Recently in Backyard Travels Category
Mad Elf beer from Harrisburg's Troeg's Brewery was recently ranked among the 50 Best Christmas Beers in the book "Christmas Beers: The Cheeriest, Tastiest and Most Unusual Holiday Brews" by Don Russell, beer columnist for the Philadelphia Daily News.
First reaction: It's sad that "beer columnist" may well be among the most stable jobs in the world of journalism these days.
Second reaction: I'm betting a lot of people will buy this for someone on their Christmas list.
Anyway, if you're a die-hard beer lover, you may want to pony up $75 for a ticket and make the trip to Philly on Sunday, Dec. 7 to meet Russell at a Winter Warmers Tasting at West Philadelphia's Armory (3205 Lancaster Ave).
In addition to tastings, he'll offer instruction on Christmas beers and feed you festive food. Learn more at www.joesixpack.net.
I spotted this sign at Susie's sandwich stand inside the Bird-in-Hand Farmer's Market last week. I was in Lancaster County for the day, searching out the most authentic experiences for tourists who are so done with the commercialized Amish stuff.
What fun signs have you come across lately? Snap a picture and send it to me!
I remembered Zimmerman's country store in Intercourse from a visit a couple years ago, so I wanted to go back. I thought it was neat how they sold everything from groceries and hardware to lanterns and bonnets.
Walking around the place, though, I was confused. It was just a supermarket now. The girl at the register told me they recently expanded the hardware and dry goods section into its own store.
When I stepped outside with a six-pack of birch beer in tow -- I couldn't resist -- I noticed the modern-looking Zimmerman's True Value Hardware store set back from the road with a large parking lot and a long rail for hitching horses and buggies.
Inside, it looked like any hardware store -- except for the aisle stocked with straw hats and the largest selection of lamp oil and kerosene lamps I've ever seen.
Yes, I snapped this picture on the road during my day exploring Lancaster County.
I'm sorry. I just couldn't resist. And my eyes were still on the road, unlike those texting-and-driving folks.
Read my upcoming stories about tourism in Gettysburg and Lancaster County (to appear in Sunday's paper), and you'll see that one of the worst things that can happen is for someone to visit a place and find that the reality doesn't match the image they've been sold by the destination's marketing folks.
Word of mouth is powerful. So are advertising campaigns. But if someone comes to Lancaster County, they want to see rolling farmland and silos and Amish kids speeding down country lanes on scooters or quaint shops like this image I caught in my rearview mirror.
If all they see is the kitsch and commercialization and chain operations along Route 30, do you think they'll want to come back? (Unless they're really into outlet shopping.)
I was pretty surprised when I saw this group of tourists posing for photos with their Amish buggy driver (far left)
I thought the Amish didn't allow people to take their picture?
Menno is the Amish driver pictured here with tourists Bob and Deb Reynolds of Rising Sun, Md., Pat Hahn of Reisterstown, Md. and Cindy Grabowski of Phoenix. (He didn't give me his last name.) He said if you work in the tourist trade, it's pretty rude to deny a picture to the folks who are paying for your goods or services.
And so here he is, photographed and on the Internet. Wow.
If you're more interested in seeing this 
than this
when you go to Lancaster County, keep an eye on this blog over the next week or two. I'll be sharing some tips on how to get the most authentic experience when visiting tourist attractions on both sides of York County. I'll have photos, live audio and plenty of links and resources.
If you'll have out-of-town relatives in the area for the upcoming holiday, I'll give you a game plan for a couple of day trips to keep you away from the dinner table and TV set -- and far, far away from any shopping malls.
Unless, of course, you want to join in Black Friday madness -- in which case, I can point you to some places where you can search out bargains while strengthening your ability to withstand crowds of people you'll be glad aren't staying at your house for the weekend.
Stay tuned.... and feel free to chime in with your thoughts, opinions and suggestions!
I spent several hours in and around Gettysburg today doing reporting for an upcoming story about area tourism.
I drove a bit of the National Military Park auto tour, and was pretty impressed. Even though the chilly, rainy day kept me from wandering around on foot, I could still imagine the troops walking over this landscape in 1863. It felt like sacred ground.
Well, until I finished the loop near East Cemetery Hill and was exiting onto Baltimore Pike. That's when I saw this:
Almost.....
Here are a couple more pictures from my weekend hike my hike a few weekends ago at Colonel Denning State Park.
If you haven't yet gotten your annual dose of color, you had better do it soon. I was out this past weekend and noticed that the leaves are disappearing fast!
