Adventure: Springfield Falls

Ohhh Mercer County. The average Pennsylvanian knows it only by its intersection of interstates (and rest stops!) and a whole shitload of outlet shopping. Myself included. Of course, considering that all this is built in the middle of nowhere just outside of the Pa Wilds, there's bound to be some sort of adventure left outside the grid of commercialism, right? Well, when I had some family obligations in the area for a weekend and took the Jeep along you better believe I researched it... and after checking all my usual sources one spot caught my interest: Springfield Falls. A good old fashioned waterfall known only to the locals, this was as usual one of those amazing places tucked into the middle of nowhere but quickly accessible enough to fit a stop in with the rest of my obligations. Additionally, there was a historical tinge to it as it was once the site of the Springfield Iron Furnace, though only the stones of its structure remain scattered in the creek bed now. Perfect! I took down my usual notes, threw a backpack in with the rest of my luggage and I was off to an awesome oasis hidden just a few miles into the forest from the well-known Grove City Outlets.


I was in a bit of hurry but I was in some luck; the falls weren't far from where I parked at all. And though a lot of waterfalls are difficult to get pictures from because there's limited vantage points, I was able to get pictures from above, below, beside and even behind at Springfield Falls which made for some nice pictures.

Sadly the only traces of the Springfield Iron Furnace or anything related to it were a few stones and such at the base of the falls. It was constructed circa 1837 and operated for some 25 years, using the powerful waterfall to turn a huge 36 foot waterwheel to generate power.

Considering this was a quick jaunt down the backroads from the interstate, this was a pretty spiffy adventure. Sure there was no significant hiking, offroading, or any of my usual senseless antics, but this was really great waterfall in an area I don't normally get to explore. 

Tally-ho!
-Crash

Adventure: Thousand Steps

A lot of the great trails in Pennsylvania that we use for recreation today actually started as industrial right-aways generations ago. Tram ways, skid roads, and rail beds that were used to access our resources now remain as our hiking trails, offroad lanes, and bike paths today. The useful transfer is usually based on the easy grading that makes the hikes easy, flat, and enjoyable. But not Thousand Steps on the slopes of Jacks Narrows in Central Pa. No, this industrial access turned hiking trail was used a century ago to give an easy route to laborers to access a mountaintop mining operation., leaving over 1,000 crudely placed stones to serve as a staircase up the mountain ridge. At the top, narrow gauge railroads, pictured at right, took the mined ore back down. Though the mine is gone, the steps remain and offer any adventurer a chance to test their elevation gain abilities and also gain the reward of some fantastic views of the Juniata River gorge.

As just a young Crash, my early adventuring to-do list quickly contained Thousand Steps; its physical challenge was pretty legendary and tempting. Of course, that Crash was a thoroughly trained track and cross-country runner that could brush off a hike like that. So when I finally decided to try it, I knew it was gonna be a struggle. A 90 degree summer day wasn't about to help, either.

Would I make it? Click read more to find out after the Jump!

Adventure: Buttermilk Falls (Homewood, Pa)

What's in a name?

My first experience with the term Buttermilk Falls was years ago, when I heard about a place by this name near Ligonier, yet could never quite pinpoint where it was (and still haven't! Leave a comment if you have any info!) While serving my undergrad in Clarion, a Buttermilk Falls geocache popped up in the LCC, and was surprised to find that this one was actually near Brady's Bend. I stopped by and wanted a return trip, so a little research brought me to the existence of yet two more Buttermilk Fallsii. While one hailed in the wilderness of upstate New York, the other was somewhere unexpected; right next to the Pennsylvania turnpike near the Homewood exit. Strange, eh?


While this formation of plunging water may typically retain that redundant title, it's also known to many as Homewood Falls, probably just to elude confusion. But the "Buttermilk" name emanates from an old tale that Civil War veterans toasted the beauty of the falls over a bottle of buttermilk during a picnic. So I go by that.


I never thought much of the place until I was in Beaver County on business and realized how close I was. I had some time to kill so why not? How bad could a waterfall near a highway be?


And damn was I surprised at just how great it was!

After parking nearby, I had only a few hundred feet of hiking as I dropped right down into tiny gorge. It was a GREAT looking waterfall, but the craziest part was how close it was to the Turnpike. We're seriously talking like 1000 feet away. Yet the roar of falls and tall trees keep you from hearing or seeing the traffic, and you couldn't possibly spot it from the road. Very awesome.

It was a fucking hot day so I dropped my pack and relaxed and swam (actually scouting the water depth for potential cliff jumps) for quite awhile, with the falls all to myself, not to mention the cool shelter cave behind the falls.

The most amazing part was as you climbed back up out of the ravine you could suddenly hear the traffic rushing by again. It was so peaceful, yet in somewhere you would never expect. Buttermilk Falls is just another one of those hidden gems tucked into the oddest places in Pennsylvania.


Tally-ho!
-Crash

Travel: Tampa, Fl

When it comes to adventure, Captain Crash can get pretty diverse. While primarily this website focuses on the mountainous treks into the wilderness, some times the members of Team Crash just like to do a little traveling to another city for awhile. Afterall, we're mostly suburb-folks ourselves, and Crash has a special appreciation for history and architecture. Some times we're just passing through and other times we're staying a few days while following a beloved Pittsburgh sports team but dammit we always make it a bit of an adventure so from time to time the pictures end up here in special Travel Blogs.

It's been awhile since I posted a Travel Blog but my current Winter Boycott makes it a perfect time to post up some pictures from my southward travels. For spring break, Bilo and I decided to take our annual Penguins Pilgrimage to the Sunshine state, and old pals Mary and Ashley jumped at a chance to escape to some beaches. After camping for awhile in South Carolina, we arrived at the Tampa Bay area for the unique combination of seashores and ice hockey.

First things first we had to make ourselves known. Team Crash takes sign making quite seriously when we go to road games, so we had to devote a little time at the hotel to it. Not to mention I had already christened the Jeep to make sure everyone else knew why we were there.

That evening we made our way to the St. Pete Times Forum to watch our beloved Pittsburgh Penguins take on the Tampa Bay Lightning. While our seats weren't all that great, we got to clown around with the players at the glass during the warm-ups.

 

And the final score...

Pens 3

Lightning: 1

Woooooooo!

To celebrate another awesome victory we made our way through downtown to Tampa's renowned  Channelside Plaza to eat, drink, and be merry! We had actually run into some friends at the game and met them for some drinks that night.

The next morning we left our hotel and visited the wonderful beaches of Clearwater before making our way out to Ft. Lauderdale for some more hockey action. Do it.

Tampa turned out to be a pretty happenin' town for being in a state full of old people. We really enjoyed ourselves but we had more Penguins action across the state. Get there.

GO PENS!!!

-Crash

Snow and Cold Weather Boycott

Fuck snow.

I'm so sick of the White Hell that's been created by Snowmageddon that I'm officially boycotting anything that has to do with snow or cold weather*. Until I lift my boycott, I will post only adventures that occur in warm weather or climates because it helps me pretend that winter is not dominating my soul (though it is.) So sit back and enjoy the next few adventures that are sunny and warm and  maybe it will distract us all.

The WJ offroading on "The Hook" of Assateague Island, Spring 2008

Tall-ho!
-Crash



*Except hockey...  Nothing can trump hockey...

Twitter, bitches!

Trying to further improve on the Adventures of Captain Crash I've decided to link the blog in with a Twitter account. If you don't know about Twitter... well then you suck. But if you do then you know how well it works to keep everyone and everything connected. So follow Crash and you will be able to see my Tweets to announce website updates and plans, as well as other adventure related commentary. Not to mention I will be Tweeting on the go so you can see real-time updates from my travels n'at. Oh, and Tweeting at our account is always a great way to see the opinions of the fans! Get there!

So find us on Twitter under the account CaptainCrash95 and be sure to say hello!

 

I'm also tossing around the idea of creating a Page on Facebook as well. Let me know what you think either by commenting on this post or by sending a Tweet my way!

Tally-ho!
-Crash

Adventure: Clarion River, Toby Cove to Piney Dam

I'm boycotting winter. Fuck snow. So I'm going with a warm weather post today.

Working for various canoe outfitters in the Pa Wilds afforded me a lot of solo time on the Clarion River. Not to mention it was a stone throw from my apartment at my alma mater. So bit by bit, I paddled the stretches of the 100 mile waterway, which has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River. While most paddlers hit the banks in Cook Forest, boaters prefer a swath of reservoir waters upstream of the Piney Dam. But in the final 4 miles of the river as it heads toward the dam, the river, which is in a slender lake form, becomes isolated. There are no access points, not even a portage from Toby Cove on. This allowed me a chance for flatwater paddling without any real boat traffic to worry about. Get there.

Click Read More to see a picture by picture recap of the solo paddle after the jump!

 

I survived!

Snowmaggedon has hit Pittsburgh and I lacked power for days! In 2 feet of snow I spent more time than I care to admit navigating nearly impassable city and suburban roads on snowshoes and in the Jeep.
Craziest adventure ever and it was right here at home of all places.

I'm still regrouping. Hope to be posting a real post tomorrow.

If you're from one of the areas that got hit by these monster storms and have any cool pictures of your adventures from it send them to CaptainCrash95@gmail.com and I'll make a special post later this week!



Tally-ho!
-Crash

Logos and Fans!

CitySlicker of Pgh Offroad made these sweet logos for the website quite some time ago and I totally forgot to post them. They're pretty damn cool and very much appreciated so I'm posting them here. Thanks a ton!

It's always nice to have a little fan appreciation! If you're a fan, let it be known! Feel free to comment on any of the blog posts or email me at CaptainCrash95@gmail.com or follow us on Twitter at http://twitter.com/CaptainCrash95

Thanks to All!
-Crash

Adventure: Rochester Subway

Sparky had business up in Rochester NY back in the summer and with free time up there to kill, he asked me to join and maybe stumble into an urban adventure or two. Mind you, I really like Rochester;  there's some really cool old-school architecture in an urban area atop a pretty big waterfall. So I was in. This time, Sparky led the charge and I was just the sidekick along for the ride. And what a ride as Sparky came across a pretty sweet find.

Rochester is a city typical of those in the Great Lakes Region: after decades of sprawling manufacturing dominance, its been devastated and practically abandoned after economic collapse.That means the city has to scale back in those tough times. In the case of Rochester, their subway transit was scrapped when there wasn't even a high enough population to justify it any more. And though the cars and rails are long since gone, the tunnels are still very much in place... if you know where to look.

And so it set. Urban caverns that traversed the entire underside of a city was the destination. With a little luck in navigation and stealthiness, we would be walking the tunnels of a subway system left to die decades ago, that actually passed through some of the original traces of the Erie Canal. History, adventure, and a little riskiness too... how hard could it be? Find out after the jump!