Unlike the 6 day road trip to the Adirondacks, this would be a quick trip to experience two different kinds of accommodations in the Poconos, neither being the once popular “heart-shaped” bathtub resort hotels nor the casino Meccas.
Monday, July 8th
We head out just after the
morning rush hour and take the GCP (Grand
Central Pkwy) over the RFK
Bridge (formerly Triboro) onto the Harlem River Drive
to the GWB (George
Washington Bridge). If you don’t know the abbreviations of the New York highways you
are in trouble trying to locate roadways and bridges. Now I realize why they changed Triboro to
RFK. Triboro was too clear of a
description – as it ran between three boroughs – Manhattan,
The Bronx, and Queens. OK. Onto I-80 and a mere two hours later we are in
the Poconos.
Sitting atop Huckleberry Mountain,
with amazing views of the Pocono Mountains is The French Manor Inn and Spa Bed
and Breakfast in South Sterling.
Merle and I are in the Spa Suites, which are
a new addition to the Inn. The Spa Suites include a king bed, fireplace,
Jaccuzzi, small fridge, coffee maker, TV, and a balcony looking out onto the
mountains.
There is a Welcome cheese
plate with apple, crackers, grapes and two cheeses. Also a bottle of sherry.
Because I am writing travel blogs now I feel it is my job to taste
everything and make sure it’s good. It
is all very good.
I take a walk around
the grounds to see the other buildings. The main manor is the original stone
chateau which now has three guestrooms, one suite, a casual Café area where tea is
served in the afternoon, and the 4-diamond French restaurant. There are two fireplace and Jacuzzi suites
and two more guestrooms in the Carriage House, and six more suites in the La
Maisonneuve building.
At 3:00 we head into Le Spa Foret for our treatments. I am scheduled for a full body massage with aroma oils. After filling out a short form and given a locker and robe, I head for my massage with Robin. She asked about my preferences regarding areas to concentrate on and what kind of pressure. She was very good and the massage was both enjoyable and helpful in relaxing some chronic tight muscles that I have. After a quick shower, I get into my bathing suit to check out the indoor salt water pool and hot tub. I would have also taken advantage of the Fitness Room but I was too relaxed at this point so I just headed back to the suite for another quick shower and start getting dressed for dinner.
Dinner is at the on site four
diamond French restaurant. We are given
a fresh strawberry champagne shooter with fresh mint to start off the
meal. I start with a salad of organic baby spinach,
yellow fin tuna, nicoise olives, edamame, and a lemon caper vinaigrette.
For the entrée I opt for the Atlantic Red Snapper
with Thai chili peanut butter and coconut sauce with asparagus and smoked Gouda
au gratin Fingerling potatoes. Dessert – yes we left room for dessert – is triple chocolate layer cake
and a chocolate, mango, and Kaulua soufflé. A Rooibos tea to settle
the stomach and a little walk around the grounds before heading to bed.
Tuesday July 9
The French Manor Spa is also a
bed and breakfast so we head back to the dining room for breakfast. I have two eggs over easy with bacon and
potatoes and juice.
The grounds include a few short hiking trails so I head out for my
morning constitutional with map in hand.
It’s already quite warm this morning so I figure hiking in the woods
will be a little cooler. I tell Merle if
I’m not back by 10:00 to send a search party.
Although the trails are short – there is a fairly steep part at the beginning
and I find a walking stick (more like a branch) to assist me. I never do things like this alone so I am
very proud of myself until I visualize snakes and breaking my ankle and getting
lost and I get the “heebie jeebies” but
I keep on going until the brush gets a little more over grown. I realize I
don’t have my friend Marlene to tell me which is the poison ivy and I’m wearing
shorts so I do head back figuring that I got more than half way and with half
way back, that’s a whole…so it’s a start.
At 11:00 we meet with Chef
Jeffrey Huntzinger who has been at the Manor for three years and spends a few
hours with Merle and me to tell us all about the restaurant, local foods,
different fish, sustainability, his passion for food as well as the stay awake
at night recipes he develops at three in the morning. I take a walk down to his newly developed
garden with him and we talk more about the wonderful vegetables he is
harvesting and will use in seasonal menus for the restaurant. Hear more from Chef Jeffrey on Merle’s radio
blog show. (TBA) The French Manor offers many packages and
specials for an enjoyable getaway special treat.
We get on the road to head north
to Lake Wallenpaupack with a stop at Coutt’s
Paupack Blueberry Farm and Bakery.
Coutt’s is a family owned and run farm and bakery in Paupack, PA. The fields are not quite ready for picking
yet so are not open to the public for about another two weeks. However, Debbie
grabs one of the young men working in the fields and takes me out there to see
the blueberry orchards. There are several different fields with
different kinds of blueberry bushes on 15 acres. We caught a small deer enjoying herself
lunching on one of the bushes. Back at
the store, which features home made baked goods, jams, jellies, relishes, ice
cream, fresh honey, and of course fresh or frozen blueberries, we get to sample
the blueberry ice cream which is exceptional. We also sample the blueberry spread
and the low sugar jam which I found to be just as good, if not better than the
regular one. There is also a diabetic
jam made with concentrated apple juice available. Back
on the road.
We check in at Ehrhardt’s
Waterfront Resort on Lake
Wallenpaupack. The resort is a family owned resort since
1943. Originally Silver Birches, the
resort has grown and expanded since then and its history is rich and
interesting. Merle and I are in the
Lakefront suites.
The resort also
offers other accommodations including cottages, rooms, and family units and
suites. Ehrhardt’s is all about
family. The family that continues to run
it and the families that continue to come for vacation the same week every
year. One family is now in its fifth
generation and has been coming for the 70 years. They offer a nice continental breakfast and
daily activities center around the lake and the pool.
Rowboats, paddle boats, and canoes are available for guests. Fishing requires a PA license for anyone over
18, even just fishing from the docks. They have a restaurant and banquet center
on the property which is open to the public and includes many special events
including Day Shows and Dinner Theater. A picnic BBQ is provided for guests on
Wednesday afternoons.
Dinner tonight is at Grehsam’s Chop
house with a great group from Pocono Tourism.
Unfortunately the rain came at the wrong time and our Scenic Boat Tour
on the lake was canceled but Liz, Alicia, David and Keith gave us information
on the area and arranged for water skiing on the lake tomorrow morning. We shared appetizers of coconut shrimp, spicy
tuna bites, and tomato and mozzarella; all very tasty. I choose the Tilapia with chipotle dressing
for the entrée which was light and fresh tasting.
The rain stopped and the sun came out, but
too late for the tour so Merle and I head back to Ehrhardt’s to watch the
beautiful sunset over the lake.
Wednesday, July 10
8 a.m. and a light continental
breakfast before getting on the lake. I
am about to attempt to water ski after about FIFTY years when I last water
skied at Camp Deerwood
on Lake Buel in the Berkshires. An appointment with my chiropractor, Joanie,
may be in order. Keith from tourism
comes down to join Sarah O'Fee, the resort's marketing person, and Craig Erhardt.
Craig will be showing off his water skiing talent's as he starts off slalom and provides a great show for us. I could ski slalom when I was 13 but now I’m
just concerned about staying afloat in the lake and getting up. After one failed attempt I put my mind to it
and visualized getting up like I did 50 years ago and with much fortitude and
strength – I DID IT !!!! . WOW. It was great. I even went outside of the wake
and came back in once. My second attempt
swamped me and I was in the lake. I quit
while I was ahead and was actually able to get back into the boat. Another success. For an
exciting heart stopping video see Merle’s blog. www.merleswhirls.blogspot.com
We head back into the resort, where I shower and freshen up and take two Ibuprophen before our meal. Lunch is with Sarah as we head for Erhardt's Waterfront Restaurant, where she provides us with more family and resort history as well as some of the special events at the both the restaurant and Banquet Center, including group day trips. For lunch I go for meat this time – the prime rib sandwich cheese steak on a toasted Amoroso hoagie with horseradish mayo dressing. Everything was great and we saw more family members working in the restaurant.
This is not only a family run
resort with family hospitality, but the family also gives back to the
community. During Sandy, when several families in the area had
no power, they were welcomed at the resort, to stay or take showers, or shelter
or whatever they needed. Pretty special.
I would have liked to have spent the whole summer here but we have to
start to head back home.
We stop along
the way at Antler Ridge Winery where we sample several of the low sulfite
wines. Merle prefers white and I prefer
the reds so we pretty much get to go through the entire selections. There are over 25 wines and the tasting is
free for up to three and $2.00 for 4 or more.
I enjoyed the signature Red Vixen and was surprised to like some of the sweeter
fruit wines including a Pomegranate Wildberry.
I think I stopped at about 15 but it could have been more or less as I
lost count somewhere along the way. As Coutt’s
Ice Cream Store was right next door – of course we had to stop in. This is the Coutt’s from the blueberry farms so you know the ice
cream is fresh.
Although it was only two days
compared to the six for the Adirondack Road Trip it was jam packed and we met some of the
nicest people along the way.
