Often when we do a short get-a-way, I think, maybe I won’t add this one to the blog. Inevitably, we find some great places that deserve to be mentioned and this last short trip was no exception. I had a bunch of days to use my vacation time for work, of course Steve did not. We settled on three nights in the Poconos, allowing him to work two of the days and take off the final day before the weekend. Our original plan was to ski on the Friday if conditions were good for early skiing, but the weather included a lot of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we decided there would be too much ice for that plan.
Two years ago when we were camping near the Delaware Watergap, I had picked up a brochure for Babbling Brook Cottages in Dingman’s Ferry, PA. Their location, backing on park land, has five cottages scattered throughout the property along with the home of the host couple. The cottages have different features but all have bedroom, bathroom and a full kitchen stocked with pots, pans, a coffee maker and more. After a conversation on the phone with Lamar, one of the hosts, we chose “Snugglers Notch”. It was cozy and worked well for Steve’s working and our relaxation. The only regret was the weather. It not only has a gas grill for the summer but a firepit, fully stocked with wood that we hoped to use one night. But between the rain and the frigid weather, that wasn’t to be on this trip. We never actually meet the hosts or saw any other people, I’m sure when the cabins are all full there is more activity, but if you want a place where you can be truly alone, this could be it. Everything was decorated for the Holidays inside and out. We got the feeling they pay attention to these type of details year round. If you stay three nights or more they also give you a gift basket, based on the package you pick. When I told Lamar that we really weren’t interested in the Christmas items, he switched it to the January package, giving us hot chocolate, two insulated cups and a few other goodies.
Leaving home on Tuesday as soon as Steve was done with work, our GPS lead us up the Jersey side of the Delaware. That meant we had to stop for dinner at our favorite, El Tule, in Lambertville. Well, didn’t we?
Once we finished our ceviche, we arrived at the cabin to get settled and get some sleep. The next day as Steve worked I went to explore nearby Milford, PA. The weather was mild but rainy, but I had my trusty umbrella and things were close by. I started at the Waterwheel Cafe and had a tasty breakfast. They did have gluten free bread but I opted instead for a bowl of oatmeal topped with lots of fresh fruit. As I came out, the attached Antique / Craft store was just opening, I explored and had to talk myself out of some lovely pottery mugs. Handmade pottery is a weakness but at this point, I don’t buy things I really don’t need.
I went from there to a local consignment shop where I was able to get a few records and tapes for Hillary’s art.
Then I parked downtown and checked out the offerings on the two or so blocks of the main street. The stores had some unique items. The first was a store that sells olive oil and vinegar, Ghiggeri’s. I almost skipped that because they are usually overpriced, franchise stores, but this one is actually a family-run business with only two locations. I was glad I didn’t skip it as it had a wonderful selection of other gourmet-type foods and wound up buying a few things we will use.
The other shops featured gifts, and again I found things I had not seen in other places. I can’t say what I got, as several are Chanukah gifts for people who might read this but suffice to say I had a lovely time browsing and talking to the different shop keepers.
There was one small cafe at Better World in town with a lot of coffees, teas and juices. They had a large selection of healhy products and fresh gluten free baked goods, but only one that was dairy free that day. They have another location in town that provides wellness-type spa services, so they aim to meet lots of wholistic needs.
I decided to drive down the road a few miles and have a light lunch at Café Wren. I sat at the table in a comfortable chair, working on editing some writing and was finally nudged by the one of the staff that they were getting ready to close. I didn’t even notice the time passing but did a lot of the work I wanted to do that day.
Back at the cabin, we decided to go out for dinner and save the dinner items I had brought for the next night when hopefully we would get to do the fire pit. There wasn’t much close that met our needs, so we drove about 20 minutes to Sue’s Thai Cuisine. We have been eating a lot of Thai food lately and this rated pretty well, although the place was a little grungy.
The next morning the sky was clear but it was cold and windy. I stayed in for a while, cooking us breakfast, relaxing with my writing, reading, and puzzling. Finally ready for a change of pace I decided to head for Shohola Falls, on my list of places to see. When I got there, I could see the dam and a lovely lake but didn’t feel comfortable walking down to the falls, with no one there except a lone man and signs all over about hunting carefully.
I moved on to Lake Wallenpaupack. We had walked lakeside there before and it’s a very open area but when I got out of the car realized it was too cold to walk with the wind blowing, even in my bundled up state. The water in the lake looked like a grey ocean. Instead I went to The Boathouse restaurant with a view of the lake for some lunch. They had a salmon sandwich which they offered with gluten free bread, except when I started eating it I couldn’t find the bread and was confused. Then the server told me they were out and so they just added more lettuce. It would have been nice to know but it was still tasty and came with really good fries (a shame Steve had to miss them).
I drove back toward the cabins and stopped at George W. Child’s Park that backs up to the Babbling Brook property. While I was deciding whether to get out of the car and walk in the isolated area, another car pulled up and the two people headed onto the trails. I decided to walk to the first of several falls to finally get some exercise. As it was the falls and nearby mill ruins could be seen from the road, but it provided a brisk walk that was short, scenic and satisfying.
That evening, as I mentioned it was too cold for a fire, so we cooked the veggie meatballs I had found buried on a recent cleanout of our chest freezer. A shoutout to Lesbiveggies, who I’ve mentioned before. The are currently in Audobon, NJ but moving next month to Woodbury, NJ where they will be expanding. I can’t wait, as I need more meatballs and maybe some of their other catering for my freezer. Steve and I played some games that we never travel without and discussed ideas for the next day.
Since we decided against skiing, we thought we’d head home by way of Sandy Hook Wildlife Refuge. The timing for low tide, should have made it possible to see the seals haul out. We got there about 1.5 hours before instead of the recommended two but either way we think the wind was too much and none were to be seen that day. Not even their heads in the water as we viewed on a past visit. One of these times we’ll get the timing and weather just right. It was still lovely there, the deer were out grazing even in the middle of the day, I guess they know they are safe. We walked to a beach in the cold and then saw an art exhibition they were having for a Holiday fundraiser. Although we didn’t buy anything we enjoyed the beautiful art by 20 different photographers, one of whom we met.
Ready for lunch, I remembered that there was a restaurant, Ceviche House in Redbank, NJ. that I had wanted to try last year when we were in Asbury Park but we didn’t have time. They do have other Peruvian food on their menu but no offense, who cares 🙂 We both ordered the Ceviche trio that had fish and trimmings in three different sauces. They were all amazing. We will definitely go back. Then around the corner was Fable Creamery, a totally vegan and gluten free ice cream and treat shop. We certainly couldn’t pass that up, so we had two scoops of different flavors each. All were good, but I highly recommend the mint with chocolate ribbons.
We thought about some more adventuring but we were getting tired and had a busy weekend ahead, so we made our way back home. A short but satisfying adventure.