 |
Enjoying a Picnic at the Ice Mine |
Yesterday (Friday) morning, Jane’s sister, Stephanie, dropped by the High Pines RV Park. She is staying in the Kane Manor after flying from Denver to Pittsburg and driving a rental car to Kane. The previous night we had decided to visit a regional oddity, the Ice Mine.
Steph drove us (about 50 miles, 1.25 hrs) to the Ice Mine outside of the small town of Coudersport. I rode in the backseat listening to the sisterly updates and reminiscences and enjoying the views. Jane had prepared a picnic lunch and we ate at the Ice Mine on a deck surrounded by a hardwood and hemlock forest. It was pleasurable to be in the presence of mature healthy hemlocks again (a rarity in NC after spread of the hemlock woolly adelgid).
The Ice Mine is an oddity because it freezes with ice in the summer and the ice melts in the winter. The mine was dug by hand during the late 1800s by excavators searching for silver that the Native Americans were allegedly mining in the area. Although they didn’t find silver, when the miners returned to the area, they discovered the ice. The ice mine has been a popular tourist attraction since but has changed hands over the years. While leaving, we also had a rare Sasquatch (Yeti) sighting. Apparently, he likes to haunt the Upper Tier PA counties.
 |
Steph & Jane in front of the Ice Mine Gift Shop |
 |
The Ice in July |
 |
Our Ice Mine Hostess at the Entrance |
 |
Sasquatch Sighting |
While driving through Coudersport, we discovered another oddity, the Elliot Ness Festival. Who knew? Elliot Ness was the Chicago law enforcement agent credited with bringing down gangster Al Capone during the Prohibition Era. He was the leader of The Untouchables about which a book and several movies have been released.
Elliot Ness spent the last part of his career in Coudersport leading a company that specialized in watermarking legal documents to prevent counterfeiting. He co-wrote his biography and passed away in Coudersport. Ness Fest celebrates this connection annually with a three-day event that involves vintage cars, costumes, a mock Capone trial, music, craft vendors, etc.
Driving back through Coudersport, we couldn’t resist stopping to take in the first day of Ness Fest. We walked the streets of this small town and visited several vendors and shops. We ducked into a cool old-fashion movie theater for awhile to escape the heat and watch a free video of Ness’ life.
Another oddity of Coudersport is that it is the hometown of my NCSU colleague, Doug Frederick. Also, it is only 12 miles from Cherry Springs State Park known locally as Dark Sky. This area has one of the darkest night skies on the east coast. The absence of light pollution is a mecca for stargazers. In August, Cherry Springs also hosts an annual Woodsmen Show featuring lumberjack competition events.
 |
Jane at Ness Fest |
On the return trip, we managed to miss a turn and cross the New York state line. After finding our way back to Kane, we dined at Four Sons, a local mainstay restaurant. Then, we visited Jane’s mother, Helen, and related our day’s adventures to her. Helen had memories of visiting the Ice Mine decades before when it was under different management and set up quite differently.
Wow! The ice mine sounds super cool! Did they have any explanation for the phenomenon?
Would have loved finding out more about Elliott Ness. Swanna and I want to know how the ice freezes in the summer.
Will, Lil' Sis & Swanna,
The explanation they gave was that the underground rocks are naturally cold (don't know why they would be below freezing) so in the summer air moisture, ground water, rain, etc. freezes when in contact with the rocks. In the winter there is less air humidity, ground water and rain plus warm air gets trapped in the mine and the ice melts.
The Science Channel visited awhile back and they have a video online about the Ice Mine. I haven't had a trace to view it but it might provide a better explanation.
Wow! That top picture sure shows two oddities and they were in Coudersport at the time…
Yes, now that you mentioned it, they were rather odd.