4 Days of Fright: A Pennsylvania Road Trip

You don’t need me to tell you that 2020 has been a nightmare from which we can’t seem to wake ourselves. My dreams alone of traveling and planning trips across seas have been shattered by all that is this year. However, I’ve never been one to lose all hope and always find a way to make the best of things. It took quite a few months to muster up the strength and consider leaving the house for anything other than grocery shopping. But for Halloween, the one holiday that gets my blood pumping, I decided to throw caution to the wind.

Fall would be the best season for a scenic drive, especially in the Northeast. Foliage is perfect in Pennsylvania during October, and the weather is still bearable. Now would be the time to face my fears of camping, the coronavirus, and mainstream media. So I decided to plan a Halloween road trip.

Renting an RV was the safest form of travel that came to mind. It’s also something we’ve wanted to try for a while now #vanlife…or something like that. I did what most people do when they want to plan their getaway, hit the web in search of creepy and scary things to do. Atlas Obscura and Only in Your State are great sources. Little did I know that PA has many points of interest—horror film locations and seemingly haunted sites. Of course, since there are also travel restrictions, staying within your home state is a way to travel safely. 

I invite you to come along on this virtual journey where we’ll make the following stops throughout Pennsylvania:

• The Pagoda, Reading, PA
• The Night of the Living Dead filming location, Evans City, PA
• Coulterville Cemetery, White Oak, PA
• The Silence of the Lambs filming location, Perryopolis, PA
• Kinzua Bridge State Park, Mt. Jewett, PA

Are you interested in renting an RV but aren’t sure where to start? FretzRV in Pennsylvania has a wide selection of vehicles. They’re super friendly and also offer a first-time renter discount.

Where would you go with an RV?
Leave a comment!

*All opinions are my own and I declare no affiliation, sponsorship, nor any partnerships with any of the above companies or resources listed.

The Scenic Drive | Red Rock Canyon | Nevada

It’s taken me a year to do something with all this content, so finally, here it is!
A reminder that I need to get out and start doing this again.

Hope you enjoy!

Are the Ringing Rocks of Bucks County a Must-See Attraction?

If you’re trying to decide whether or not ringing rocks are something you should see in your lifetime, you’ve come to the right place! If your curiosity has led you here and you’re now wondering what the heck ringing rocks are, then wonder no more.

Ringing rocks or sonorous rocks are rare and are in a few locations around the world, such as Pennsylvania, Montana, England, Scotland, and Australia, to name a few. What makes these rocks so unique is what you hear when you hit them. The reason behind their sound, though yet to be confirmed, is even cooler. The likeliest of all reasoning is that the rocks have a higher than usual amount of iron in them, which causes a high-pitched resonating sound. How these boulder fields have formed in these locations is also unusual. It’s also semi-questionable, from theories of volcanoes to explanations of thawing after the ice age.

Thankfully, I happen to live closest to the ringing rocks in Upper Black Eddy, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This location is about an hour away from Philadelphia. The drive made it a lot easier to check these bad boys out and see if they are a “must-see” attraction. As if the ringing rocks weren’t enticing enough, Ringing Rocks County Park is also home to the largest waterfall in Bucks County, High Falls.

Upon arrival, you’ll find yourself in a parking lot about a 5-minute walk away from rock heaven. Once you’ve gotten through the short trail, the first stop is Boulder Field, where you’re free to climb about large boulders in search of the perfect pitch. It’s important to note that not every rock will resonate, so you’ll have to do some moving around. Make sure to bring your hammer!

After 10-minutes of banging on rocks, I got the gist of it and moved on to the waterfall. It’s another short walk down the trail towards High Falls. I was excited to see my first waterfall. Unfortunately, what I didn’t know is that the waterfall functions seasonally. It turned out to be more of an open spigot in late summer than a waterfall at all.

In all, it’s worth checking out if your travel is no more than an hour or so out. Anything further and you might find the destination to be slightly disappointing. It’s great for children around five years of age and up. There were many kids there, but none too small as the boulders are quite large, which can be a hazard. Also, make sure you go during the waterfall’s peak season. I went in August, so you’re probably going to have better luck in the Spring.

Check out my first-hand experience at Ringing Rocks County Park and see why I rate this attraction a 5/10.

Exploring the Abandoned PA Turnpike

Gearing up for Halloween, I thought it’d be fitting to venture through some of the creepy attractions Pennsylvania has to offer. This week, I traveled to Breezewood, PA, with a group of friends to explore what is now known as the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike.

In 1968, the construction of the turnpike halted due to its inability to clear traffic congestion. The non-profit organization, Pike2Bike, now has it in the works to turn it into a biking trail by the non-profit organization. The entire highway runs 13-miles long, but the accessible area or more tamed area is 8.5-miles.

There are two tunnels along the turnpike, Sideling Hill Tunnel & Rays Hill Tunnel. Both tunnels are explorable at your own risk. Warning signs are stating so along with strongly suggested use of flashlights, which I quickly learned are much needed. The tunnels vary in length, with the longest being 6,782 feet of pure darkness. Unused for over 50 years, the top half of the tunnel, intended for offices and turbines, is now rusted over, in shambles, and perfect for urban exploration. 

If you’re looking for an adrenaline rush, you should check out the Abandoned Pennsylvania Turnpike. You can find directions to the beginning of the trail on Google Maps. We found the Fulton County entrance easier to access than its counterpart. This entrance avoids having to drag yourself and belongings uphill. It’s about a 22-minute walk to the first tunnel from here, so if you can bike, I would encourage it.

Follow me as I make my way through the creepy tunnels of the Abandoned PA Turnpike.

Pow! Wow! DC: The Biggest Wow Factor

Having been to Washington, DC twice now, traveling to the capital presents minimal thrill for me. Don’t get me wrong, the free museums and memorials are worth the adventure, but seeing the Lincoln Memorial with the same level of enthusiasm only happens but so many times.

This time I had decided to venture outside of the touristy area and check out the surrounding neighborhoods, specifically NoMa. Short for North of Massachusetts Avenue, this up and coming section offers so many hip and trendy sights to see. Union Market, NoMa Summer Screen, and plenty of eateries. Aside from great restaurants, Fare Well being one of them, the main attractions for me were the latest murals from 2018’s Pow! Wow! DC.

Pow! Wow! is a non-profit event that was founded in Hawaii back in 2010 and has since expanded to Long Beach, California, Worcester, Massachusetts, and Taiwan. With a mission to bring communities together using the power of art, this festival does just that. This year brought 20 artists together from all over the globe to brighten up the city. I was lucky to capture just about all of them.

Check out the impressive works in my latest video Best Street Art of Pow! Wow! DC.

Mural Festival: The Best Street Art of Montreal

Only after my first trip to Montreal, Canada, back in 2017, did I find out about their annual Mural Festival. For those just as in the dark as I was, Mural Festival is a week-long event featuring live music and an explosion of talented street artists from all over the world. They block off the streets and line them up with clothing and food vendors. Yes, murals created in real-time, and I had been in the city two-months too early to experience it!

After just missing what could be considered one of the best mural festivals in the northern hemisphere, I immediately planned to go back. Montreal breathes art. Street art can be found on almost every corner and hidden in every alley. The cleanliness of the streets, the convenience of traveling, and the people are a pleasure to be around. No wonder how one could love this place! Something about this city feels like home for me, even though I can’t speak a lick of French.

A language barrier is nothing Google Translate isn’t able to fix. So, I booked my flight, reserved my room, charged up the Nikon, and I can now cross Mural Festival 2018 off my bucket list. I even had the opportunity of helping an artist, Cécile Gariépy, on her circus-themed bus mural. You see the final result and recap the 2018 Mural Festival below.

Advice for attending future Mural Festivals, you’ll want to stay as many days as possible. I wasn’t able to experience all seven days of the festival, missing the final reveals of all the murals. Seeing a lot of half-painted murals was fun, but would have been better seeing them completed.

A Dose of Good Medicine in Philadelphia

Good Medicine art exhibit.

Slowly, I am beginning to accept that Philadelphia is not so bad of a place to live. We have a pretty big art scene, not just the Philadelphia Museum of Art. There are tons of small art galleries around the city, which I passed dozens of times without knowing they existed. And so many new art installations. 

4th Street and South Street, for example, is known as Fabric Row. Fabric Row has been around for about 100 years, and I had never heard of it. It consists of six blocks of boutiques, art supplies, restaurants, tattoo shops, and Paradigm Gallery & Studio, artistic space for both the visual and performing arts. I had come across an Instagram story by Alex Yanes, a talented Miami artist, showing new pieces that would be on display there. The exhibit called Good Medicine would feature wooden sculptures from Alex Yanes and Dennis McNett, along with collaboration pieces from the two. If you have not come across either, I strongly recommend checking out their work. A mix of vibrant colors and ridiculous detail, a must-see!

Dennish Mcnett, myself and Alex Yanes [left to right]

Dennis Mcnett’s Big Mary’s Resurrection

My fortunate timing granted me the opportunity to meet both artists standing in front of their art. Of course, I geeked out and asked for a photo. Their styles are so drastically different but find a way to complement each other.

You can see stunning work by Dennis McNett, who goes by the name of Wolfbat, on Instagram. I had stared in amazement at his elephant piece for nearly 30-minutes! Some of these lovely works were up for sale for those lucky enough to have such a budget. I will one day own an Alex Yanes!

The exhibit will be on display until July 21, 2018. I encourage you to take a look if you’re in the area.

The Best Worst Axe Throwing Competition

Ever consider ax-throwing? It had never crossed my mind until a few months ago. I heard about the sport through a coworker, and I immediately knew what to plan for my birthday. So that’s what I did!

When not laughing hysterically, I was able to get some shots of a few amateurs, including myself, attempting to ax-throw for the first time. I also decided to put together a spoof competition video of our good times. If you’ve got some time, you can check it out below:

The Rabbit Hole: Alice in Wonderland, Graffiti Bridge

Me, just doing what I love. I thought I’d try a vlog this time to check out Alice in Wonderland Bridge, also known as Graffiti Bridge in Mount Bethel, Pennsylvania. The real name for it is the Delaware River Viaduct, about a 2-hour drive from Philadelphia with no tolls.

Something to check out if you’re into spur the moment trips.
[Video and Pics Below]

Jason Richardson & Luke Holland Tour

The Jason Richardson & Luke Holland Tour is definitely one you should catch this summer.

Insane storm in Philly caused me to miss out on the first of the night, but I got there right in time for David Maxim Micic. I’d seen Jason Richardson and Stolas prior, so my anticipation laid in both Plini and David Maxim Micic. They did not disappoint. You could feel the love from David Maxim Micic on stage with his first time being in the U.S and it surely was reciprocated. Hoping to see his following grow after this tour and much more of him in the future.

Stolas is always fun to watch. Sergio (also guitarist of Sianvar) does a bang up job every time I’ve seen him. Watching this dude shred while spinning in circles on the ground is something to witness. I actually got to meet up with him after their set for a pic and some quick words. He informed me of their last minute decision to join the tour due to some van issues, but glad they got everything squared away in time.

Reign of Kindo, my first time hearing of these guys. Live they sound beautiful, lovely pipes on the vocalist, but just not my forte. Although the crowd did not agree, lots of positive feedback during their set. You can tell there’s a variety of influence from all genres for this band.

Sad to say, but in a slightly good way, Plini brought most of the crowd in at Voltage Lounge. It was a sold out show and I do believe this is where it went, seeing as how it cleared out a bit after his set. So many Plini fans, so many engaged. This wasn’t his first time in Philly, he’d been here a few months back at the Trocodero. Trying to make up for what I missed, there was no way I wasn’t seeing him this time. My only wish was that the sound quality was better. With a packed show the garage door was kept open, causing mega sound loss. All in all it was awesome to finally see Selenium Forest & Atlas played live. With serious technical issues throughout the night, many were nervous he’d would be cut short, but there was plenty of time for him to perform magic on stage.

Kinda glad it emptied out, helped me to get a much better view of Jason Richardson burning through frets. It got a little moshy during Tonga, which is always a good time. It’s so satisfying watching Jason sweep so clean. You can tell there’s lots of devotion in this dudes playing. I would have loved to see more of Luke Holland though. This kid is super talented and it would have been cool to see their stage setup facing one another. From Omni to Hoes Down, absolutely flawless. I honestly don’t think Jason Richardson gets enough credit, but credit is definitely due.