Friday Funnies

Today, October 31, marks the day when Halloween is celebrated here and many countries worldwide in some way. Some in the Western world, the US, Canada, Ireland and the UK, have extensive celebrations with costume parties, trick-or-treating, pranks and games.

  Maxine, resident Hudson Senior Center member, is dressed for Halloween

Halloween is celebrated in downtown Nashua, NH, with lamp pole scarecrows along Main Street. I took photos on a downtown walk this week, some of which are shown below.

Other countries have traditions similar to Halloween that focus on remembering the dead, but with unique cultural spins, like Mexico's Día de los Muertos. Most countries in Asia, Africa and the Middle East, don’t celebrate Halloween because of religious or cultural reasons, also Iran and Russia which have restricted/banned celebrations.

Many residents of Clocktower Place apartments, our residence building, also display Halloween decorations which ranger from shelf size to larger-than-life size displays.

Some decorations include friendly-looking ghosts, akin to Casper the Friendly Ghost.

Other decorations have a more ominous theme, including the carnivorous pumpkin below.

On Halloween, it’s traditional to commemorate the dead in some Christian traditions. On our Portugal trip, we saw early Halloween decos notably at a hotel.  On November 1, All Saints' Day, Portuguese children go door-to-door with carved pumpkin lanterns asking for a soulmass cake. This small round cake, which resembles a shortbread biscuit, has spices like allspice, nutmeg, cinnamon or ginger as well as raisins or currants. Before baking, it's topped with the mark of a cross. Unfortunately, we left too early to sample one.

This year, Clocktower Place featured a pumpkin decorating competition with some unique entries. Residents will vote on the entries and the winning pumpkin will earn the resident a month of free garage parking.

There are 28 scarecrows placed along Main Street. While many are very original and creative, there are those that lack such features, which is why not all were shown in this post.

My particulate favorite for originality is this above scarecrow by the Nashua Transit System. It consists totally of transit system signage.

Full disclosure we don't decorate for Halloween only for Autumn with recycled annual decos. These will be changed only after Thanksgiving (a tradition from our childhood).

Your turn — Do you decorate for Halloween in any way? 

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

Hope you all receive only 🎃 treats not tricks👻

We'll be setting back time ⏰ on Sunday, Nov 2

Home in Nashua, NH

We landed at Logan Airport, Boston, on Tuesday afternoon

Portugal was a whirlwind adventure and now we're back in Nashua, NH, catching up on things at home including sleep. 

All of the hotels included a breakfast buffet

Tours are not for the faint of heart and can be very exhausting with full tour days.. In order to see so many places in a limited time frame, it was necessary to change hotels several times and to spend hours on a tour bus.

A very large indoor farmer's market with produce, bakery items and fresh fish

Our group was a large one with 43 travelers. Our NH contingent consisted of 13, the largest group was from St, Louis, still other folks hailed from OH, NY and CO. Within a few days, we learned the first names of most other travelers and are hoping to keep in contact with a couple..

There were many monuments and historic sites to see

Also, visits to local artisans, like this pottery studio

A lot of photos were taken both with a digital camera and cell phone, so it will be a while before I go through and merge them and select ones to include in future posts. I'll also be creating a photo book as was done for previous trips.

Daytime temperatures ranged from the mid to higher 70s

Night time dining in outdoor cafes was  popular in every city

There will still be a couple of posts about our road trip to parts of PA which happened a couple of weeks before this adventure.

Colorful flowers were in every city visited

Thanks for all your well wishes in previous comments. I brought my iPad along amnd hoped to keep up on your blog posts. However, most days were so full that little free time was left for other than sleeping in the evenings, especially when dining in most cities visited started after 7 pm and ended after 9 pm. Internet service was also not as good as here at home and we turned off cellular data to avoid any charges. That said,  WhatsApp is how we kept in contact with family and friends while traveling as we can call and text over wi-fi, free of charge.

To be continued — more about our adventures to come in future posts. Travel is exciting for sure. While catching up takes a but of time, we’re thankful to be able to explore and learn and then to share with everyone. Thanks for coming along.

Friday Funnies

A recent Friday Funnies featured a doggie in a window — a car window, not in the pet shop window of the popular 1950s Patti Page song.

This post has another doggie in another window. He/she was seen napping in a second floor residence window on a recent walk in downtown Nashua, NH.

As we're on a(another) adventure, blog commenting will be sporadic depending on our location. We're on a tour in Portugal with our senior center group.

Thanks for your comments on the Kinzua viaduct, a number of folks commented that the height alone would make them wary of visiting this amazing sky walk. Surprisingly, while I'm not fond of heights, this one didn't seem that daunting. Yes, we would re-visit.

Enjoy Your Weekend, Everyone

We will be enjoying ours for sure

Far Away Now

That’s where we are this week and part of the upcoming week as we’re once again on an adventure This time to places farther away than the recent PA road trip. We’re part of a tour group from the senior center again, this time traveling in parts of Portugal.

As all of our far-away trips have been in recent years, this is a first-time to this country. As such, we’ll be visiting a number of cities and sites in a relatively short time and future posts will feature some highlights of this adventure. 

The 8th Wonder (Once)

A post earlier this week related our recent meet-up with blogger friends in PA. Linda and Bob were wonderful and very informative tour guides who introduced us to an amazing PA sight at Kinzua Bridge State Park. Spoiler Alert: This is a long post.

Admittedly, we are always interested in sites new-to-us and especially ones with a historical background. What we saw at this 339-acre Pennsylvania state park near Mt Jewett was amazing. We can understand why it was selected by the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) and Bureau of Parks as one of 25 Must-See Pennsylvania State Parks. 

The park's highlight is the Kinzua Sky Walk extending 624 feet into the Kinzua Gorge featuring panoramic views. Once known as the Kinzua Viaduct, this engineering marvel was once the highest railway bridge in the world. Six of the bridge's 20 towers were taller than the Brooklyn Bridge. In 1977, it was listed as a Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. 

Although the state park name uses Kinzua Bridge, the original and correct name is Kinzua Viaduct, both terms are used interchangeably today. Kinzua Bridge became a common, widely accepted name among the general public rather than viaduct.. 

A major difference between the terms is purpose. While a bridge usually spans a single gap, like a river or roadway, a viaduct is a type of bridge comprised of various spans over uneven terrain with multiple supports to maintain a consistent, level grade. Since this structure included a railway across the Kinzua Creek Valley, Kinzua Viaduct is the more accurate and historical term that will be used herein. 

The Kinzua Sky Walk is the feature in Kinzua Bridge State Park

As for this post title, there's no actual Eighth wonder of the world; however, this designation was unofficially applied to the 1882 wrought iron Kinzua Viaduct which for 2 years held the record as the tallest railroad bridge in the world. Eight years later (1890), the bridge was dismantled and rebuilt with steel. It survived for over a century until the structure met the force of Mother Nature (details to follow).

The Back Story — construction, rebuilding, disaster, rebirth

Thomas Kane

In the 1880s, the half-mile wide and 300 feet deep, Kinzua Creek Valley stood in theway of commerce since the New York, Lake Erie and Western Coal Railway (NYLEW) needed to transport coal, lumber, oil and other resources to Buffalo's markets faster. The fastest way would be to build a bridge across the valley compared to putting down eight miles of track over rough terrain to carry trains loaded with the materials. Railroad president Thomas Kane urged investors to open their wallets to fund the construction of a bridge to transverse the gorge. Kane, who wheezed from a chronic lung condition and also had been injured in the Civil War, lived long enough to see his dream become reality.

1882 construction of the wrought iron Kinzua Viaduct and some of the workmen

Construction of the iron viaduct began in May 1881, staring with the placement of stone piers. It took 6 to 10 months to do the pier work with some months off for winter. Erection of the tubular iron began nearly a year later in May 1882. Amazingly, it was in completed in only 94 days. A work force of approximately 100 to 150 men placed 110 piers with over 1,552 tons of wrought iron at an estimated cost between $167,000 and $275,000 (back then). The viaduct was designed by Octave Chanute, a prominent civil engineer who advised early aviators including the Wright brothers.

Visitor center display of viaduct engineer Bonzano (L) and designer Chanute (R)

The bridge's 110 sandstone masonry piers were quarried from the hillside used for the foundation of the bridge. The original viaduct was 301 feet high, 2,053 feet long and weighed over 3,100,000 pounds. 

Phoenix column construction used for Kinzua Viaduct

Visitors' center exhibit explaining how viaduct was built

Engineer Adolphus Bonzano used a patented design called Phoenix Columns, lighter in weight with greater strength than cast iron columns of similar design. Because of the design of these columns, it was believed mistakenly that the bridge had been built with wooden poles. 

Erecting the original 1882 Kinzua Viaduct with a traveling crane

Bonzano determined that trains could safely cross the viaduct at 5 mph sending vibrations down the iron structure like a tuning fork. By 1893, the NYLE&W went bankrupt and merged with the Erie Railroad, the new owner of the viaduct. Less than 10 years later at the start of the 20th century, locomotives were 85 percent heavier and the iron bridge couldn't carry them safely. The decision was made to rebuild the entire structure with steel for both heavier locomotives and longer trains. 

Steel reconstruction of the Kinzua Viaduct in 1890 and some of the workmen

Rebuilt process from wrought iron to steel

In 1990, a crew from the Elmira Bridge Company dismantled the iron structure and rebuilt each tower with steel latticework. Working in 10-hour shifts, some 100 to 150 men completed the project in 105 days. The new steel viaduct had the same measurements and weighed nearly double the original at 6,706,000 pounds. Bolts used to hold the towers to the anchor blocks were re-used from the original bridge. This decision would eventually play a major role in the bridge's downfall.

Vintage photo showing train on steel rebuilt viaduct

Yet, despite this reconstruction, the train's speed limit remained 5 mph. As the bridge aged, heavy trains pulled by two steam locomotives had to stop so engines could cross the bridge one at a time. Lighter diesel locomotives didn't have that limit. 

Vintage postcard showing a train traveling the Kinzua Viaduct

The last steam locomotive in commercial service crossed on October 5, 1950, freight traffic ended in 1959 and the Erie Railroad (owner of the viaduct) sold it to a salvage company in Indiana, PA, for $76,000. When local citizens protested, the salvage company owner, who admired the extraordinary structure, worked with local support groups to save it and offered to sell it to the State of Pennsylvania. In August 1963, then Governor William Scranton signed a bill to purchase the viaduct and adjacent land for $50,000 to create Kinzua Bridge State Park. The viaduct received national recognition and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1977, an honor later rescinded.

A Knox and Kane steam locomotive on the Kinzua Viaduct before 2002

After freight traffic stopped, the Knox and Kane (K&K) Railroad purchased a portion of the Erie Railroad and in 1987 started steam rail trips across the viaduct from Knox to Kane, PA. The trip went through the Allegheny National Park and traveled on the viaduct before returning. 

But in June 2002, the viaduct was closed when an inspection by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) revealed it needed a full restoration. The fear was that high winds could cause a collapse. Trains again were barred from travel on the viaduct. The K&K railroad lost a major tourism draw so was affected severely. When it suspended operations in 2006, the PA salvage company that had bought the viaduct then resold it to the state, bought the tracks.

Worse news than the end of the excursion train came two months later. In August 2002, the viaduct was closed to all traffic, even pedestrians. In February 2003, an Ohio-based bridge construction and repair company started restoration. 

Aftermath of 2003 tornado shows towers torn from their bases

This was a short lived effort As construction workers were leaving the site in late afternoon July 21, 2003 — disaster hit as an tornado with wind speeds of 73-112 mph struck a side of the viaduct. The F-1 classified storm tore down 11 of 20 towers at the center of the bridge from their concrete bases toppling them to the valley floor. The tornado also snapped and uprooted nearby trees. There were no injuries or deaths reported. (I wondered if this was unusual PA weather. But, an online check showed that while the state averages 16 tornadoes per year mostly in May to July, these can occur year-round.)

Remember those bolts that were not replaced? 

A post-collapse inspection revealed that the 1882 wrought iron bridge had been replaced in 1900 with steel except for the anchor bolts. The anchor bolts holding the bases of the towers were badly rusted. An investigation determined that the viaduct swung back and forth several times before the base bolts failed due to fatigue. The century-old viaduct was destroyed in under a minute. 

Rusted and failed base bolts contributed to the collapse

Towers, which fell intact in sections and sustained impact damage, were left where they fell. The state of PA opted not to rebuild as the cost would have topped $45 million (then). Before the collapse, Kinzua Bridge State Park attracted over 200,000 visitors annually. A decision was made to transform the disaster into a visitor attraction to showcase both the history of the structure and the forces of nature.

Park visitors can hike down to view the collapsed towers left where they fell

As if the situation could not get worse, it did when in July 2004, the viaduct was removed from the National Register of Historic Places after the catastrophic collapse.

Railroad ties twisted after the tornado and currently with all tracks removed

This was because the 2003 disaster changed its physical integrity and it didn't exist as the historic entity for which it had been recognized earlier. The viaduct's removal from the listing wasn't a punitive delisting but caused by its destruction.

But, there was also good news too. In June 2005, the State of Pennsylvania released $700,000 to design repairs on the remaining towers and reinvent the viaduct as the Kinzua Sky Walk. The state's Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (DCNR) put forward another proposal to add an observation deck and visitors' center. 

View below Kinzua Sky Walk

This plan allowed access to a remaining portion of the viaduct with a hiking trail for views of the fallen towers. The Kinzua Sky Walk cost $4.3 million and opened in September 2011. A tourism expert estimated it could bring in over $11 million in annual revenue. The area benefits from visitor spending on food, lodging and other activities. Admission to the visitors' center, sky walk and park are free. 

Lower observation deck of Kinzua Sky Walk

On the Kinzua Sky Walk, visitors walk 600 feet onto the remaining support towers of the former Kinzua Viaduct. The pedestrian walkway is on six restored original towers, yes with new anchor bolts. The 225-foot high observation deck offers a view of Kinzua Creek Valley with 11 twisted and scattered towers at the bottom. The railroad tracks have been removed from the deck. The walkway ends at an overlook with a partial glass floor. Unfortunately, at the time of our visit, a catwalk had been installed for crews to access the underside of the sky walk. The view was obstructed and we couldn't see the ground 225 feet below; maybe another time.

Picture taking platform under the skywalk provides a 3D effect

Highly recommended is the picture taking platform under the sky walk where visitors and photograph themselves and the remaining support towers. The view resembles a 3D effect, similar to the pre-tower collapse.

Front entry of Kinzua Bridge State Park visitors' center

The Visitors Center is accessed at the edge of Kinzua Gorge. Huge steel towers flank the doorway. The building features two exhibit halls with displays showcasing the three E’s – Engineering, Energy and the Environment. 

If you're ever in the vicinity of Mt Jewett, PA, we would highly recommend going out of your way, if necessary, to find and explore this amazing structure. That said, there's limited time to do so in 2025. The Kinzua Sky Walk will close October 31 after its temporary reopening for fall foliage season. The walkway is closed for a multi-year rehabilitation. The next reopening will be fall 2026 if you want to plan ahead..

Even if the viaduct wasn't an actual wonder of the world, the fact that original construction took 3 months, reconstruction took just a half month longer and that it stood for over 121 years since originally built — is amazing. Our thanks to Linda and Bob for introducing us to what we consider a true wonder, even if it's not on the books as such.

View down from the sky walk

On the other hand, if you have a fear of heights, it might be best not to look down over the side, just look straight ahead.

************

Aside from photos taken during our visit, all vintage photos used to showcase the Kinzua Viaduct before, during and after restoration were obtained from online sources. These have been used solely for the purpose of documentation. I am grateful for all the sources.

Meeting Blogger Friends

We have been fortunate in our years of blogging to have met several bloggers both in the U.S. and abroad. These meet-ups have always been wonderful get togethers with bloggers who had already become friends, so that an in person meeting was extra special. Several of these have lead to additional get togethers.

Linda & Bob

That was the case with our recent PA road trip which included a reunion with blog friend, Linda, and her husband, Bob. They've had visited Nashua, NH, twice before (2021 and 2023) as family live nearby in nearby Amherst, NH. (If you want to check out Linda's blog it's Days to Remember.)

This year, we wanted to reciprocate by visiting their home in Warren, PA. Over a series of texts, we mutually agreed on the best time. It's an 8-1/2 hour road trip between the two cities, so this visit was combined with a road trip as we really don't need too much encouragement for one. Last week's post described an overnight stop in Corning, NY, a  6-hour drive from NH, which presented the opportunity to visit the amazing Corning Museum of Glass.

Plaza Restaurant, Warren, PA

We met up with Linda and Bob late the next day, which by a happy coincidence was their 27th wedding anniversary. After asking for a restaurant suggestion, we treated them to dinner at the Plaza Restaurant in Warren. Surprises are always nice. It was great to treat our visit hosts.

The Plaza is a family-owned restaurant and a favorite downtown landmark that's been serving Greek and American comfort food for over 60 years, open daily except Sunday. If you ever have reason to visit Warren, PA, it should be a definite stop.

After dinner there was enough time and daylight for a short walking tour in downtown Warren. The city was named for doctor and Major General Joseph Warren killed June 1775 at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Most of us are familiar with the midnight ride of Paul Revere and others who rode to warn colonists that the British militia (Redcoats) were closing in to nearby towns. But, what I learned was that it was General Warren enlisted Paul Revere and William Dawes to warn the militia that the Redcoats were closing in. 

General Joseph Warren (portrait by John Singleton Copley) and Warren, PA, memorial

Fourteen U.S. states have a county or city named for this Revolutionary War hero, one in New England is Warren, MA, renamed in 1834 from Western. As for Warren, PA, the city was laid out in 1795 by General William Irvine, who named it in Warren's honor. There's a statue of General Warren in a small pocket park that's named after him and is the only statue of Warren outside of Boston, MA. Commissioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution and unveiled on July 4, 1910. It was refurbished in 2011 when a new sword was attached to replace the original that had been missing for years. 

The 1889 (left) and 1891 views of Flatiron Building in Warren, PA

Another central landmark in downtown Warren, PA, is at the intersection of 2nd and Pennsylvania Avenues. Architecturally striking is a triangular building known as the Flatiron building. This historic eight-story triangular building dates to the late 1800s. Built of Hummelstown brownstone (dense sandstone named after the town it was quarried in), it features a clock tower with a dragon weather vane. The building's history connects to the Warren Savings Bank. The original building was destroyed by fire in 1889 and rebuilt by 1891 as the current structure. Today, it's known as the Key Bank Building and occupied by that bank. The building is referred to as the Flatiron; however, this name has never been a formal part of the record.

Historic Flatiron building in downtown Warren, PA

Directly in front of the Flatiron building, today, is a large ornate fountain. This historical fountain is located in the City Square. The fountain is known for its design that features local wildlife. It was completed in 2010 and was the centerpiece of Warren's Downtown Revitalization Project. It underwent a major renovation in 2022, which included adding a new bird statue. The fountain is a a venue for local events and a popular visitors' spot. It's been referred to as the Northwest Bank fountain and also Heritage fountain.

Veterans Memorial Bridge across Allegheny River in Warren, PA, and photo opp

Our next day's adventure was a road trip with Linda and Bob as navigators and tour guides. What would have been a half hour drive became an hour-long journey due to road closures. Our first stop was Rimrock Overlook located in Warren County in the Allegheny National Forest which offered great views of the Allegheny Reservoir.

Rimrock Overlook was a great photo opp background

The Allegheny Reservoir was created by the controversial damming of the Allegheny River in the 1960s and construction of the Kinzua dam. Built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the dam and its resulting reservoir created significant controversy and had a devastating impact on the Seneca Nation of Indians. 

View of Kinzua Dam on the Allegheny River

Thanks to Linda and Bob we had a wonderful outing filled with a lot of information, but it wasn't over yet. The highlight of this day trip was Kinzua Bridge State Park, home to the Kinzua Viaduct, built in 1892 and once the longest and highest railroad structure in the world. Because of its long and fascinating history, that stop will be the subject of a separate next post.

If you ever have the opportunity to meet up with blogger friends, we highly recommend doing so. I'm hoping to do it again in NYC before year end.