As mentioned in previous blogs, the calendar for 2022 was loaded with back-to-back races in an attempt to gain lost ground from the challenges of 2020 and 2021. 6 short weeks after our epic trail run in Chadron, Nebraska, we headed out for Conquer the Canyon Race Festival in small town Wellsboro, PA. We had put this race on our calendar several years ago as a “can’t miss” experience in an area described as the “Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania”. We knew the course would be hilly and challenging, but it was an easy trade-off for the chance to run in such a beautiful spot.

However, this race tops our list for more reasons than lush forests and spectacular canyons. We actually registered for this race 3 times; July 2020, 2021, and 2022. COVID air travel restrictions caused us to cancel in 2020, and knee surgery dictated another cancellation in 2021. We are nothing if not persistent, so we registered again for 2022. Between the two of us, we spent countless hours trying to figure out the best way to get to Wellsboro that wouldn’t cost a king’s ransom nor require 14+ hours of air travel and multiple connections. We looked at 10 different airlines and as many airports. Nothing was perfect. We finally settled on flying into Rochester and driving the 130 miles to Wellsboro, both of us on different airlines with different arrival times, but it was the best we could do and at some point we quit trying to find perfect.

Not so bright, but very early Thursday morning, we both headed out to our respective airports. I was flying Delta from Seattle to Detroit, then taking a puddle jumper to Rochester, and Melodie was flying SW from Oakland to Rochester, with a mid-day stop at Chicago. We decided it was the earliest we had ever started our travel day as both flights required a 3:30 am wake-up call. This picture tells the story far better than words.

As travel stories go, this one was not without bumps. Melodie’s flight proceeded without a hitch and she arrived in Rochester 20 minutes ahead of her scheduled time. I already had a much longer connection in Detroit putting me a couple hours behind her, but when I arrived, it was to the announcement that my connecting flight was delayed. Over the next few hours, the time just kept getting pushed out, over and over. I finally found out that the plane scheduled to make the flight had been pulled and they had to substitute a much smaller plane that had not yet arrived at the airport. Some very unhappy passengers got bumped as not all booked passengers could be accommodated. The gate agent had my full sympathies as she fielded complaints from very angry people while doing her best to get everyone where they needed to go. Virgin Atlantic ended up offering $500 to anyone who would give up their seat. We were finally boarded 90 minutes late only to sit on the tarmac for another hour before taking off. The drama was not over even then. The airplane was small and very old and sounded alarmingly like the proverbial bucket of bolts. It was probably the longest 45 minute flight I’ve ever endured. My relief and gratitude knew no bounds when we finally landed in Rochester.

Meanwhile, Melodie had to cool her heels in Rochester for 4 long hours. She picked up the rental car while waiting for me, so the next part was easy. Rochester is a small airport so it was a short walk to the curb and the blessed relief of being off that plane and finally on the last leg of our long travel day.

The drive to Wellsboro from Rochester was 130 miles, but they were easy, scenic miles on wide-open freeways through the countryside of New York and Pennsylvania. We arrived at our AirBnB in Wellsboro around 8:30 p.m. and were enchanted with the immaculate grounds and picturesque home.

The AirBnB was a ground floor apartment, thoughtfully appointed with every conceivable amenity except the ability to control the temperature. Despite the balmy July weather, it was COLD! We called the host who told us to open the door to warm the place up. So we opened the door, turned on the fireplace and the electric heater in the bedroom, and finally got the place comfortable.

Next on the agenda was heading out to find dinner. Our host had thoughtfully provided a list of local restaurants, but every single one of them closed at 9:00 pm. You’d think we would learn. Small town USA rolls up their sidewalks early and if you are hungry after 9:00 pm, you are just out of luck. We finally found a little cash-only bar downtown that stayed open until midnight. The food was actually OK if you liked fried and greasy with your honky-tonk, but we felt just a tad out of place. We figured the average customer age was about 25 and 75% male.

We stopped at a small grocery store to pick up cream for our morning coffee, grateful to find one that was open, and headed back to our AirBnB prepared to don jackets and sweats to stay warm.

Friday morning dawned bright and beautiful. We couldn’t have ordered nicer weather. We stopped at Starbucks for a simple breakfast then headed out to Colton State Park to check out the course and the general area. Everything was so lush and green, not a dry stick to be found. Pine Creek Gorge runs through the Grand Canyon of PA and stretches out for over 45 miles with depths of nearly 1,500 feet. The dynamic topography of the canyon creates many scenic wonders including steep canyon walls and waterfalls. To say we were in awe of the beauty surrounding us would be seriously understating it.

We spent some time driving through the park trying to figure out the exact race course. One thing was very clear; there was going to be a lot of “up”.

For an afternoon activity, we reserved seats with the Ole Covered Wagon Tours of Tioga County. The tour provided a 2-hour ride on a horse-drawn covered wagon through the canyon on Pine Creek Rail Trail, accompanied by a guide fluent in the history of the canyon. We love horses, beauty, and history so it was a win-win for us.

We arrived at the site in plenty of time to chat up the tour guide, the trainer, and the driver. The horses pulling our wagon that afternoon were two 5-year old Percherons named Fritz and Prince. Despite their enormous size, they were calm and gentle with sweet dispositions. It was obvious that they were treated like royalty which made us both very happy.

The drive through the canyon was a bit dusty and hot, but overall very enjoyable. We were able to see a lot more of the canyon then we would have on foot, plus we met some interesting people and shared stories. The guide was a colorful character, a bit on the flirtatious side, but full of stories about the history of the Canyon. His grandfather traveled on foot from Pittsburgh to Wellsboro as a 14-yr old and joined the Civilian Conservancy Corp that planted the trees that are responsible for the lush forests in the park today. The camp existed from 1933 – 1936 and employed many teenagers who were solely responsible for supporting their families during the depression.

After our wagon ride, we headed back to our AirBnB to clean up and locate a place to eat dinner that would hopefully be a step up from the Gas Light Bar & Grill of the night before. As we were leisurely heading out the door, we realized that we had totally spaced picking up our bibs and swag while out at the park. Pickup time was scheduled for 4:00 – 6:00 pm which meant we had 15 minutes to drive the 12 winding miles back to the park. Melodie is to be commended for her driving; she got us there safely and literally 2 minutes before closing so we were able to pick up bibs and jackets and not have to deal with them on race morning.

For dinner, we selected a restaurant called Timeless Destinations, an Italian restaurant with a varied menu and decent reviews. It was definitely an improvement from the previous night, which we greatly appreciated. After dinner it was back to the AirBnB for an early night in preparation for race day.

Race morning dawned, as it always does. We got up at 6:00 am, had our typical race morning breakfast of granola, nuts, yogurt and berries and headed out to the park. By this time, we figured we’d driven this road 4 times!

This particular race required us to park in a grassy field and walk a half mile to the race start. We didn’t do much complaining, however. The temperature was a perfect 68 and beauty surrounded us.

It’s always hard to imagine you are going to run 13.1 miles until you actually head to the starting line. Then the habits of the last 25 years take over and you just put one foot in front of the other. The first 2.5 miles of this course was an unrelenting, uphill slog. We were prepared for it, however, so it wasn’t nearly as intimidating as the single track in Nebraska. After that first hill, the course rolled, with a total elevation gain of 1,783 feet. We both found our rhythm and pushed through the miles, all 13.1 of them. The race was very well organized with water available at every mile and all the turns were well marked so there was no fear of getting lost, one of my biggest worries. As always, my sis managed to get some great pictures.

One of the nicest things about races is that they end! We both finished with a smile on our face, so happy to be done and grateful that the race had gone much better than anticipated. With Melodie recovering from a recent bout with COVID, and me with one bionic and one arthritic knee, we weren’t quite sure what to expect. As we headed down that last hill, both of us were flooded with gratitude for the opportunity to be in this particular moment.

After a race, water always looks particularly tempting. We bushwhacked our way down a grassy hill in search of a spot to put our feet in the water. It ended up not being particularly gratifying as the water was shallow and rocky and large bees were buzzing about our heads, but we did get our feet wet.

The rest of race day was pretty typical. We headed back for showers and stretching then found a spot for lunch at Wellsboro House. Naps also found their way to our agenda. Later that day, we walked through the city for a bit to stretch our legs. Wellsboro is a small town, population of 3,472 with no real industry but services. It is a very modest little town in Tioga County with no evidence of newer homes or active industry. Its’ claim to fame is that it is home to Colton State Park, the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania, and Pine Creek Gorge. The statue of Wynken, Blynken and Nod in the city park caught our eye and we had to stop and read the poem and story behind it.

Sunday dawned bright and beautiful, much like the whole weekend. We had a leisurely morning as checkout wasn’t until 11:00 am. Our flights did not leave until 6:45 pm that evening so we had some hours to fill. Melodie did some googling and found a park called Letchworth State Park that was right on our route to Rochester. What a find that turned out to be! This spontaneous, unplanned stop came close to being the highlight of our trip. The park is located in upstate New York and is approximately 1.5 miles wide and 17 miles long. The entire drive is filled with scenic magnificence and follows the mighty Genesee River. The steep Genesee Gorge walls, the river winding below, the plunge and spray of dramatic waterfalls and lush forest all contribute to make the park one of the most notable examples of waterfall and gorge scenery in the United States. In fact, they claim it as the #1 State park in the USA. It would be hard to disagree. Between Melodie and me, we took over a hundred pictures. Around every curve was a pullout more beautiful than the one before.

We couldn’t find a decent spot to eat breakfast earlier in the day, so just decided to skip it and get lunch in the park. However, when we got here, we were so intrigued with everything and wanted to take it all in, so lunch took a back seat. When we got to the south end of the park, we had the opportunity to hike to the Lower, Middle and Upper Falls, or take our last hour to get something to eat. You can guess which option won. If Laurie and Janille had been with us, we would never have gotten away with this! We grabbed some snack nuts and headed out first to the Lower Falls; a hike that required 128 steps down to the viewpoint. It was worth every step!

Time was marching on and we knew we still had a ways to drive to get to Rochester Airport, but we couldn’t resist checking out all the falls. The Upper Falls was a much shorter hike from the parking lot, but absolutely stunning.

Last, but not least, was the Middle Falls. This one required a bit more walking and we knew time was getting short, but there was no way we were quitting now. The roar of the waterfalls provided a dramatic backdrop to the incredible views.

As we left the park, we grabbed one last photo to remember this amazing spot. It is definitely a place you could visit over and over again.

As we exited the park, we did a time check and it was 4:30 pm. We needed gas, and Google Maps was telling us we had an hour drive to the airport and our flights left at 6:45 pm. You do the math. We did not have time to loiter or eat. But we didn’t regret a minute of our time spent at Letchworth State Park, and as we found out later, there was no reason to fret, as our flight was late. I was flying back to Oakland with Melodie, so at least we didn’t have to worry about two different flights.

We arrived at Rochester Airport, turned in our rental car, checked the current status of our flight and decided we had time to eat. However, as we went from one restaurant to the next, we were told everything was closed for food. Drinks only. Wow. That was unexpected. We did find a little bar that was gracious enough to serve us a big pile of nachos. Not our typical fare, but at that point, being picky was off the table. Our flight left a little late, but not too bad. We knew we had a long layover in Chicago, so weren’t too worried.

Melodie and I both live and breathe by TripIt as it is the best app out there for managing travel. Our first alert on the connecting flight in Chicago said it was an hour late; 15 minutes later, we received a second alert saying the flight number had changed and we were on time. However, when we arrived in Chicago, a third alert informed us the flight was delayed again by an hour. At this point, we went in search of food again, but the only options were two restaurants that had lines stringing out for miles. As we had time to kill, we stood in the line for over an hour to order a very mediocre pizza and salad. And while all this eating drama was happening, our flight continued to get pushed out, over and over again. A very young gate agent who was challenged to speak understandably, informed a very tired crowd at the gate that we were waiting for the pilot to arrive from another flight. About 20 minutes later, a middle-aged, very weary-looking pilot came running down the walkway. The entire crowd stood up and cheered! It was a remarkable moment. People could have been angry and surly, but instead chose to show appreciation for the pilot. We were boarded about a half hour later, again to sit on the airplane for another 30 minutes and finally took off at 11:30 pm, 2.5 hours later than scheduled.

We arrived in Oakland at 2:30 am, weary to the bone, realizing with the time change that our travel day had literally been 24 hours long. Melodie called a Lyft while we were still on the plane, and we literally ran through the airport to get there in time as the driver showed up within 5 minutes. We arrived at her home mercifully quickly, and crawled into bed.

On reflection, this trip hit the top of so many lists. The most hours spent in travel planning, the earliest departure ever, the longest and most egregious travel delays, many subpar or absent meals, all mixed up with some of the most spectacular scenery we have ever seen. It was great to spend a few more days together. Kathy joined us on Tuesday and we ended this epic travel event with some special sister time.

As I sign off, I’m reminded of a poem by Sara Teasdale that my Mom loved and quoted often.

Barter

Life has loveliness to sell,

All beautiful and splendid things,

Blue waves whitened on a cliff,

Soaring fire that sways and sings,

And children’s faces looking up

Holding wonder like a cup.

Life has loveliness to sell,

Music like a curve of gold,

Scent of pine trees in the rain

Eyes that love you, arms that hold,

And for your spirit’s still delight

Holy thoughts that star the night.

Spend all you have for loveliness,

Buy it and never count the cost;

For one white singing hour of peace

Count many a year of strife well lost,

And for a breath of ecstasy

Give all you have been, or could be.

Sara Teasdale

Next up, Clinton, New Jersey, State #47! We are unbelievably close to completing our goal.