Leaving When We Should Have Been Arriving

Mountain Springs Camping Resort
Shartlesville, Pennyslvania

I knew when I booked this place it would be a busy park.  At least the good side is we won't be here over the weekend. While a park with over 200 sites, basketball courts, recreation halls, arcade room, swimming pools and spas is desirable by many, I much prefer the Ye Old Campground in Burnt Cabins where everyone was very friendly and the park was small enough you got a chance to visit with people.  I'm sorry I didn't get the names of the people from Chandler. 

We didn't leave Burnt Cabins until around 12:30.  Usually that is the time we are ready to pull into a park.  We just couldn't leave the park until we had a free tour of the Burnt Cabins Grist Mill.  

Greg and Dawn Harnish own the campground.  It's really a family run business with the whole family being kept busy.  I asked Dawn how old the "store" was and she said the previous owners had traced it back to 1722.  While Greg gave the weekly 11 am tour, Dawn made us sub sandwiches for the road. 

The tour is free to those at the park, but if you are traveling through without staying at the park, it will cost you $2.00.   

We watched a short video on grist mills and then Greg began the tour.  I had no idea before the tour that the mill is still in operation.  

Now I know where all the pancake mixes and flour products in the camp store come from.  

This is the 1500 pound stone wheel that is used to grind the grain.

This is how they lift the stone wheel and once it is in place it swings out of the way.

These beams are the original and were cut in one solid length of Chestnut,which runs the entire length of the building.  You can still see the ax marks in the beams.  These beams are on all three floors.

This is where I think the corn goes into the grain for cornmeal.

Some of the gears are still made out of wood but many have been forged.

This was unique.  Once the door is opened the noose slips around the 100 pound sacks and can be hoisted up to the upper floor.  

The water wheels are inside the mill in the basement.  There are two and the newest one is run by a very old diesel motor.  

I'm not sure what this picture is but you can tell how old the equipment is.  The top gear is original and made out of wood.

We all marveled at how intelligent the millers had to be to design all these belts and gears to mill grains.

We reluctantly picked up our sandwiches at the camp store pictured above and said good by to Greg and Dawn.  As we were leaving there were some kids with fishing poles going down to the creek.  That will be a lasting memory of the park.

This couple have their canoes on their motorcycle.

We arrived here in Shartlesville before 3 pm and other than a lot of cars on the freeway, it was a nice drive.  

I only picked this park because last year we were going to visit Pottsville, and we changed our minds and didn't go.  Tomorrow we will finally mark off something on my bucket list.   Yes, Dennis and Linda we will finally make it.

Turtle Safely..........