D&L trail vignettes

It is impossible to capture everything in a blog about what you see on a trip like this. Here are a few vignettes of special sights.

Classic covered bridge: This well-kept covered bridge is located in Uhlerstown leading us off the D&L to the D&R trail on the other side of the river in New Jersey. Like all other canal bridges. . .DUCK!

Old locks: Most of the locks are gone on the Delaware Canal though this one in Easton is putting on a good show. 

Rail trails and telegraph poles together: You can tell you are on an old railroad bed because there are always telegraph/phone poles nearby. On many, glass insulators still rest on vertical wooden pegs. Not here.

Stairway to Bethlehem: Nearing Bethlehem, we meet a fellow bicyclist who tries to convince us to hike our bikes up this stairway to take in the spectacular view of an old steel mill. We decline his kind offer.

Shale, shale everywhere: In order to get the canal or railroad through, hills and mountains were dug and blasted out. The scars of such excavations are seen on the layered walls of shale and occasional seams of coal along our route. 

Spectacular vistas of the river: There are so many bridges that we traverse giving us better views of the Lehigh River than the prior. We want to linger to take everything in but realize that it is not possible.

Choo-choo: Though we mostly follow inactive rails, the one outside Jim Thorpe is full of action and well refurbished railroad cars and engines. Isn’t this one a beauty?

Beautiful buildings: From a prosperous coal town to a nearly bankrupt one to a vacation wonderland, Jim Thorpe has a lot to offer. Most impressive and spectacular are its collection of vintage buildings in mint condition.

A lone fisherman: From start to finish of our ride, you can’t swing a lure without hitting one of the many anglers seeking a bite from a bass, trout or other tasty fish. This picture by Ted perfectly captures a moment of quiet contemplation and peace.