If there was one town in Pennsylvania that had my attention from the get-go... it had to be Jim Thorpe. Yep.

Click here for a quick video of the ringing rocks. In June of 1890, Dr. JJ Ott went out to a sprawling, natural quarry field in northern Bucks County, PA to collect a bunch of rocks.

Happy Valentine's Day Here-A-Yearers! With today being a holiday in which 60% of Americans celebrate, it is only fitting that I post something that has to do with love -- and the first thing to pop into my mind was the LOVE Park sculpture!  So, I did a some digging and discovered a little-known secret about the well-known icon: Robert Indiana, the LOVE symbol’s creator, said the reason why the "O" is tilted is because love isn't perfect. (At the time, he was in his fourth marriage.) I hope ...

When I read the blog title, I think it sounds like a lost book in the Harry Potter series -- LOL! -- you never know... :) I'm in Punxsutawney for the 117th weather prognostication from the world's most famous groundhog, Phil.

There are over 14,500 manufacturing establishments housed inside Pennsylvania's borders. Everything from apple sauce to Zippo lighters are produced in the Keystone State -- then shipped all over the world to be enjoyed. I remember, as a child, watching Mister Rogers go through a factory each week on his show.

There are a handful of events that stand out as Pennsylvania originals: The Little League World Series, Groundhog Day, and the New Years Mummers Parade. So... it was only natural for me to show up early on January 1st to get a front-and-center seat for what is traditionally known as America’s oldest folk parade.

Located southwest of Philadelphia (almost to Delaware), Longwood Gardens was originally inhabited by the Lenni Lenape tribe. After Europeans started to settle the New World, William Penn sold this area to the Quaker family Peirce, who farmed the land until they sold it to be developed and preserved by the du Pont family. Almost a million people go through the gardens in an average year to soak in the 1000+ acres of floral and fauna.

On New Year’s Eve, the vast majority of you will either be in New York City watching the ball drop or you’ll be watching the Times Square celebration on television. But why not make this tradition even more fun by dropping a wooden cow from a silo or a replica of the world’s largest ‘shoe house’? Well, in Pennsylvania, you can.

I had the privilege of touring the Mercer Museum in Doylestown, PA last week (thanks to the Here A Year-ers voting me there) and -- WOW -- I was blown away. So this week, I'm spending three days highlighting the adventure, and in doing so, make you desperately want to go see this Pennsylvanian masterpiece. Let's start with a slideshow (and may I suggest clicking the full page button) >> var addthis_config = {"data_track_addressbar":true};

Bummed out -- That was my feeling when I checked on plane tickets to go home for Thanksgiving. Super bummed out -- That was my feeling when I checked on plane tickets to go home for Christmas. Then -- out of the blue came an email for $79 tickets!

I love mountains! So much so, I really should get a bumper sticker that declares my affection for these ancient geographical structures. Mountains are pleasing to look at, fun to explore, and easily inspire adventurers, which is why they do a great job of being a metaphor for many aspects of life -- not to mention being a great way to illustrate the halfway mark on the Pennsylvania, Here A Year project.

While winding along the Susquehanna River on Route 322 (from Harrisburg to State College) I had to do a double take. There, in a stretch of river called the Dauphin Narrows, stands a brilliant white replica of the Statue of Liberty which is anchored to an large stone basin, once used to steady a railroad bridge. From my vantage point, Lady Liberty looks like someone canoed to the middle of the river, took out their LEGOs and built a miniature version of the iconic statue.

It was the bottom of the sixth and Southeast, the team from Goodlettsville, Tennessee, had the the Little League U.S. Championship game in the bag. What happened next made history.

There is no shortage of curious sounding town names in Pennsylvania. A person would only need to cross over the Lancaster County line to be surrounded by boroughs and villages, with names like Bird In Hand, Blue Ball, and Intercourse which makes one shake their head in disbelief. Yet, even among the more traditional sounding cities, its naming might not be as straightforward as one might think.

“This is my second midlife crisis”, explained one of the pilots. “I traded in my motorcycle and boat after taking my first ride in one of these [ultralight flyer] planes -- there’s nothing else like the feeling of being free.” A version of this statement was heard from many of the almost one hundred flyers at the 23rd Annual Father’s Day Fly-In. The three-day festival was held south of Dillsburg, PA at the Shreveport North Airport and sponsored by The Mason-Dixon Sports Flyers, celebrating twent...

Growing up in a small Midwestern town, it wasn’t uncommon to hear people say, “there’s nothing to do around here.” The complaint would then be followed closely by this declaration: “If there was only a new restaurant, a community center, a fishing club, a fill-in-the-blank -- whatever -- then we’d have something to do.” As in most arguments, there’s a little truth and a little error. The truth parts: new buildings, establishments, and programs can produce things to do new buildings, establishmen...

My grandpa used to say, "Runners always look like they're in pain.” If you agree with that statement, you probably don't run on a regular basis and you likely stay away from the local races too. But 5K, 10K, and marathon runs are great places to give back to your community; especially when you volunteer. Besides promoting fitness and wellness, many events raise money for either scholarships or local social program.

Even with the threat of heavy rain and thunderstorms, I made my way over to the Twelfth Annual Fun Fly Kite Festival this past Saturday, hosted by the Markets at Shrewsbury, outside of Glen Rock, PA. It took only a matter of minutes for me to quickly realize how little I knew about kite flying. The evidence -- a black and white, four-stringed, sport kite doing a nose dive into the hillside, handed to me by a professional kiteflier named Lisa -- not to mention my ignorant comment, “why don’t you ...

There are one hundred and twenty state parks in Pennsylvania -- all with their own unique stories. Some were created to save historical landmarks, others to preserve the vast forests for which the state inherits its name (Sylvania meaning woods or forest land), while others were to be used for industry and outdoor recreational areas for the public. The latter is the reason for Codorus State Park near Hanover in York County.

Way back when, my sister and I spotted a rainbow.  Needless to say, we were very excited about the discovery. So we ran to our dad to tell him what we had found.

I had one of those moments last night while driving the PA Turnpike, from King of Prussia to the Lancaster exit, that makes me love life even more. It was one of those experiences where I was at the right place at the right time -- you can call it an inspirational or transcendent moment -- but whatever happened during that time, it was short-lived and made me want to experience it again. Nope.

“Everywhere you go, there you are.” What do you suppose that means? Take a moment. Go ahead.

Whether it be the World’s Largest Holstein Cow in New Salem, North Dakota, or the Alien Jerky Store in Baker, California, or whole armies of Paul Bunyan statues scattered across the country -- I’m drawn to these kind of sights like a bug to a porch light. Once, my friend, Macy told me of a magical location outside of Santa Cruz, California called the Mystery Spot. She got me all psyched up about how awesome this place was and about the bizarre pseudo-science experiments that went on inside -- bu...

Have you ever been in a conversation that goes something like: Friend: Yo dude! Did you see they’re making Top Gun 2? You: Eh...I never saw the first one.

While growing up in Minnesota, with the exception of Disney World, my family only vacationed to the West. We’d cruise across the vast lands taking in the big skies and rugged mountains, we’d go to pioneer ghost towns and walk the cemeteries, we’d bask in the wonder of the natural and man made monuments -- cementing the ideals of the West into my adolescent brain. One of those ideals was to see life as an adventure; to search out the unknown.

If you missed pt1 “To Live”, click here. I’m the kid who always asked for a metal-detector for his birthday-- sadly, I never got one. I’d see people out on the beach or after baseball games sweeping back and forth, searching for covered treasure, and I wished, so badly, to be them.