Columbus to Boston, Part 2

After lunch, it was finally time to visit the cave. Those of you who follow our adventures are probably aware that I love caves (also mines, and everything else underground or underwater), while my kids honestly have had quite enough of them... So this time, we compromised: we were going to the cave, but were not going to an anthracite mine later. Which is too bad - because it would have been very interesting, and right along our way, in Scranton... 

The cave, called Penn's Cave, is located in a town called Centre Hall near Rte 80, and I highly recommend it. It is "America's only all-water cavern", it is on The National Register of Historic Places, and you tour it by boat! Flat-bottom motorboats take about 20 people and spend about an hour total, first going through the cave's passageway (while the guide points out various formations along the way), then getting out into Lake Nitanee on the other side for a short spin, and finally coming back, more quickly, through the cave to the starting point of the tour. The cave has entrances on both sides, and therefore technically is probably a tunnel... But there are stalactites, stalagmites, "straws" and "cave bacon", and even bats, so I still consider it a cave. 

The temperature inside is around 52 degrees, so you'll need a sweatshirt or jacket even on a summer day. I was perfectly fine in sandals, though, and somehow this cave didn't feel as chilly as most of the other ones. 

So here is the cave's first entrance, the starting point of the tour. 

You can see more photos here. 

The previous night, Temma double-checked with me: "So, what is the plan for tomorrow? We are going to a cave, and then spending the night at a train station, right?" Bleak as the prospect might sound, she was absolutely right: we did spend the night in Scranton, at the Radisson Lackawanna Station Hotel, formerly the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Station. This is what the Grand Lobby looks like. 

Notice the original railroad clock on the wall to the right. And below that, in the far right corner, is the former ticketing office - now the hotel's reception desk.

Our room was on the second floor, somewhere around the place where you see the light on the opposite wall. It had sleep-by-number beds, which I didn't like, and otherwise was quite comfortable and plush. However, there were a few issues that seemed incongruous in a hotel of that class. Say, I was really surprised to find an empty bourbon bottle under the desk, although the room seemed to be adequately cleaned otherwise. And we got a wake-up call at 6:30 in the morning, which we emphatically didn't request... This really got me angry, because it threw our whole morning off, and I complained to the receptionist at check-out. He apologized profusely and seemed really embarrassed, but didn't provide any explanation. Back at home, though, I've found one. I discovered that the hotel is quite famous for being haunted, especially in baseball lore. Apparently, the ghosts are mostly active in the basement and on the sixth floor, but it looks like they might have extended their activities to the second floor on this occasion... A ghost must have spent the night under our desk, then gotten the wake-up call and left his empty bottle behind.