Hike #309 9/30/7
9/30/7 Hellertown-Bethlehem/Celtic Fest with "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, Russ Moyer, Jay Shah, Sangita Shah, Ray Schwegler, Marge Brennan, Scott "Tea Biscuit" Helbing, Jess Danner, Bill "Guillermo" Fabel, Jim Delotto
Hellertown PA
This trip would take my group and I from just south of Hellertown to pick up the former Philidelphia and Reading Railroad where we left off on August 12th in Bingen and finish following it into Bethlehem where Celtic Fest was going on. We met at the Brodhead Lot in south Bethlehem and shuttled cars south to a grocery store in southern Hellertown.
Closed off bridge in Bingen PA
Former Reading Railroad, Bingen PA, 9/30/7
My STOP AIDS tee shirt, and a Wal Mart smock. I was looking nuts
Along the old Reading Railroad in Bingen PA
Inflatable dinosaur
Playing my flutophone
My flutophone. Gotta get me another one
Playing the flutophone. I look younger in 2014 than I did in 2007.
Former Reading RR, Bingen PA
Playing my flutophone
Former Reading RR
Old Reading Railroad right of way. This is now the Saucon Rail Trail.
Saucon Creek from an old rail bridge
Saucon Creek from an old rail bridge
In Hellertown PA
Walnut Street Bridge, last wrought iron bridge in North America
Walnut Street Bridge,
Walnut Street Bridge
Park in Hellertown
Park in Hellertown PA
Exhibits in the building at Lost River Caverns
Heading into Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns, Chapel room
Lost River Caverns, chapel room
Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns
The very end of Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns, and our tour guide
Lost River Caverns, and our tour guide
Lost River Caverns
Lost River Caverns
Old rail structure in Hellertown
Hellertown PA
Hellertown PA
Hellertown PA
Hellertown PA along the old rail bed
Old rail bed in Hellertown PA
Old cement place in Hellertown PA
Old rail bed in Hellertown PA
Washed out railroad in Hellertown PA
Rail cars in Hellertown/Bethlehem area
South Bethlehem rail yard
South Bethlehem rail yard
South Bethlehem rail yard
South Bethlehem rail yard
Abandoned building, South Bethlehem
South Bethlehem
South Bethlehem
Truss crane, Bethlehem Steel
Truss crane, Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
Truss crane, Bethlehem Steel
South Bethlehem rail yard
South Bethlehem rail yard
South Bethlehem rail yard
Former rail yard in South Bethlehem
South Bethlehem
South Bethlehem rail bed
Bethlehem Steel
Bethlehem Steel
Rail bed in South Bethlehem
Rail bed, South Bethlehem
Bethlehem Steel
Rail bed, South Bethlehem
Rail bed, South Bethlehem
Rail bed, South Bethlehem
South Bethlehem
Old rail line in South Bethlehem
Old rail bed, South Bethlehem
Historic marker
Hill to Hill Bridge, Bethlehem
Rail trestle, Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Lehigh Canal in Bethlehem PA
Along Lehigh Canal, Bethlehem PA
Amish Paul at an old Lehigh Canal lock in Bethlehem
Swimming in Monocacy Creek aqueduct, Bethlehem
Bethlehem PA
Celtic Fest in Bethlehem
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Goofing off with art in South Bethlehem
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem Steel
Amish Paul Mobile.
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Bethlehem PA
Joining me were "Amish Paul" and Wyatt Hassler, Jay and Sangita Shah, Russ Moyer, and newcomers Ray Schwegler who I met at an AMC Lehigh Valley Group Meeting, and Marge Brennan who was a good friend of Russ's. We began walking south on Rt 309 and turned right toward Bingen to an abandoned bridge over the Saucon Creek which was pretty cool. We continued along the same road however out to Bingen area, and made our way to where we left the railroad tracks a month earlier. I entertained everyone with my flutophone for a bit, and we were on our way north on the old tracks, which fortunitely were'nt as overgrown as they had been on our recent section hike. We continued to the north, and along the way we stopped to pull insulators off a fallen telegraph pole, which was popular among the group. Everyone left with at least one insulator. We made oru way north crossing a bridge over Saucon Creek and then soon came into the Hellertown area. When we reached Walnut Street, where the last remaining Cast and wrought iron bridge remaining in North America still spans Saucon Creek, though it's only open to pedestrians now. We walked out the road into Hellertown and stopped at a pharmacy where I bought some chocolate milk, and we headed back to the Walnut Street Bridge. We followed a trail we saw into the park land to the north which sort of paralleled the tracks, but it soon ended and we had to cross a branch of the Saucon Creek and climb into a parallel ball field, heading north to the next road. Wyatt and I climbed up the bridge from the tracks to the road, though Amish Paul did'nt want him to.
Hellertown PA
We followed the road out into downtown Hellertown and walked through a park, and along some roads out to Lost River Caverns, where we checked out their museum and took the tour of the caverns. I had not been here since my dad brought me here many years ago. The cave was discovered many years ago when digging was being done for a quarry. We wandered through, first down hill underground passing in through the Crystal Chapel, an underground church theme with a lot of flow stone, stalagtights and stalagmites. There had been over 100 weddings here in the past. I began playing my flutophone because of the acoustics, and everyone seemed to enjoy it because I got an applause. The other group besides ours was a group of bikers who came in right behind us. We had a good time goofing about in the cave, and learning from our guide who was very lenient about our behavior. When we reached the bridge over the Lost River, the girl said it was clear enough we could drink it, and I asked permission to do so. She said we were going to get her fired, but said I could do it, and I certainly took the opportunity! We made our way through and back out, and then chatted with the guide for a while in the visitor's area before we headed out. Amish Paul did'nt go for the tour, and waited outside. I found out from him the bikers said there was some gay guy in playing a flutophone and drinking the water and such. I also realized then that I was wearing a Wal Mart smock, and a t shirt that said "Stop AIDS" that was skin tight, so I must have looked a bit gay. Oh well. We continued back to the railroad tracks and began heading north passing by some old structures and towers, until the tracks got too overgrown and we had to go closer to the Saucon Creek along some ruins of what might have been coal trestles, then returned to the rail bed, where the rails had now been removed, further above. The rail bed led us north through a cut and out into some sort of an industrial area which we crossed promptly, then we continued north out of Hellertown and reached the rail yard where there were active tracks. Russ, Wyatt, and I all decided to climb on the cars a bit, then we moved on. We stayed to the left of the rail yard, where there was room for many more tracks that had long been removed. We made a turn on the railbed to the west under a couple bridges and into sight of Bethlehem Steel where we took a break. We were now on what was to become part of the South Bethlehem Greenway, a new rail trail project, though it was not regraded or improved in any way yet. We continued parallel with Rt 412 into south Bethlehem crossing over a couple roads, with rails still visible in the pavement. By the time we reached Brodhead Street, Russ, Marge, Amish Paul, Jay, and Sangita all cut out back to their vehicles while Wyatt, Ray, and I continued on along the rail bed, and shortly thereafter the rails continued again out to the former Lehigh Valley Railroad tracks, where it used to cross. On the active tracks we crossed the trestle over the Lehigh River and descended to the Lehigh Canal Towpath in Bethlehem. We were soon in Celtic Fest near the Hill to Hill Bridge and decided to walk on through. We made our way north, partially along the Lehigh and New England Railroad tracks, then up hill to the Bethlehem Brew Works, and down the street where we met up with my brother Scott "Tea Biscuit" Helbing and Jess Danner who we'd known for years. Together we walked back down through Celtic Fest and along roads near Moravian College to the Fahy Bridge. Along the way there was a car stalled in the road, so we ran out to help push them out of traffic. We continued heading to another bar and grill for dinner where we met up with Bill "Guillermo" Fabel and Jim Delotto, as well as Amish Paul who rejoined.
Bethlehem PA
We hung out here for quite a while, and when we were done eating Ray cut out and the rest of us walked back across the Fahy Bridge, and Amish Paul drove up and picked up Wyatt on the other side. The rest of us continued back into town and to Guillermo's house on Ettwein Street where Tea Biscuit's truck was. He took me back to my car in Hellertown (and I pushed another car out of traffic along the way) to finish another good day.
Bethlehem PA
Photos by Mike Helbing, Paul, and Wyatt Hassler (PH, WH)
1.) Nice old bridge open to pedestrians only near Bingen and Hellertown2.) On the abandoned Reading Railroad tracks in Bingen, on the bridge over the road3-5.) Me with our mascot, a blow up dinosaur (taken by Wyatt)6-9.) Me playing the flutophone (taken by Wyatt)10.) The tracks near Bingen11.) Along the overgrown tracks12.) On the rail bed north of Bingen in a cut13.) View of the Saucon Creek from a rail bridge14.) View of Saucon Creek15.) Park in Hellertown beside the tracks16.) Walnut Street Bridge, last remaining wrought iron bridge left in North America17.) Another one with the Walnut Street Bridge18.) The group at the Walnut Street Bridge19.) In the park in Hellertown20.) On the dry fountain in a park in Hellertown21.) Ray S. in the museum at Lost River Caverns22.) Wyatt in Lost River Caverns23.) The group in the caverns24.) In the Crystal Chapel25.) The group in Lost River Caverns26-27.) me playing flutophone in the caverns28.) Wyatt drinking water from the lost river29.) In the cave30.) Wyatt in the end of the caverns31.) The group32.) Our guide looking at the "Corn Cobb" stalagmite formation33.) Another formation34-35.) More group in the caverns36.) Wyatt in an old rail structure along the abandoned tracks37.) Along the tracks in Hellertown38.) Old signal towers along the overgrown tracks in Hellertown39.) Some sort of an old loading trestle along the way40.) Wyatt with an old switchboard thing along the rail bed, north side of Hellertown41.) Along the rail bed, north side of Hellertown PA42.) An old structure in Hellertown as seen from the rail bed43.) Ray on the rail bed heading north from Hellertown44.) Some of the tracks were terribly washed out nearing the rail yard north of Hellertown45.) Russ on one of the trains in the rail yard46.) View of the top of the rail cars46a.) Wyatt and I on top of the rail cars (PH)47.) Wyatt on one of the rail cars48.) Me on top of one of the cars (taken by Wyatt)49.) Wyatt climbing down from one of the rail cars50.) Walking in the old rail yard51.) Amish Paul in the old rail yard52.) Heading into Bethlehem on the rail bed53.) An old structure along the railroad bed in Bethlehem54.) A bridge over the rail bed55.) Probably one of the Bethlehem Steel buildings56.) Old crane in Bethlehem Steel57.) Along the rail bed in Bethlehem58.) Another shot of the crane59.) More of the crane60.) On the rail bed with the coke furnaces in view61.) Bethlehem Steel through the fence62.) Another view of Bethlehem Steel63.) The rail bed in Bethlehem64.) Old grade crossing65.) More of the new greenway, rail bed66.) Bethlehem Steel, coke furnaces67.) I think this was another Bethlehem Steel building68.) Another grade crossing69.) Crossing Rt 41270.) More at the 412 crossing71.) The rails resumed as we neared the Lehigh River72.) The rail bed, rails gone again, in south Bethlehem73.) Historic marker in south Bethlehem74.) The Hill to Hill Bridge75.) Crossing the railroad trestle near the Hill to Hill Bridge76.) More of the trestle77.) Ray on the north side of the trestle78.) The Lehigh Canal in Bethlehem79.) More of the Lehigh Canal, looking east80.) Amish Paul resting at the Monocacy Creek Aqueduct80a.) Wyatt and I swimming in the aqueduct. Yuck, I know, but refreshing. (PH)81.) The Jersey Central Railroad Station in Bethlehem82.) In downtown Bethlehem, Celtic Fest83.) Jess and Tea Biscuit at a pedestrian underpass in Bethlehem84.) Wyatt, Tea Biscuit, and Jess at Celtic Fest85.) View across the Lehigh at South Bethlehem86.) Bethlehem Steel view from Fahy Bridge87-88.) Industrial mememorial statue, and being silly89.) Guillermo and Delotto at dinner90.) Tea Biscuit and Jess91-93.) Dinner scenes94.) Delotto with some girl that works at the bar95.) Crossing the Fahy Bridge96.) View of Bethlehem Steel from Fahy Bridge97.) Amish Paul pulling up to pick up Wyatt98.) In Bethlehem near Moravian College99.) Walking downtown100.) Jess and Tea Biscuit101.) Delotto with a sports jacket that was left downtown102.) That's me
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