Kinzua Bridge and Hearts Content

In western Pennsylvania we stopped to see Kinzua Bridge.  It was the tallest railroad trestle in the world when it was built in 1882 to ship coal, lumber, and oil across the deep valley of Kinzua Creek, a tributary of the Allegheny River.  In 2003, nearly half of the span was destroyed by a tornado.  Now you can walk out to the end and peer down a long way to the twisted remains of 11 steel towers that were toppled in that storm.

In the afternoon we hiked through a majestic area of old growth forest in Hearts Content National Recreational Area, in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest.  All along the trail were towering pines and hemlocks 2 to 2.5 feet in diameter, with a few beech, oak, and ash nearly as big.  Just before supper, a short walk from our campsite into the Hickory Creek Wilderness was rewarded with a black bear sighting.

The campground at Hearts Content is very nice, and has to be the most quiet and peaceful place accessible by car that we have ever camped in.  There we feasted on pad Thai made with marinated chicken and lots of fresh veggies.