Trail Sugar ...

“And into the forest I go, to lose my mind and find my soul.”

                   ~ John Muir

                           ~ 1838-1914

Sunset is knocking on the door of a winter day on a serene, snow sugared stretch of the Delaware and Lehigh National Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail) close to the Slatington Trailhead in Slatington, Pennsylvania.

Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

Slatington, established in 1864, is the designated Blackboard Capital of America.

Where Retro Is King ...

“Well, it’s one for the money

Two for the show

Three to get ready

Now go, cat go

But don’t you

Step on my blue suede shoes

You can do anything

But stay off of my blue suede shoes …”

         ~  “Blue Suede Shoes”

           ~ Written & recorded by Carl Perkins

                           ~ 1955

            ~ Recorded by the great Elvis Presley

                             ~ 1956

Elvis Presley’s “Blue Suede Shoes” may well be one of the hits you hear playing at Charlotte Fay’s Main Street Diner, Slatington, Pennsylvania, where retro is king at this cool and cozy eatery.

The King of Rock ‘n’ Roll is well represented at Charlotte Fay’s, joined by photos showcasing retro icons such as Elizabeth Taylor and James Dean in the 1956 film “Giant,” Marilyn Monroe, Route 66, and a young Elvis and Johnny Cash posing for a snapshot. There’s also a nod to the New Jersey Seashore and Steel Pier. The large map behind Elvis depicts President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, championed by the then-president when it was formed June 29, 1956.

And of course there’s the tasty food, wonderful to nosh on as you drink in the nostalgic atmosphere. Owner Jason Ruff named the diner after both his great-grandmothers, and uses their recipes.

The menu and atmosphere are the perfect mix to stir up a recipe for success fit for a king.

Still December ...

“All human beings are dream beings. Dreaming ties all men together.”

                  ~ Jack Kerouac

                                 ~ 1922-1969

The stillness of a late December day standing by a partially frosted Lehigh River at Lehigh Gap is the perfect place for dreaming and reflecting. Always take time to dream!

I captured this high contrast monochrome shot near the Lehigh Gap Bridge, which spans the river in the shadow of the Kittatiny Ridge, also called Blue Mountain.

The Lehigh Gap in Slatington, Pennsylvania, is a crossroads where the Lehigh Gap Nature Center’s trails connect two historic trails – the Appalachian Trail and the Delaware and Lehigh Heritage Corridor (D&L Trail).

The Appalachian Trail, a foot path, follows the ridge on both sides of the Lehigh Gap, running 1,245 miles south to Georgia and 930 miles north to Maine. Running from Wilkes-Barre to Bristol, the D&L Trail passes through the Lehigh and Delaware rivers and their canals in Pennsylvania.

The Lehigh Gap Bridge was built in 1930 and rehabilitated in 1984.