Reflections of Autumn at Shawnee State Park

About once a year, usually in the autumn, my husband and I make it down to visit Shawnee State Park, about 10 miles west of Bedford in south central Pennsylvania. For us, the drive takes about an hour and a half to get there. My husband likes to jog the 3.4-mile lakeshore trail, and I like to walk it while taking pictures.

The weather was supposed to be very nice, and so we decided to go for it. Our big plan was to arrive at the lake in mid-morning, jog/hike it, meet back at the car and hang out for a few hours, and then go for an early dinner at Rizzo's, an Italian restaurant in Windber, not far from Johnstown. Our sixth wedding anniversary was one week ago, and this was our first opportunity to get out to a nice restaurant - in fact, Rizzo's is the restaurant where my husband's father proposed to his mother.

We arrived at Shawnee between 10:30 and 11 am. We knew it would take me longer to hike it than it would take my husband to jog it, so my husband dropped me off near the road that goes down to the beach area, while he went and parked the car and got ready for his run. He would run the full trail, while I would hike most of it.

My husband and I visited Shawnee last year in early November and the colors were fantastic then. This year, though we arrived a week earlier, we found some variability: the colors were still nice in some parts of the park, but had already passed in others. We chase the colors every autumn; it's one of the things we love to do. But you can't predict when it will peak in a certain area. That's the guessing game, or autumn roulette, that we play each October. You make your plans, and you hope for the best.

I walked the trail counter-clockwise this time, first visiting the sandy beach of the swimming area, shown in this picture, and then making my way around the lake, taking many, many pictures. The oddest thing I saw on my walk was something red floating on the water - a tomato? an apple? a gourd? a red pepper? I was never really sure, but I thought to myself, "Cast your vegetables upon the waters." And it made me laugh.

After we finished our jog/hike, my husband and I sat a while on a beautiful wooden bench by the lake in the sun, reading our books, enjoying hot coffee in a thermos and bananas and snack bars; a welcome rest and refreshment after our exercise. We hiked down the hill to the dam and the spillway just before ending our visit to the park. Upon leaving the park, we drove past a charming covered bridge - something Bedford County is famous for - and my husband quickly pulled over so I could nab a couple of photos. A covered bridge - the icing on the cake of an already glorious day!

We arrived at Rizzo's around 3 pm, just as they opened. It was such a treat to be there. While it isn't really that far away, we only make it once every year or two. We ordered our usual - a large antipasto and a large spaghetti with two meatballs - and enjoyed it with slabs of Italian bread liberally buttered. The waitress was fantastic, very attentive and friendly, maybe the best one we've ever had there. (Her name was Terry, I know that much, and I hope we get her again next time.)

At the end of the meal, we ordered two quarts of spaghetti sauce, each with four meatballs in it, to go. We will freeze some and use it to make spaghetti and lasagna later. I don't know of better meatballs anywhere. When we were settling up on the check, my husband mentioned to the waitress how seldom we get there, how delightful the meal was, and that we were celebrating our wedding anniversary, she quickly wrapped us up a free dessert - a pretty little piece of tiramisu for later. (How do you like that? A restaurant where the waitresses try to stuff free desserts in your pockets as you leave?) And then, tired and well fed, and with plenty of spaghetti sauce and meatballs for later (and even a dessert), we finally headed for home.

Before we leave this awesome day behind, let me take you back to this picture. What you can't see in this photo is this: along the edge of the water, and even into the water, there were many, many hoof prints of deer. I have never seen deer at Shawnee when we are visiting, but we are always there in daylight, and I suspect the deer are most likely to visit at dawn or dusk, or maybe even at night. I like to picture the deer strolling quietly to the edge of the lake in the moonlight, and then cavorting and kicking up their heels in the water. Do the deer dance in the moonlight in the waters of Shawnee? I like to think . . . that maybe . . . they do.

This soundtrack tune is dedicated to the dancing deer enjoying the colors of autumn. It's from the Disney movie Pocahontas, and I remember hearing it on the radio one night many years ago when my husband and I camped in the backcountry above Black Moshannon. We were backpacking, and we had set up a tarp rather than a tent to sleep under. It was dark for such a long time and we awoke in the middle of the night, sleepless. My husband turned on the radio and this marvelous song was on. I listened and it was so peaceful that I drifted back off to sleep.

Have you ever heard the wolf cry to the blue corn moon?
Have you asked the grinning bobcat why he grins?
Can you sing with all the voices of the mountain?
Can you paint with all the colors of the wind?

The song: Judy Kuhn, Colors of the Wind, from the film Pocahantas. You may also enjoy the Vanessa Williams version of this same song.