Carrick Furnace

geocaching post alert

warning:: boring post warning:: boring post

geocaching post alert

When we went geocaching during our Cowan's Gap camping trip, we cached at Carrick Furnace. It is an old furnace that looks similar to limestone kilns in our area but it has some of the old steam powered equipment remaining. According to the Franklin Co. Historical Society, this furnace was built in the 1820's and was last used in 1884. It's on the National Register, and, lo and behold, we would not have seen it or explored it without geocaching. Viewing other kilns like this, I was never able to picture how they worked. Not that I understand it any better now, but at least I have more of a visual. Admittedly, these are among the more boring of historical buildings, but I was there, damnit, so now you get to see it as well. You're welcome.

Are you sure there are no snakes around here?

I am totally serious.

There had better not be any snakes.

Burnt Cabins Grist Mill

So, we are off camping with much of the whole fam-damily, excepting for my brothers' family and my husband Matt who couldn't get off of work to go with me, the dog, my mom and dad, my sister and brother-in-law, and four kids ranging from 2 years to 11 years. Oh, and a snake.

Yeah. We'll get to that later.

First, another 'geocaching is so great, it takes me places I never would have seen' type post. You're welcome!

This is the Burnt Cabins Grist Mill. There was a multi-cache (a two-stage geocache) here, so we headed out. We were pleasantly surprised to find not only a working grist mill, but a campground and small store selling their own flour and cornmeal, as well as hand dipped ice cream.

Pappy told the kids how members of our family brought one of the first millstones

over the Allegheny Mountains to found the Edwards Feed Mill. God love 'em, is all I have to say, DRIVING Rt 30 over the Allegheny Mountains is bad enough, without having to spur mules carrying a very large and heavy stone over the non-existant roads.

Ethan, at stage two of the geocache.

We wound up getting ice cream and some items to use for making fried zucchini and shish kabobs that we had for supper that night. The pumpkin butter was tres yummy.

The darkening skies should have been a portent of what we were to find in the cabin when we got back from our innocent jaunt amuck around the countryside....

Coming soon: Snakes in a Cabin

Moon Tree

Since the kids are bitching about geocaching asking ever so politely to skip geocaching in the sweltering weather, I decided to grab a cache all by myself on the way home the other day. I don't know why they don't want to climb all over rocks and bushes in 90' heat, but whatever, wusses.

This one was an easy find and a reinforcer for me that caching alone is sometimes a lot more fun.

This is why I love this hobby. If not for geocaching,

I would never have known about this gem:

The Dick Schoolhouse

Meghan and I were geocaching today, and hit a cache near Ethan's karate studio: The Dick Schoolhouse.

Did it always sit built into the bank so close to the road?

We had fun imagining the kids who must have lined up at this doorway (Meghan has just finished yelling, "RECESS" at the top of her lungs in the bottom picture), had their lunch in the grass, and washed their lunch buckets out in the spring that runs by. We wondered what they would make of us in our modern clothes, with cars zooming nearby.

The stream was freezing, even on a 80' day.

Ok, I don't know if there were lunch buckets, but they must have carried their lunch in something. Off to Google I go. Now, there's something those kids couldn't have imagined about the future!

Several neat links I found whilst looking for information on lunchboxes:

http://www.ushist.com/school_house_supplies_toys_f.shtml

http://www.senecaschoolhouse.com/

http://www.foodmuseum.com/exhbitschoollunch.html

http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodschools.html