Jim Thorpe (PA, that is)

Donna and I took a very nice weekend trip to Jim Thorpe, PA this past weekend. We got out of town on Saturday morning, and made good time up to the Delaware Rest Area on I-95 North. 

There's a 60-piece installation of Adventure Labs there; Donna snagged the whole bunch before we continued out trip north. I had picked up this set late last year, on a short day trip.

The next leg of the trip to Jim Thorpe was uneventful, with a short stop in Lehighton, PA to grab an additional 10 Adventure Labs and a traditional geocache. 

We got to the Inn at Jim Thorpe a little earlier than the normal check-in time; we got a great parking place and were able to check-in. We were out-and-about for the rest of the day, walking the two main streets and checking out the shops. We ended up with dinner at the hotel.

Sunday, we headed out for some hiking in the ~28 deg F weather. Bundling up helped, but it was still chilly. We hiked up the route of  the Switchback Railroad Trail to find a geocache, then headed back down the hill when the snow started to fall. The wind advisory that we got when we were about 2/3 of the way to the top convinced us to head back. 

We took the excursion trail from Jim Thorpe (Crown Class seating, which was quite nice), which took about 70 minutes (~16 mile roundtrip). The scenery was very nice -- winter helps with the visibility! 

Shopping occupied the rest of the day, with leisurely walks around downtown.

Jim Thorpe is a very nice tourist destination, with shopping, dining, the excursion train, hiking, and rafting activities to keep you busy. 

We headed for home on Monday, making a stop in Jim Thorpe for five Adventure Labs and a traditional geocache, and in Weissport, PA to knock out an additional five Adventure Labs. The traffic was okay, for the most part, until we got south of Baltimore when the traffic became very sluggish. Driving through the District, to avoid Capital Beltway traffic, was exciting when we got to Foxhall Road. The road was slippery enough that lighter two-wheel drive cars were sliding down the hill. Anyway, we got Donna home safe-and-sound.

All-in-all, it was a wonderful weekend!