Chuck's Big Adventure: Pennsylvania
[Music] first light Pennsylvania's tyoga state forest I went seeking a sunrise I found fog views completely obscured it should have been a disappointment but it was a gift I just had to be patient enough to receive it in the morning fog comes out and starts to break away it's really beautiful it's already changed since I started painting this morning that's the the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania PA Grand Canyon or the Pennsylvania Grand Canyon it is this special place where you can overlook this scenic view Where You Can See For Miles at a time this particular Park is just part of one of America's most ambitious state-led projects the 13 County Pennsyvania Wilds the Wilds covers 2.4 million acres in the north central part of the state our forest lands are here if you want to hike what the gorge also has is at the bottom is a Pine Creek that is a destination for kaying and canoeing and then alongside that is a Pine Creek rail trail if that's not wild enough this part of the Wilds just happens to be elk country why Pennsylvania for these beautiful animals oh it's it's all about habitat it's all about the beautiful mountains the Clean Air not a lot of people live here so there isn't a lot of human interaction other than here at the visitor center welcome to Pennsylvania El country my name's Raley I'm going to be your host tonight we have two teams of horses each one of those teams will take two rides tonight and Autumn is prime time to see these majestic creatures well I've seen thousands of them and I still stop and look at an elk when I when I have the opportunity which is just about every day for me from the grand to The Majestic the PA Wilds offers a once-in-a-lifetime experience why did Pennsylvania decide these millions of Acres was so valuable to not be developed I think we recognize the value of outdoor recreation in people's lives folks are coming here to experience this rural region and I think they really are surprised sometimes at how beautiful it is I just look at it I can't I'm just truly blessed and the folks that come here I think they feel blessed as well when they [Music] visit thanks for going along with [Music] us bye-bye have a good evening welcome to Hershey's Chocolate World in Pennsylvania at over 3 million guests a year this this is the largest factory tour experience in the world and it's awful delicious too it's a name we all know Hershey for more than 100 years the company's been creating sweet Confections for every taste and you can see how it all happens inside Hershey's Chocolate World hi I'm Matt Spencer I'm the experiential content creator for Hershey's Chocolate World check you ready for the right this is a bucket list experience you bet I'm ready excellent let's learn a little bit how we make our chocolate hey everyone welcome aboard the Hershey's chocolate factory tour I just think this is mindblowing if you think about it this is a factory that makes candy bars but it's turned into an an amusement park experience as guests ride along the factory tour we're missing all the sugar and milk they get an entertaining look we send them through a roer and all the processes needed to develop these famous candies what's really cool is a lot of these pieces are from the original Factory Milton Hershey was an innovator candy maker and philanthropist his cocoa based Factory gave tours as far back as the turn of the 20th century today there's no shortage of ways to experience the world of Hershey there's milkshakes bone Appetit an indoor jungle that had to have shocked the Daylights out of and don't forget to make that shopping list I'll take one of these and one of these they've got plenty of items you won't find anywhere else that's right and here we are in our golden section which has of course our world famous Golden Almond collection best of all you can create your own candy bar welcome to the factory here's where the money is made [Music] absolutely my blood sugar's going up just looking that it's [Laughter] delicious folks here like to call her she's Chocolate World the sweetest place on Earth there it is huh and they won't get any argument from me thank you so much this is awesome wow I have literally been a kid in a candy store thank you for joining us one of the most unusual destinations on our trip to perfectly Pennsylvania is the ringing rocks Park in particular the boulderfield and don't leave home without a hammer take a look take a walk in Bucks County Pennsylvania and it's easy to see why fall here is making headlines it's something that we always knew but now the world knows that we were voted the number one destination uh in the United States for leaf peeping The Fall season is on Full display and it's so beautiful at places like Bowman's Hill Wildflower Preserve we do have Forest areas we have Meadows we have Creek yes I guess you could look at it as a zoo but for plants yeah the story is the same across the county lots of small town charm preserve barns Bridges an outdoor Wonderland hiking biking with everything a visitor could want or [Music] expect and a little something more well I look at where we're at now and I've got to tell you I have never seen anything like this in my life what do we know about these rocks yeah so I always tell people I took a geology class in college I did not the geologist but what we understand this was Bedrock that's been here for 200 million years the Bedrock broke apart now we've got these amazing Boulders this huge Boulder Field is located inside the very popular and very appropriately named ringing Rock State Park so you you got to find the rock that Rings they say onethird of them will ring that's right the Rocks here they sing you hit them it sounds like a bell not all of them but a lot of them I'm not finding a rock going right around me here but when you find one you see people yelling and we're rejoicing here we found this when you find one you know you you found it and it's there you go there I go the exact reason the Rocks ring is an ongoing mystery different sounds different tones and you just never know what you're going to get even more reason thousands of people flock here every year to hear H Us in different spot for themselves gives in like different pitches where you hit fall in Bucks County Pennsylvania a place to truly experience the sights and sounds of the season so we're here to see the trees and the leaves and hit a few [Music] rocks this isn't Scotland or Wales it's Doylestown Pennsylvania home of a six-story castle that's jaw-dropping outside and mindblowing inside take a look up and wow in the United States is there anything like this there's really not you're standing in a castle right now um also a museum the Mercer Museum is home to a core Museum that celebrates well stuff and it looks like every square inch of space is used here yeah you'll have things hanging from the ceiling boats chairs cradles even an antique fire engine you'll also have nooks and crannies everywhere the design a concrete Labyrinth of hallways and stairs rooms in every [Music] direction every one of the 177,000 plus objects inside the Mercer Museum you need to have a numbering system catalog big white numbers labeled with prec ision you can actually access that still in 2024 and precariously put on display for all the world to see who was Henry Mercer Henry Mercer was a man of many different talents he was an archaeologist he was a museum curator he was a historian so you're looking at stuff that's basically pre-industrial re illusion why did he feel that was so important Henry Mercer wanted to preserve our pre-industrial past and handcrafted tools he called it archaeology above the ground where before it gets lost to history below we can preserve it and have people visit in a castle Museum you can learn even more about Mercer by visiting his [Music] home another castle of course 44 rooms full books pictures and antique Treasures he had this Castle which is massive but it still wasn't enough to hold all of his stuff uh and he builds another building right yeah so he builds the mercy Museum a few short years after building his home fontel Castle fontel is a very personal home you know it's an expression of Henry Mercer and who he was but the Mercer Museum is not about Mercer it's about Everyday People everyday life he wanted it to be a separate building a gift for this community quirky eclectic you bet but now 100 years later one of Pennsylvania's most popular cultural attractions a trip to Pennsylvania really isn't complete without a visit to the Gettysburg National Battlefield a Place full of countless stories of horror and heroism [Music] I don't have words to fully describe what Gettysburg means to the nation I think to every person who comes here that idea is going to be different it's going to be need there's more than 1,300 monuments and markers from the smallest uh of markers that may only be about the size of a small box all the way up to massive monuments monuments that that would maybe remind you more of something in in downtown Washington DC you can follow along where the battle took place in many cases just by looking at where these monuments are lined up and also following where the cannon are lined up are they shooting in this direction or that direction so you can you can really follow along if you kind of know what to look for there are some places in these Chuck's big adventure trips that we've taken that I think everybody ought to see this but I really feel that every American at some point in their life should come here to really understand what this country was and what it's become since absolutely and and that's something we actually uh have conversations with visitors about that this winds up being in many cases a bucket list location that every American should and and probably wants to visit at least once in in their lifetime to truly understand what was at stake for the country what was at stake during that War and what was at stake during just this battle the sense of being asru is very common knowing that you are able to stand and to walk and to journey in the footsteps of the soldiers who were here for those fateful 3 days in 1863 really gets a lot of visitors very very choked up because of the the ability to get that close and be right there in essence with those soldiers [Music] [Music] inside this Gettysburg church songs to honor history we shall meet but we shall miss him there will be one V tell me about the role that this production plays in the church on the first day of the Battle of Gettysburg the Army commandeered this building and turned it into a hospital a year ago joy and we have stories of the people that were here and we feel it's important to keep those stories alive so we do it through songs we shall meet but we shall miss him there will be one vacant chair the realities of War evident in the stories of licensed Battlefield guides and these solders ERS both sides have made their choice and we see one side is successful and one side is not and we look at the consequences of the war down to today and I personally feel there's tragedy immense tragedy on both sides but it's worth the cost it's worth the cost there's a story on every corner in this town in every part of this [Music] battlefield so many men each is an individual story and to read the accounts of what some of these men went through here and and and experienc here is is is incredible looking at this peaceful Countryside it's hard to imagine the terrible battle that made Gettysburg famous but the past is preserved here every day thanks to a dedicated group of men and women determined to not have history be [Music] forgotten toess him when we breathe our evening prayer [Music] there are so many beautiful aspects of Pennsylvania including this we're going to take you inside the best all-time work of American architecture Frank Lloyd writes falling water the Laurel Highlands of Pennsylvania a perfect spot for a Serene getaway just maybe not in the spot you might expect the pictures don't do it justice Ashley this is amazing yeah welcome to falling water it's considered to be the very best work of Frank lyd Wright and it illustrates his philosophy in the best way commissioned in the 1930s by The Kaufman department store family as the name implies falling water is purged right above a waterfall one of the great views in America no doubt but this was not the view the Kaufman family intended to have right it's true yeah so when the Kaufman commissioned this project from through with Frank lyd W they thought that the uh cabin would be designed where we're standing looking back at the waterfall [Music] it seems like this house tries to blend what's outside what's inside but what in is inside draws you outside right absolutely yeah so the whole time you're indoors at falling water your attention is being pulled back outside and you're almost made to want to go outside so 1930s in the Depression era this house doesn't look like any house right and how is it received at that time the open floor plan would have been very surprising in the 1930s the low ceilings the low sitting Furniture I think all that would have been surprising to most visitors in the 1930s a true architectural Marvel both inside and out it's the house that's designed to bring people Closer To Nature and I think that that is something that I hear our visitors talk about is how good it feels to be here and to be in harmony with the outdoors and just spend time immersed in [Music] nature in the world of vacation rentals amenities are everything here we have the original cabinets the more you have to offer shower and a toilet here the better we have a fire pit three bedrooms fos ball table competition is fierce you're absolutely right there's definitely a lot of competition but when you're unique it certainly sets you [Music] apart hi my name is Naomi Brown my husband and I own the shoe house that's right a house that looks like a shoe you know life brings you opportunities that you don't always expect owning the state's quirkiest a stained glass window with a shoe on it kitschiest in Step Suite weirdest rental came with a historic backstory that is correct the shoe house was put into service in 1949 and it was built actually with the intention of being a guest house because the gentleman who build it own a chain of shoe stores his name was me Haynes and he dubbed himself the shoe wizard because he was a marketing genius which was unusual back in the 1940s right but he loved to just kind of bring a special joy and uniqueness to people and this shoe house was definitely one of those items [Music] so I think they're surprised by the fact that there's actually three bedrooms and two bathrooms I don't think most people expect that there's that much space there do you call it quirky historic weird how do you describe it I call it fun there you go I likeed it too because it's it's very unique but it just is is something that you don't get to see a [Music] lot we've really enjoyed the outdoor beauty of the Keystone State but you really can't tell the whole story without going underground most of Pennsylvania's natural beauty is best observed by looking up but the story of this state can't be fully told without looking down way down this was a big a big mover here if you did not work in mining you worked in an industry that supported mining this is mine number nine a coal facility located smack dab in the state's anthros site region we are the oldest coal mine you can tour in the United States and this mine was the longest continuously operated underground anite coal mine in the world our mine ran nearly non-stop from 1855 until June 22nd of 1972 20 to 24 miles of tunnel what do people ask when they come down here why we do we get that question a lot is why would you do this you know the Atlantic migration these were poor dirt farmers essentially and this was yes horrible working conditions but it was steady pay you'd have a roof over your head and you could probably take decent care of your family compared to what you had in Europe you know Zach going through this mind I just can't help but realize these men worked hard oh yeah and and they had a a very tough life in one sense yes oh yes oh yeah mining anywhere is one of the most dangerous occupations you can have of course even today it still is if you were in your 50s working in American industry over 100 years ago you were old by that standard M number nine an underground treasure that's even more valuable now in a world largely separated from the age of coal I imagine when you have visitors here many of them may have been their grandfather was in the minds or their great-grandfather was in the minds and they've got plenty of stories I would imag they so that first generation grew up with I'll go into mines I'll break your leg you ever go into mine go to go to school go do that do something better than I did work in mines grandchildren though what did Grandpa do they're removed enough from it they want to see what Grandpa did and I would think that that would give those grandchildren an extreme appreciation it does for how hard they work it does oh it does autumn in the Poconos is full of sounds the sound of rustling leaves or a Roaring Creek the sound of fall festivals and the sound of locomotives taking folks on a dazzling tour of Fall Foliage right here in the Poconos Pennsylvania's laca wax and Valley is full of autumn sounds 61 and 62 in this car to the left towards the back the stbridge line scenic train allo has another packed Excursion in the left the train is important to this area because in a very real way America's commercial railroad began here okay everybody are we ready Jeff not only are you a conductor but you're a photographer photographer are you a short I'm in the ticket office I help with yeah I help with the dinner train too but I don't cook what a fun job huh I it's not a job when you like what you do it's a it makes it a whole new thing it really shows so oh yeah yeah I love what I [Music] do the family oriented ride takes guests along a Serene River with stunning views of the Fall colors to make it so everybody gets a chance to see the river we do switch sides halfway through the trip it is a challenge you're going over there but I think the people do appreciate once they get through the turmoil of it all doing that we have the one in the back there be everybody's patient you know what we're all in this together and you do it as a team from Passenger you get your elbow past there to participant oh yeah oh yeah Jim Thorp river adventures offers a wet and wild way to see the Poconos I think the river itself is just beautiful there's section of this river that you you don't see human beings in often even if it's fairly close to civilization but for us running a River Company being the vehicle that people use to create a memory and to create family memories or Adventure memories it's really my staff and I just love that part of it the Rapids offer a thrilling ride but there are long stretches of peaceful water perfect for enjoying the view woo the Thrills of the river are a great way to bring you and your loved ones closer together we just took a bath whether it's riding the rails or riding the river turns out that two journeys led by two great guides makes for one Unforgettable experience that was a thrill a rush a big adventure wo [Music] well I hope you've enjoyed these stories as much as we've enjoyed bringing them to you and I must say this trip has been perfectly Pennsylvania I'm Chuck Lofton see you next time on Chuck's Big Adventure [Music]
2024-11-23 05:53
