From Flat Tires to Steel Stacks: Unforgettable Trails and Tales Through Pennsylvania!

We’re off again just 7 weeks after returning to Massachusetts from our Canadian Maritime summer trip. As we set off to explore the southwestern United States, we have a mix of nerves and excitement at the prospect of a new adventure. For the most part, I tend to convey an upbeat tone in relating the tales of our RV travels, but our journeys do, at times, come with their own set of challenges.

For example, less than 90 minutes after we set out, somewhere in northern Connecticut, a tire on the RV blew out while we were on the highway. A passing car, waving at us furiously, alerted us to a problem, and a quick check in the mirror saw pieces of rubber flying off the RV’s wheel. We immediately pulled to the side of the highway, “Neil the Northpoint” was going nowhere. Having not ever experienced this type of emergency whilst traveling, we were in uncharted territory. Fortunately, there are emergency & tire repair services who specialize in aiding truckers, and we were able to take advantage of one of these services. Roadside assistance was dispatched to our location where we received help changing out the tire. All told, our roadside emergency delayed our travel by about 2 hours, and we learned a lot about how to negotiate any similar issues we may encounter. We landed at our first stop in Quakertown, PA in daylight, safe and sound.  Every journey brings its surprises, but each challenge helps us grow and adds to the adventure. With a positive outlook and a spirit for discovery, we’re on the road again, after a bumpy start.

All our trips leave from and conclude in Massachusetts, so when traveling to destinations in the west, southwest, or south we always transit through Pennsylvania. A good day’s travel for us is about 5 ½ hours (approx. 320-miles) which places us somewhere in the Keystone State for a stopover. The challenge lies in identifying new towns, cities, or regions to visit without traversing previously explored areas. In past trips we have visited the Lake Erie Region, the city of Philadelphia, the city of Pittsburgh, and much of the Ohio Valley Region. My brother, Paul, lives in Lancaster County, PA, and as such we have visited Harrisburg, Hershey, and other towns in the Susquehanna Valley. I planned this trip to highlight the Lehigh Valley region. We stayed in Quakertown, PA, a short distance from the major industrial cities of Allentown, Bethlehem, & Easton. The Lehigh Valley was an economic and industrial powerhouse from the mid-19th century through most of the 20th century, driven by the iron, steel, and cement industries. This era was marked by the transformative power of the Lehigh Canal and later the Lehigh Valley Railroad, which enabled the region to transport raw materials and finished goods to major markets.

We made the most of the pleasant autumn weather by hiking several times in Nockamixon State Park, which was only a few miles from our campsite. The park spans 5,280 acres and features Lake Nockamixon, a man-made lake covering 1,450 acres as its centerpiece, along with numerous trails for walking, hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Of the hikes we took, my favorite was the second one, a 3.8-mile trek along the Elephant Trail on the lake’s southern shore.

Nockamixon State Park 

One of the reasons for the Lehigh Valley’s immense economic vitality in the 19^th century was

Lock Tender's House, The Canal Museum

the ability to use the rivers and tributaries to move raw materials to the major cities on the east coast. This history is preserved at The National Canal Museum in Easton, PA, the only U.S. museum dedicated to the history of American towpath canals. The museum is situated on what remains of The Lehigh Coal and Navigation Company’s canal system. Prior to the canal’s opening in 1820, moving material down the Lehigh River was a treacherous and deadly operation.  A system of locks and dams was needed to tame the Lehigh River and negotiate the over 900 feet of elevation drop along the 72-mile waterway. Josiah White, a brilliant engineer and a Quaker, and Erskine Hazards, who had connections to east coast money, came together to form the entity that both mined the anthracite coal and transported it to Philadelphia. We spent the day walking along the towpaths, visiting the interactive museum, and riding the canal boat being pulled up and down the canal by a real pair of live mules named Hank & George.

Canal Boat Ride, The Canal Museum

I planned to visit several steel mill towns in the Lehigh Valley. My brother, who’s lived in Lancaster for several years, had warned me that some industrial towns handled the closure of

their mills better than others. Bearing this in mind, we skipped Allentown (sorry, Billy Joel) and chose Bethlehem, famed for being the birthplace of Bethlehem Steel. At its peak, the Bethlehem Steel plant stretched five miles, covered 1,800 acres, and provided jobs for nearly 30,000 workers across its various operations. The site boasted five massive blast furnaces producing thousands of tons of pig iron, alongside machine shops, repair facilities, roll forming and forging presses, testing laboratories, and over 450 miles of railway tracks shuttling iron ore, coke, and limestone to the furnaces. Even now, after years of abandonment and partial demolition, the sheer scale of the remaining buildings is incredible. Bethlehem Steel shut down completely in 2003, but since then the city has found creative ways to redevelop the vast site. The original plant now houses SteelStacks, an arts and culture campus with a concert and event stage set amid the former blast furnaces. The area also includes the National Museum of Industrial History, located in the old Electric Repair Shop. As we explored the campus, we got an up-close look at the towering steel stack structures that are the remnants of the blast furnaces. I was particularly impressed by the exhibits at and around the Industrial History Museum, which feature outstanding permanent displays on iron, steel, and early industrial machinery, as well as engaging presentations about other significant industries like textiles and propane. For the first time since my retirement, I found myself thinking, “This is a museum where I could actually see myself volunteering.”

The highlight of our initial stop in Quakertown, PA, and the primary reason for our frequent returns to this region, is the valuable opportunity to spend time with my brother and sister-in-law, Paul and Jen. Given the rarity of familiar faces in our nomadic lifestyle, visiting family members where they live is especially meaningful. While our travels take us to diverse locations and present unforeseen challenges, the most rewarding experiences are those shared with friends and loved ones, enhancing the narrative of our journey as we tell… the Rest of the Story.

Paul, Judy & Jennifer on Paul's Indian Motorcycle