, my husband took us through a series of state routes that took us into communities of every shape and size. Towns like Lewisburg, Vicksburg, Mifflinburg and Liverpool, oozing with history, and all spread apart by mostly country roads marked by hills and switch-back curves, and farm land as far as as the eye can see. These towns fill our state with its own individual character.

What did I learn?

This day trip, and others like it, are mere pencil drawings compared to the ones I imagined that my husband I would be doing together, alone, during the fall season. COVID-19 efficiently derailed those plans, and yet…

In my quest to find “safe” things for us to do, we have found connections to our heritage, our past, and to the land- Penns Woods- itself. And it’s so much deeper than a shopping mall or amusement park. I feel that while I was consumed with disappointment for the things that were taken a way from me, God was putting more meaningful things in place. Prayers are being answered in unexpected ways. It is not the path I would have chosen myself, but God created these paths. And while there are times when I am bound to get lost, trips like these remind me of His faithfulness.

And the list keeps getting longer…

Isaiah 55: 9 ESV For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.