When I was about 14 years old, my parents purchased property in a community in Milford, PA called Gold Key Lake and built a little house. They were already planning for their future retirement, a place to go, a reprieve from hot Brooklyn summers. It was a cute red shingled house with brick accents and white trim. A long gravel driveway lined with rocks my Dad had placed and painted white to match the house, parted the woods that surrounded the entire property to give entry to the house. Off to the left, a large and comfortable deck hugged the side of the house and increased the living space. The property was only a 1/3 of an acre, pizza slice shaped; the "crust" was the front which made the lot seem large; it came to a point towards the back where it met up with other property lines. Their woods had tall, mature trees my Dad was very proud of; we would frequently catch him looking up at and counting the trees. Sounds funny but when you grow up in a world of concrete, trees are something very special. In June, wild blueberries would burst forth in a frenzy every where you looked! It was always fun filling up containers and containers with these blue treasures; my Mom would make delicious desserts. On the inside of the house a massive brick fireplace took centerstage. There were three tiny bedrooms, one and a half very small bathrooms, and the common area - a living/dining room combined with open kitchen. So much of my parents were in this house. From the heavy flowered drapes on the windows my Mom had designed and sewn, to the reddish brick vinyl floor tiles my parents together installed covering the entire main area of the house. They even built a couch out of a trundle bed; my father building "arms" out of wood; my mother fabricating a cover and giant pillows to make it comfy and cozy. The house was mostly furnished with yard sale items; later with new furnishings once they started spending more time there. My Dad also built a small, decorative retaining wall off to the side of the deck; my Mom crocheted a hammock to hang between the trees. They were a great team!
We arrived yesterday just after lunch in Matamoras, PA just a town over from Milford. Needless to say, I have very fond memories of this area. NJ, NY and PA all come together here - hence we are staying for two nights at the Tri-State RV Park. The park is set right on the Delaware River with a good view of the Pocono Mountains. The grounds seem to be well maintained, however, campsites are merely gravel pads on a big open field, spaced fairly close to one another. There is no landscaping or trees to provide even minimal separation and privacy. We have full hookups and the WiFi and cable TV work very well. It always feels like a treat to have these amenities when you have boondocked for a few days and have used electric and water very sparingly; even lights feel like a luxury! This campground is also literally right off Route 84 - an extremely busy - 24/7 - highway. The noise takes a little getting used to, Luckily we have a ceiling fan in our bedroom to create white noise and block the sounds of the road. This park primarily caters to those RVers just passing through the area on their way to another destination. We met a lot of interesting people all heading in different directions and their different rigs. We have actually decided to make a reservation to stay here overnight on our return trip.
Whenever we come through this area, we always stop at the Milford Diner. The menu is tremendous and was a place I frequented with my family during the 30 years we summered here.
The Pocono Mountains are really gorgeous and there is a lot to do in this area. The one day we had for taking in the sites we decided to visit Raymondskill Falls. I had actually never been there before and it didn't disappoint! So worth seeing! After having lunch at the diner, I found a little veggie stand right across the street and bought two bags full of beautiful fruits and vegetables. And finally before heading back to the campground, we took a detour to a fireworks store and purchased a bunch of fireworks for the kids and us. I didn't hesitate to tell the salesperson who engaged us that "my husband was a pyrotechnic and used to make fireworks". He is an expert in that field, after all!
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