#142k Doc's Irish Inn

Fleeter Log #142k

Doc's Irish Inn

Day 13 - Friday
June 19, 2009
310 miles

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 North Lima, OH to Canton, PA

Entire trip here on Spotwalla

The day started wet and stayed wet for miles and miles into Pennsylvania.

"The Valley That Changed the World" is located in the foothills of the Allegheny Mountains where Oil Creek runs into the Allegheny River. It is near here, close to Titusville, Pennsylvania, where Colonel Edwin Drake found success in drilling the first oil well in the world on August 27, 1859. The world was indeed changed. For many years, companies such as Pennzoil and Quaker State called the Valley home.  Now you know where they got their names.

The old post office building is currently home to the Venango Museum of Art, Science, and Industry. The private museum is usually host to some type of oil history exhibit. This year it is "Black Gold, Black Magic."

The "new" Post Office is across the street in a building that isn't near as impressive as the larger one with "United States Post Office" engraved over the entrance.

Hasson Park sits high above Oil City in Hasson Heights. It takes some twisting and turning to get up there, but is a nice place to take a moment of rest.

Drive Inn Theater in Kane, Pennsylvania

A touch of the past comes alive.

US6 is full of oddities. This building almost looked out of place in rural Pennsylvania ... except it is located along US6, so it fits right in. Do you see the camouflaged barrel in the bottom left corner? Can you identify it?

Here's a closer look. The red plate on the arm is the target. The board on top is the seat. No protective netting or barrier in place for the person sitting on the board waiting to get DUNKED, but it looks like a Dunking Booth to me. A form of legal torture commonly found in small community festivals around the country. This one is found near Mount Jewett.

The Hazel Hurst Post Office could use a coat of paint. While I was taking this photo, I about jumped out of my riding boots when I heard a loud, cracking BOOM. My initial thought was to duck and run for cover. But not wanting to overreact, I calmly looked around thinking I'd see a backfiring vehicle going by. I was the only traffic in sight. Hoping it was just someone safely target practicing in the backyard (we do that in Texas), I continued to take a couple more shots of my own. As I was getting back on the GS ... BOOM!  ... there it went again. That isn't target practice. If it is, they are missing the target. You can tell because the boom ends with an echo, not a thunk. Another bit of common knowledge among gun owners and hunters in Texas (and probably elsewhere). I take another look around and see some activity a few houses down in the open garage. I purposely head that way.

Here's the source of the booming. He said he gets a visit from the police about once a week. No doubt he does. He builds small replica cannons out of PVC. And they work! He personally tests each one . . . maybe several times.

VIDEO demonstration: Fire in the Hole!
The volume isn't near as loud as it was in person.

Hard to miss the popular Wellsboro Diner if you pass through downtown Wellsboro on US6.

After checking out the overnight options in Mansfield and getting sticker-shock at the lodging prices, I decided to check out the options further down the road. The options started dwindling to a few when I wandered off the US highways and into the Wilds of the Allegheny Mountains. I called ahead to save a room in Canton at Doc's Irish Inn. I wasn't sure what to expect, but my buddy Rob gave the place a thumbs up. I pull into Canton glad to know that I have a room saved at the only lodging option in the small town. Here's what I found: An impressive large Victorian building where a very nice restaurant and bar is found on the first floor with rooms to let upstairs. My room was on the very front left corner.

The restaurant was obviously a popular spot. The number of customers present suggested that Doc's Irish Inn is a destination restaurant bringing in additional appetites from out of town. After getting settled upstairs, I made my way downstairs to enjoy an excellent meal myself.

My room had a street view and in addition to traffic noise, I could hear the muffled music until after midnight from the bar below. However, neither bothered me and only added to the ambiance of renting a room in a small town over a tavern. The room was nice with a private bath and wi-fi. Fair warning though to anyone traveling by motorcycle that might want to let a room over a tavern in Canton, Pennsylvania -- the only parking available is either on the street or in the gravel parking lot up a small hill behind the building. To get upstairs, you either take the main interior stairs from the front entry or the back deck stairs above the restaurant's service entrance. I fought with the gravel and hauled my gear up the back deck stairs. When making my way down the upstairs hallway and past the other rooms (some which share a hall bathroom), I got the idea that some of my fellow roomers are out of town workers renting their rooms by the week. But I was still quite satisfied with my room, the price, and the unique character of the location.

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