Two Nearby Places

Today I did some local exploring pretty close to my undisclosed location, and thus gave the Bigfootmobile an easy day.  I first drove to the main parking area of Big Pocono State Park, another part of which I hiked in this past Wednesday.  Unfortunately, the weather was cool and rainy, thus discouraging me from taking another hike.  On the way out, I took this picture of Cattell Cabin, which like the parking area, is on the summit of Camelback Mountain.

The French Azilum

After passing through an area in Pennsylvania where my parents grew up, I continued driving to my intended destination, known as the French Azilum.  When I was a Littlefoot, my family would drive from our home in New York to visit our relatives in Pennsylvania.  Part of our route was along U.S. Route 6.  I remember seeing signs for the French Azilum, but until today, I never visited the place.

The French Azilum was originally a planned settlement for French refugees escaping the French Revolution or slave uprisings in what became Haiti.  Over 50 structures were built, starting in 1793.  According to one story, Queen Marie Antoinette and two of her children were to settle at the place, but as history tells us, she literally lost her head.  By 1803, the French Azilum had been abandoned.  Some of its settlers returned to France or Haiti, while others moved to other places in the United States, such as New Orleans.  Still others stayed in Pennsylvania.  In 1836, the site's main house, known as the LaPorte House, was built by the son of one of the settlement's founders.  Other structures were built, but none from the original settlement remain.  The LaPorte House is now a museum.

After entering the site, I wandered over to a log cabin, which houses a small museum.

An Unexpected Stop

Earlier today I set out on another excursion, this time going generally northwest from my undisclosed location.  I drove through an area of northeastern Pennsylvania where Mama and Papa Bigfoot both grew up, and which we visited frequently when I was a Littlefoot.  To my surprise, as I drove through the city of Pittston, I came upon the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Regional Railroad Station, which is run by the Reading, Blue Mountain & Northern Railroad.  The railroad offers passenger excursions, including one between Pittston and Jim Thorpe, which I visited yesterday.  Here's the station's platform.

Back To Jim Thorpe

Today I drove over to Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, which I visited in October 2019.  This time, I didn't take a train ride on the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway, but wanted to do some hiking.  One place I wanted to see was the Glen Onoko Falls, but according to a sign, the trail to that waterfall has been closed since 2019.  I wandered around and was able to take a pic of the tracks on which the LGSR runs.  Through some small trees, you can also see a gravel path beyond the tracks, which at one time was the roadbed for a line of the Central Railroad of New Jersey.  To make a long story short, the tracks were originally laid down by the Lehigh Valley Railroad and now belong to the Reading & Northern Railroad.

Brian Wilson 1942-2025

Brian Wilson, co-founder and principal songwriter of the Beach Boys, has died at age 82.  He had been suffering from a neurocognitive disorder similar to dementia.

Brian Douglas Wilson was born in Inglewood, California, the first child of Murry Wilson and the former Audree Neva.  Soon after he was born, the family moved to Hawthorne, CA.  He taught himself to play piano after they acquired one when he was 12.  In high school, he played quarterback on Hawthorne High's football team and ran cross country during his senior year.  He also played American Legion Baseball.  He enrolled in El Camino College in Los Angeles, but withdrew after a year and a half.

In the fall of 1961, Wilson formed the Pendletones, with himself on piano and vocals, his brother Carl on guitar and vocals, his brother Dennis on drums, their cousin Mike Love on vocals, and their friend Al Jardine on bass and vocals.  Brian later learned to play the electric bass, after which Jardine moved to rhythm guitar.  Their label, Candix Records, changed their name to the Beach Boys.  The group was soon after signed to Capitol Records.  Their first four studio albums were recorded with guitarist David Marks taking Jardine's place.  Eventually Jardine returned and Marks left the group.

As a songwriter, Wilson mainly produced music and only occasionally wrote lyrics.  He collaborated with variety of lyricists, including Mike Love, Gary Usher, Roger Christian, Van Dyke Parks and Tony Asher.  In 1964, Wilson decided to stop touring and concentrate on studio work.  He was replaced on live bass and vocals first by Glen Campbell, who went on to become a country musician, and later by Bruce Johnston, who eventually joined the Beach Boys.  The group's hit songs included Surfin' Safari, Surfin' USA, Surfer Girl, Be True to Your School, Little Honda, Fun Fun Fun, I Get Around, Dance Dance Dance, Little Deuce Coupe, Help Me Rhonda, California Girls, Barbara Ann, Sloop John B, Wouldn't It Be Nice, and Good Vibrations.  Most of these were co-written by Wilson.

Like many rock and roll musicians of the time, Wilson abused drugs during the late 1960s.  He went into a "recluse period" in 1973 just after his father died.  This lasted until 1975, during which he rarely left his house.  Afterwards, he returned to performing with the Beach Boys.  Starting in 1988, he released a series of 12 solo albums.

Wilson married Marylin Rovell in 1964.  She was in a vocal group called the Honeys.  They had two daughters, Wendy and Carnie, who formed the group Wilson Phillips with Chynna Phillips, the daughter of John and Michelle Phillips of the Mamas & the Papas.  Brian and Marylin Wilson divorced in 1979.  In 1995, he married Melinda Ledbetter, with whom he adopted five children.  He was predeceased by his brothers Carl and Dennis, and by his second wife.  He is survived by his seven total children.

Read more at Variety, Pitchfork, Ultimate Classic Rock, Billboard and KTLA.

Another Hike In Pennsylvania

Today I walked through another forest like sasquatches are supposed to, this one again in Pennsylvania, pretty close to my undisclosed location.  I found a trail in Big Pocono State Park that seemed to be pretty well developed, but is not officially marked.  The trail is relatively level and straight or gently curved, which made me think that it might have once been a railroad bed.  Here's what it looked like, not far from where I parked the Bigfootmobile and started walking.

Raymondskill Falls

The third and final place where I did some exploring was Raymondskill Falls, along Raymondskill Creek within the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  This falls is reached from either of two parking lots along Raymondskill Road, which intersects with U.S. Route 209.  There is no admission price, so you can just park your car and take a hike.  A trail forming a loop of about three tenths of a mile takes you to the top of the falls.  As with Bushkill Falls, there's a pool just upstream, as seen here.

Boundary Monuments In A Cemetery

After visiting Bushkill Falls, I continued driving northeast, mainly along U.S. Route 209, and found my way to Port Jervis, New York.  Within the city is Laurel Grove Cemetery, which occupies a peninsula between the Delaware and Neversink Rivers.  Near the end of the peninsula are two monuments.  One indicates the boundary between New York and New Jersey.  The other marks the tripoint between those two states and Pennsylvania.  This is one side of NY-NJ monument, looking eastward with the Neversink River in the background.  The bridge above is part of Interstate 84.

Bushkill Falls

Today I ventured out from my undisclosed location for some exploration.  The first place I stopped in at was Bushkill Falls, located about two miles north of Bushkill, Pennsylvania, along Bushkill Falls Road.  The place is a privately owned park that includes hiking trails and eight waterfalls.  This means that admission is gonna cost ya, pilgrim.  From the entrance, a series of trails and wooden walkways including stairways leads you down to the top of Bushkill Falls, also called the park's "main falls".  Here's a view from top.

Sly Stone 1943-2025

Sylvester Stewart, known by his stage name Sly Stone, has died of COPD and "other underlying health issues" at age 82 in Los Angeles.  He was in the company of members of his family.

Sylvester Stewart was born in Denton, Texas, the second of five children born to K.C. and Alpha Stewart, who moved the family to Vallejo, California.  He and his brother Freddie and their sisters Loretta and Rose would perform gospel music in church and were known as "the Stewart Four".  Unlike the rest, Loretta did not pursue a musical career.  Their youngest sister Vaetta, known as "Vet", would later become a backing vocalist.  During his teenage years, Sylvester joined a mostly white doo-wop singing group, whose only other non-white member was Filipino.  His nickname Sly came about because a classmate misspelled his first name as "Slyvester".

In 1966, Sly and Freddie founded the band Sly and the Family Stone, with Sly on organ, guitar, harmonica and vocals; Freddie on guitar and vocals; Jerry Martini on sax; Cynthia Robinson on trumpet; Larry Graham on bass and vocals; and Gregg Errico on drums.  Vaetta Stewart, along with her friends Mary McCreary and Elva Mouton, became a backing vocal group called Little Sister.  In 1968, Rose Stewart joined the Family Stone on piano, electric piano and vocals.  The four Stewart siblings all used the surname Stone in their respective stage names.  The band would eventually go through many lineup changes, with Robinson and the three Stone siblings remaining throughout.  Among their hit songs were Dance to the Music, Everyday People, Stand!, Hot Fun in the Summer Time, Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again), I Want to Take You Higher, and Family Affair.  Sly and the Family Stone were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of fame in 1993.

Like many musicians of his time, Sly and his bandmates became users of illegal drugs.  Live bookings for the band became less frequent because promoters were worried that one of the members might refuse to play or pass out from drug use.  Sly eventually recorded some solo albums and occasionally colaborated with other artists.

Sly Stone was married once and had three children.  His son Sylvester Stewart Jr. was born to his girlfriend Kathy Silva, whom he soon afterwards married.  His first daughter Sylvyette was born to his bandmate Cynthia Robinson.  His second daughter is Novena Carmel.

Read more at Pitchfork, ABC News, Variety, WHYY and the Los Angeles Times.