Hersheypark RV Campground

 

Monday's trip to Indian Echo Caverns.  Let it not be said, "If you've seen one cave/cavern, you've seen them all." Not true! Indian Echo Caverns is located just about two miles from the campground. It lies adjacent to the Swartara Creek and with a constant temperature of 52°, it provided shelter and a place to store food for the Susquehannoks who lived in the area but, by 1760, disappeared because of warfare and disease.

Behind me is the large open cave entrance. Unlike others caverns I've visited,
this was no accidental find.

I arrived two hours early for my 1:00 p.m.. and fortunately, this large group had room for one more for the 11:00 a.m. tour.

Suzanne, who grew up in the area, knew her stuff. Another fascinating and
educational tour with an outstanding tour guide. I'm four for four!!!

Descending 71 steps we came to the shoreline of the Swatara Creek and were given last minute
instructions on the do's and don'ts while in the cave. This cavern is a "living cavern" which
means it is still "growing." Rain water seeping through the ground and rocks is still dripping
and allowing the minerals to remain and form many of the features of the rock formations.

It must have been very difficult for migrating Indians and settlers not to notice the gaping opening in the side of the hill. Opening in 1929 commercially, it's existence was known well before Europeans set foot on this land.

Passing through many owners, they've blasted and provided easy access and concrete walkways
to accommodate the lucrative tourist trade. 

Where man meets Nature

Once inside and given time to acclimate to the darkness, you also had to wipe glasses that
immediately fogged up. The 52° was most welcome compared to the outside temperature of 27°.

What follows are some, not all, of the photos I was able to obtain. The flash was not helpful so I've identified my photo along side of the same taken from the website's photo gallery (professional, as you may guess).

My "corn on the cob."

Theirs

"Dead End". A sink hole from above caused a collapse of this formation.
The red object is a lantern they wired to show how dark it was in the early
days of cave exploring by candlelight. Suzanne would flip a switch and the resulting
complete and utter darkness was a very weird experience.

This cavern estimated to be about 400 million years old.

Formations formed from flowing water vs. dripping water.

Also know as "Flowstone".

Crystal Lake. 1 of 3 within the cavern.

          

Not ice (it's 52°), rather evidence of new "growth" that will form a new stalagmite. This
is why touching any of the rock formations in a cave is prohibited. The natural oil of our bodies
touching rocks will repel the moisture necessary for future growth of the calcium deposits.

The next three photos from their gallery:

The formation of a stalactite.

The Bridal Room; so called because of the rock formation and
its layered look of a many tiered bridal cake

When stalactites meet stalagmites they form "columns."

At one point in the tour, Suzanne related the story of William "Amos" Wilson, also known as the "Pennsylvanian Hermit".  She pointed out the rock ledge and area he made his home from 1802 till his death in 1821. A rope ladder would get him up and then he'd pull it up after him to insure not being bothered my man or animal. Nineteen years living in solitude and darkness except, perhaps, for the oil lantern he had. His food and clothing were bartered for the work he did for a neighbor, a Reverend. When he didn't show up for work one day, it was the Reverend who found that he passed away in his sleep. His journal is published: The Sweets of Solitude. A tragic tale indeed. His sister was hanged minutes before he arrived with a pardon from the governor. She was accused of murdering her son begotten by one of two men who seduced her. He never got over it and escaped society to live in solitude. There's evidence of smoke stains from fires he made below a rock outcrop that provided warmth above as he lay on leaves for bedding. His last two paragraphs from the manuscript I linked above:

As regards my own situation, few, very few of my fellow creatures it is probable could be found willing (after experiencing so many severe trails) to retire from the busy world, and be contented to abide alone for the space of almost nineteen years within the walls of a solitary cave, as I have myself done-my situation has no doubt been pronounced unhappy and miserable by many of my fellow beings-but, secluded as I have been from the society of man, depriving myself of the superfluties of life, I solemnly declare that I have enjoyed more real happiness in retirement, than what all the riches and superfluities of this world, could have afforded me.

My dear readers I must now bid you all an affectionate farewell-may the remainder of your days be spent in the faithful discharge of the duty you owe to the supreme disposer of all events–as your days shorten, may the sun of Righteousness brighten over you, till you arrive at the new Jerusalem where tears are wiped away from every eye, and sorrow is no more!……………………………………….AMOS WILSON.

After the tour, I visited the farm animals they have in their petting zoo for the youngsters.

Well, maybe not this fella.

Mister and...

Missus

I wanted to clean his face soooo bad.

And back to the campground I go. Another great day in the neighborhood. At the campground I did step into their Country Store. It's jam-packed with lots of goodies, wearables and food items. My favorite:

Oh wait, I am in Hershey's World aren't I. Go ahead with your snarky comments, I'm
ready. But know that only ONE (1) item was purchased from this collection. Oh yes,
and my 31st T-shirt commemorating my stay at a campground.

And there you have it. Another day zipped by. Tomorrow, I'm on an Historic Trolley Tour in Chocolate World just two miles away. Their season begins in April so I won't get to see the actual production line. I'm also missing their new attraction: Wine Pairing with Chocolate. "Our team has expertly chosen five pairing to please your palate and will guide you through the tastings of HERSHEY'S Chocolate and popular wine varieties." :-(

See you on the Trolley tomorrow.

Fallingwater - Frank Lloyd Wright

Welcome back to what will be the last three days of my 2022 Winter Adventure. I'll be spending it here in the Hersheypark Camping Resort, in Hummelstown, PA. My plan was to overnight in the Madison/Pittsburgh KOA Saturday night and take off Sunday with a stop at "Fallingwater" to view the 1935 vacation home Frank Lloyd Wright designed for the Edgar J. Kaufmann family, owners of Pittsburgh's largest department store. Be sure to click those links for good stuff.

Snow flurries greeted me in the morning and as I began the 45-minute, 36 mile journey, the rise in elevation along with the wind driven fine snow created near zero visibility for most of the journey. The uphill roads were beginning to turn white due the blowing snow off the surrounding farmlands. It was by far the most white-knuckled drive I've taken in snowy conditions thus far. The roads for the most part were clear but I was again in the middle or nowhere so the "what if's" and the "supposing's" were running circles in my head. 

My tour was set for 1:00 p.m. but, again, with the drive I had after this visit to Hersheypark, I was successful in getting on an earlier tour.

Winnie sat in the Bus/RV parking area and I walked down the path to the Visitor Center.

Edgar Kaufmann, Sr. and wife, Liliane were world travelers interested in architecture. Their son, Edgar Jr. happened to join the Taliesin Fellowship which was a communal architectural program created by Frank Lloyd Wright and his wife, Olgivanna.  It was during this period when his parents met Wright and later commissioned him to design Fallingwater. Originally, the site was a summer camp complete with cabins, tennis court, running track clubhouse and swimming pool. It was Edgar, Jr, who donated the estate to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963.

(Stock photo from Internet). If you plan a visit, do it in the summer.

The cantilevered house is built on a cliff with a waterfall. "Fallingwater was revolutionary for its day in that instead of pushing nature aside, Wright incorporated it into the heart of the home. For many, Fallingwater epitomizes what architecture can and should be. It’s said that the house inspired Ayn Rand to write her epic novel, The Fountainhead." His vision gave rise to the term "organic architecture," the harmonious union of art and nature.

Once again I lucked out with a most knowledgeable tour guide. Be it Larry, the Navajo native in Monument Valley, or "Slim Jim" of Cave of the Winds, I must now add Susan N. to the list of those who made the visit an extraordinary experience. What detail! What follows are a sampling of my 75 photos, Groups leave every 10 minutes for the hour long tour. To begin, each group meets at the head of the walkway in the Visitor Center to be greeted by the tour guide. They then walk 1/4 of a mile to the house. I had my walking stick and was offered transportation which I grabbed with gusto. I met the driver, Brian who just retired and now shuttles folks back and forth to the house. I learned a lot about Brian in that three minute ride. He was called at the end of the tour to transport me back to the Visitors Center.

Susan has been giving tours now for 20 years.

Fallingwater's main house was built mostly by local craftspeople in two years, 1936-1938.

All Potterville limestone was quarried nearby

The main house totals 5,330 sq. ft. of which almost half is outdoor terraces. 
The guest house totals 1,700 sq. ft.

Only two colors were used throughout the building: a light ochre for the concrete and Wright's signature Cherokee red for the steel.

The original estimate for the house was $55,000 (big bucks during the bleak
Great Depression years)

Final total cost was $155,000 which included $8,000 in architect's fee and...

...$4,500 for furnishings.

That would be $2.3 million in today's dollars.

Stairway to the upper guest suite and viewing area.

The swimming pool; only two feet deep.

Photographs were not allowed in some of the interior rooms of the building. There was an extensive collection of books. In the guest suite, part of the room is built around a boulder jutting in from cliffside. Depending on the water table, the crevice would yield spring water that would trickle down the rock into another crevice in the floor and find its way back outside.

Back at the Visitors Center, a Café served lunch.

Fresh baked pastries as well

I needed to ask permission for photographing a beautiful gift shop.
As you would expect, an extensive collection of works depicting Frank Lloyd Wright
that spanned seven decades. He passed away in 1959 in Arizona at the age of 89.

He designed more than 1,000 structure, 532 of which were realized. Prior to Fallingwater, when asked which of his designs he thought was the best, he said, the Guggenheim Museum.

Thanks for joining me on this terrific tour. From here, I'm back on the road to Hersheypark RV Campground. Tomorrow, Monday, I 'll be on a 1:00 p.m. tour of Indian Echo Caverns 7 miles away in Hummelstown, PA. Hope to see you there.