Easy as the title says! We all have that inner child that likes to dress up and have fun. Fun for all ages! This isn't a whole wardrobe....but some fun items to make you, me, and maybe some one else......SMILE! Have Fun! Be silly. Let loose! And don't forget.....Strike a Pose!
Hike is roughly 2.5 miles round trip on a very nice and slight incline trail. You will find a 50 cal ammo can stashed amongst some large rocks. It's in a perfect stash spot. Please be sure to push it back out of site. Of course, a good poking around with your hiking stick may be best before reaching in.
Please do not trade or take any items. Of course all that is needed to gain the smiley is to simply sign the log. The rest of the fun is entirely up to you! Have fun and Enjoy!
The Bells Gap Railroad was introduced as a narrow gauge spur line in the 1850’s with the intention of connecting the Pennsylvania Railroad Mainline to the people and resources in the northern portions of Pennsylvania. It would move people and goods northwest and would help the coal and lumber industry to the west move their goods to the cities along the Mainline and beyond.
The spur line connected to the Mainline in the center of Bellwood, near where the Bellwood-Antis Community Park is now located. Eventually, the spur would be converted to a standard gauge line in 1872, allowing easy exchange of cars and the goods they carried. Though the slope was steep and the ascent of the Allegheny Front was slow and difficult, the line was an important transportation artery for both goods and people until the current Route 865 was improved in the 1930's.
Like most rail lines of the time, the builder and original owners, the Bells Gap Railroad Company, kept the incline below four percent. This could only be accomplished by wrapping around some of the stream valleys on the escarpment to lengthen the horizontal distance of the climb. The most noteworthy of these is above the Bellwood Reservoir on Shaw Run. The curve near the confluence of Bells Gap and Shaw Run produces an exceptional view of the valley that trail users are now be able to enjoy. At four percent, the slope of the right-of-way provides for a gradual ascent well suited not just for the railroads of the 19th century, but for cyclists, hikers, cross-country skiers and horseback riders of the 21st. After leaving Bellwood Borough, the trail goes westward toward Roots Crossing. It parallels Route 865 toward the scenic Bellwood Reservoir on land now owned by the Bellwood-Antis Community Trust. The Altoona City Water Authority has granted a right-of way through their watershed property above the reservoir. The trail then crosses through Pennsylvania State Game Lands, terminating in the village of Lloydsville at the top of Blandburg Mountain.
The trail meanders gently through the bends of the Allegheny Front, across mountain creeks and offers several stunning views of the valley. Take a break at one of the many vistas to gaze out over the Tuckahoe Valley, enjoying the majesty of the rolling mountains and the tranquil blue waters of the reservoir. A few forgotten railroad spikes can still be found along the trail, rusted and corroded, a reminder of the industry that catapulted the dusty settlements of Bellwood and Blandburg into prosperity during the heyday of the railroad.