Those Places Thursday: Vacationing at the cabin

My parents took us – my sister and I - on several vacations over the years. Some I really enjoyed and others were less exciting. All of them were great, in hindsight. I wish I would have been more appreciative at the time.  

We went to Disney World, Bush Gardens, Colonial Williamsburg, Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, and out West. We went to Yellowstone National Park, the Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, the Corn Palace and the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo. We also spent many a summer at Daddy’s cabin in the Potter County. 

When I think of family vacation time, I have to admit the cabin comes to mind first. I even chose Lock Haven State University because it was in the mountains relatively near Daddy’s cabin! (LHU is in neighboring Clinton County). 

Dad had a cabin with some guys he grew up with from Coatesville. The cabin was called Bear Cat Cabin. I have no idea why. The cabin was, in the truest sense of the phrase, a hunting cabin. It was made by men and it was for men only. Women were not allowed in during hunting season.  

The cabin sat at the end of the lane furthest in, so it was literally the end of the road. It had electricity by the time we spent time there as a family but no running water. On our way up the mountain, we would take a blue barrel up with us and stop at a natural spring along the way to fill up with water.  

There was one large sleeping area upstairs. There might have been a dozen beds. Downstairs there was one great room where the dining area and sitting area were separate but open to each other. The huge fireplace was in the living area. There was a small kitchen just passed the dining area. It is hard to imagine 12 men working around each other in there but I suppose they were not all there at the same time. The outhouse was located out back through the kitchen rear door. 

Sadly I do not have any photos of the cabin. 

There were always lots of deer, regardless of what time of year it was. Awe saw many black bear up there as well. There used to be an old trash dump on the road out to Renovo, I think it was. The bear would come out at night and normally pay us all no mind as they went scavenging. People would drive to the dump just to watch them! It was like a drive in movie, of sorts. 

One time I remember Daddy screaming for me to get the camera. He was so excited! I ran down the stairs and out the cabin expecting a bear at our door. It was a bunch of wild turkeys.  

I love the smell of the mountains in the morning. The air is so clean and so crisp. The sounds of the morning are just as exciting. The animals and the wind were the only sounds. There was a creek nearby but we were not close enough to hear it from the cabin. 

A few years back, mom made mention that those summers we spent at the cabin were to save up for a “real vacation.” I loved those summers. I miss those summers. 

 

Photos: Dreamstime

 

 

Those places Thursday is a genealogical prompt of GeneaBloggers. 

© Jeanne Ruczhak-Eckman, 2015