Port Clinton, Pa, no Mayberry, no Port Clinton...

The shelter where Appalachian Trail hikers often spend a night or two

 


Port Clinton is a sleepy little town tucked into the Blue Mountain range of the Appalachian chain of mountains.      In fact the Appalachian Trail leads down into the town where hikers often get a meal and rest in a shelter before heading on their way. 

My daughter Jennifer and her family settled into Port Clinton about a year ago, and fell in love right away. 


The Little Schuylkill River runs through Port Clinton too.  Along its banks are trees and shrubs, and on the south side of its banks runs the Reading and Northern Railroad tracks, right on up to the Reading and Northern Railroad offices and round house.  When I see their facility from Rt. 61 the sight of the old fashioned water tower conjures up memories of the 1960s sitcom Petticoat Junction.
 

There is the quaint Port Clinton Hotel with delicious and huge cheese steaks, a pile of fresh cut French Fries that even the biggest appetite couldn't finish alone.  Then on to the Peanut Shoppe to get some freshly roasted peanuts, homemade fudge, or vintage candy.

 

The Barber shop is a place for the locals to gather and play guitars and sing.  They head there just after picking up their mail across the street at the Post Office where the postman personally hands each person their mail each day. Only don't show up between Noon and 2PM as the post office closes for two hours.  Very often Appalachian Trail hikers have packages of  supplies delivered to this post office, and they pick them up when they pass through Port Clinton during their 2181 mile hike.
  There is a little boy that my daughter met the first time she went in for her mail, and he has red hair and freckles like Opie Taylor. He was stopping by the post office for some of the candy the postman gives away on a daily basis.  We often comment that Port Clinton is really Mayberry. 

Since my daughter moved to Port Clinton she has gotten to know most every neighbor.  It is a very friendly little town.   Along with those nice neighbors there are a few honored inhabitants of this quaint little town, an albino deer, and a wild peacock that has roamed the mountainside of town for several years. Don't worry about him,  as the neighbors make sure he is fed, and looked after.