Adventure: Haunted Ridge

Been awhile since I posted a ghost hunt. So here's one that's balls old.

It's easy to forget that in the 1700's, western Pennsylvania was in fact the western frontier of a young nation. The lands beyond the Alleghenies-- that we know today as the Pittsburgh metropolitan area and its surrounding countryside-- was settled by rugged, brave people and even today we can see traces of their history tucked into the forests of the Allegheny Plateau, and much to the dismay of the fearful, one of those reminders of the past is the occasional abandoned graveyard. And while so many graveyards are forgotten, some live on only in the rumors of the supernatural. Case in point: the tiny burial ruins of Haunted Ridge.

Haunted Ridge is a nameless plot of graves, with graves dating back nearly 300 years and hosting a score of Revolutionary War soldiers. These fallen warriors are not only shrouded in the dense cover of a Washington County forest, but also in a bit of mystery. Locals have reported for decades of strange mists and noises along the old dirt lane, along with the echoes of disembodied footsteps and voices and the sensation of an additional presence among the tombstones.

Mind you ghost stories are a dime a dozen so it usually takes a great one to draw Team Crash to investigate, but it was summer, Sparky and I were bored as fuck. We actually started the journey by following geocaches through Washington County before twilight before reaching Haunted Ridge at that good old witching hour. Check it out!

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Starting off, my fascination with bridges brought us to two of the remaining covered bridges in Pittsburgh's southern neighbors realm. Friends and fans know that I have a bridge fascination so you're not gonna be surprised to see the next few pics. Deal with it. First, the Bailey Bridge...

And by the time we reached the Hughes Bridge it was pretty damn dark... the nearby old pipe/tank thingy in a group of trees kept us pretty confused too.

The extensive lighting on the Jeep that Sparky has always mocked finally came in handy as we rumbled through the quiet forest on a very dark access trail. The GPS was zeroing in and there really was a creepy feeling in the air. A little bushwhacking into the woods and Sparky came across the first signs of the old graveyard. Beat-ass old tombstones were scattered amongst the trees, weathered down and leaning out of position. There were a lot of these but its not easy to take pictures of them in total darkness.

 

 

So the official word? Nothing. Yeah it was creepy as hell but c'mon, its an abandoned old graveyard; that's to be expected. But no noises, no mists, no apparitions. And after reviewing the pics, not even anything close to an orb or anything of that sort. Even my casual tombstone poses didn't seem to stir anything up. Oh well. Back to the Jeep!

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Hm, yet another failed attempt to come face to face with a ghost. I'll get one some day. Regardless, it was an interesting day of driving in circles, crossing bridges, finding geocaches, and posing in a graveyard. Sounds like a good time to me, eh?  

Tally-ho!

-Crash

Adventure: Wonder Falls

The Little Sandy Creek is an adventure classic... so I had always wondered how much crazier it would get as it flowed south into the Big Sandy in the hills West Virginia. I had been aware of an area in particular there for some time-- Wonder Falls-- but for some reason wasn't terribly interested. Until I met a guy out at Creek Falls who really hyped it up... great jumping, decent offroading, amazing scenery and a second waterfall further down known colloquially as the Big Splat according to him. Not too far from the cabin either. It had the makings of one of the classics in its own right. I coaxed Gunz into one last trip for the summer to see if Wonder Falls could really be as good as my informant claimed. 


Jeepin' and jumpin' after the jump... click read more!

Adventure: Left Hill

You know what I love about adventures that don't focus on urban legends or specific historical events? Simplicity in posting them on my blog. Yeah, the quirky tales that make the background of my usual locations is what tends to get people hooked on here, but sometimes I just wanna drive my Jeep through some damn rock and mud.

Left Hill is precisely one of those places. It is nothing more than an old strip mine discharge, that has become a sort of moonscape through years of abandonment. And that makes for a pretty good playground for a Jeep. This particular one sits back in the pines of Clarion County in the Pa Wilds, so its close proximity to my undergrad university made for multiple visits... and all those pictures have gotten mixed up. While usually I would just stop up in the ZJ to show off to friends, I did make one brief run with a few members of WPaXC, the Western Pa Xterra Club.

Lots of action shots after the jump! Click "Read More"!

Damn You Canada...

Just wanted to make a note to the followers that the updates got slowed down because as many of you know yours truly is an absolute hockey fanatic and couldn't stop watching Olympic hockey these past two weeks. But now that my hero went and crushed my dreams in over time with a winning goal for the wrong country the updates should pick back up.

I am continuing my winter boycott because it is now merged in with my Canada boycott... so you will still see no wintry adventures posted. Only fun, sunny ones.

Fuck snow.

-Crash

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