My husband and I recently took a short trip to Pennsylvania. You can read about the previous days here.
Today it was time to return home, but our only goal was to be home before dark. We decided to start the day with a return to the creamery to watch them make ice cream. Access to that was closed by the time we got there yesterday.
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| Storytelling chair at the Bellefonte Library |
Then we returned to Bellefonte, the town we had dinner in the first night. Bellefonte is a little town rich in history and is known for its picturesque Victorian architecture. As we wandered around town we struck up a conversation with a man who was mowing the lawn at the library. He told us several things we should see and insisted we go into the local museum and ask for Judy, which we did. It turns out that Judy gave a personal tour of the museum as well as advice on genealogy research. Our next planned stop was in Altoona about halfway home. There we were going to visit Horseshoe Curve, an important place in the westward expansion of the railroad. But on the way to Horseshoe Curve, I saw a billboard that advertised Altoona as the home of Boyer Candy Company, maker of my childhood favorite candy, Mallo Cups. Talk about nostalgia, I just had to see it and luckily, we found the candy factory in the heart of the industrial district. Unfortunately, they were not giving factory tours, but we did enjoy the outlet store and the candy history featured there (not to mention a few candy bars).
Then it was onto Horseshoe Curve. Horseshoe Curve was an engineering feat built in 1854 that helped trains make it over the Allegheny Mountains. It is still used today and we saw two freight trains go around the bend while we were there. Ward was almost as thrilled with the engineering and trains as I was at the candy factory. A day filled with something for everyone. :)
A few scenes from the last day of our little getaway.
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| Making ice cream is a complicated process. |
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A bench shaped like a book was in front of the library.
It had scenes of Bellefonte painted on it. |
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| The Bellefonte Museum was full of interesting things, but this glass chain, in particular, caught my eye. My grandmother had one like it and we have never known its origin or purpose. Unfortunately, Judy couldn't shed any light on the subject. |
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A few of the large Victorian houses around Bellefonte.
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| Does anyone else remember saving the paper coins that came with the Mallo Cups and mailing them in for free candy? Today, you can get a T-shirt with the coins. |
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| The train begins its climb. |
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| Waiting for it on the other side. Ward took a video of the train traversing the horseshoe bend through the valley and up the other side. I didn't have the patience for that. |
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| Instead, I spent my time wondering how this lone corn plant by the tracks was able to produce ears with nothing around to pollenize it. |
We are home and ready to stay for a while. So, until next time...
You were in a picturesque area. I love old houses that have been well maintained. They are beautiful and I admire the effort put into keeping them that way.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if I've ever had a Mallow Cup. Maybe I need to try one!
Mallo Cups are usually found in the extensive candy aisles in places like convenience stores. I think they were more of a mainstream candy when I was a kid. Mallo Cups are milk chocolate surrounding a creamy marshmallow center. While I do like them, I'm not sure if my love for them was because of the possibility of saving the inserts for free candy. Boyer also make other candies including Smoothies which are peanut butter surrounded by a butterscotch shell. They used to make Clark Bars, but those got sold to Hershey, which by the way is also a PA company. The whole town of Hershey, PA smells like chocolate. :)
DeleteI love that book shaped bench with scenes of the town painted on it! So appropriate for a library! The storytelling chair is lovely, too, but, doesn't look very comfortable! Gorgeous houses, too! I don't think I've ever eaten a Mallo Cup! I might have to look for a packet!
ReplyDeleteAs for that lone corn plant, well, it is possible that it might have self-pollinated! Corn is wind pollinated and most corn pollen grains will travel only about 50 feet or so due to their weight. But, occasionally, if there are strong winds, they will travel much further. However, corn can self-pollinate, too. :)
As for the chair, I sat in it and it was more comfortable than it looked.
DeleteWhat I remember from when I grew corn was that you needed at least 8 plants to be assured of pollination, but it could happen under less ideal circumstances. How that plant ended up there in the first place and then actually bore fruit is a mystery. But I think birds and weather may have had something to do with it. Nature is always surprising us.
Nice trip, sounds like from the photos and narrative. I like that bench made like a book. Glass chains wouldn't hold anything captive, so easy to break. Is there symbolism?
ReplyDeleteIt was a nice trip. Busy, but not too long. I don't know what the glass chain was about. My mother said that they would hang it up on he wall and it was their only Christmas decoration. I don't know if that was its original use or not. The internet has not be helpful this far.
DeleteLots of great stuff here to see, but Mallo Cups! Yes! We did that! My dad liked them, too.
ReplyDeleteYes, the Mallo Cups were a great surprise. After I got home, I wished I had gotten a bag of seconds at the store. It was a 4 lb bag of mostly smashed cups or failed wrappers. Not pretty, but I'm sure they tasted great. But maybe 4 lbs of Mallow Cups at once would have not been a good idea as far as a diet goes. :)
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