I have not blogged about my road trips in a long time because I mostly visit places I am now familiar with. But on Saturday I finally did another exploratory trip. I went to an area near Wilkes-Barre which I have never explored; Forty Fort and Kingston. The purpose for my trip to the Forty Fort Cemetery was to find the grave of the poet, Elinor Wylie. I have read a few of her novels and some of her volumes of poetry. I studied her sonnets for the rhyme scheme and meter. I also read a biography on Elinor Wylie’s life which informed me that she was buried in Pennsylvania, in Forty Fort, near Wilkes-Barre. Since this was only an hour and a half from Williamsport it seemed like a good idea to see where she is buried. This did not seem like a sufficient reason for a long drive so I did a little research on what else I could see in the area.
Elinor Wylie Grave
I have been thinking about this trip for a long time, but did not do much planning. It was impossible to find out exactly where she was buried in the cemetery. Quite by accident I parked near the levee right by her grave but did not see it. After wandering around the cemetery, getting my shoes a bit wet, I peaked into the cemetery gate house. This led to an old woman helping me to find the grave. She did not seem very knowledgeable about Elinor Wylie but she knew where she was buried. I had considered leaving some flowers on her grave but thought better of it. She is buried near the levee and just up the road from the Forty Fort Meetinghouse. I took a photo to show where you can find this grave.
Elinor Wylie Grave Location
After leaving the cemetery I drove down Wyoming Avenue to park at the United Penn Plaza. Then I walked to the Hoyt Library. Although Elinor Wylie is related to the Hoyts she is no relation to the founder of this library. But I took several photos of the library anyway since I did not find any decent ones online. Behind the library I saw the Kirby Center for Creative Arts on the Wyoming Seminary campus. I’m not sure what this building has to do with the Kirby Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre. I went to Jersey Mikes for lunch. This was not a very adventurous choice but I didn’t do any research on restaurants.
Hoyt Library
Kirby Center for Creative Arts
Jersey Mikes
On the trip home I stopped in at Ricketts Glen State Park. This state park is an old family favorite. It was practically the only place my father ever took us for a road trip. However, the hiking trails in this park can be very difficult so it really put my knee to the test. I don’t think I blogged about the total knee replacement surgery I had six months ago. It was quite an ordeal. Hiking the Falls Trail was also an ordeal. My left hip started to hurt me but after awhile it got better. I only saw the Adams Fall and the Murray Reynolds Fall.
Ricketts Glen State Park
Murray Reynolds Falls
