Back to the Future: Hydrofoil at Bald Eagle S.P.

The future is now! :-)

I felt like I was watching the film Back to the Future this afternoon, as I watched this young man use what appeared to be a hoverboard of some kind to zip over the water several inches to a foot or more above the surface at Bald Eagle State Park. It's called a hydrofoil, and apparently they're pricey. But it looked pretty impressive (and futuristic!) on the water.

My husband and I were back at Bald Eagle for the first time since June. For a while, they had plans to pave the main road that runs past the park, and it was put off and put off, and then finally the paving took place. We read reports in the news about how awful it turned out; people's cars were actually harmed in traveling over the newly paved road. We felt fortunate to skip all of that.

Reluctant still to use the newly paved road, we took a back way instead, via Jacksonville Road, on our way to the park. Well, THAT road was just AWFUL. They were in the process of tearing the road apart and it was down to a single narrow one-way lane the whole way, with just gravel on the other side. I am not sure I have seen worse road construction in Pennsylvania, ever. And yes, the old joke remains true. We have four seasons here: Almost Winter, Winter, Still Winter, and Road Construction! ;-)

But once we got there, we did have a very nice swim at the park, and we witnessed both some entertaining shenanigans via a few people on hydrofoils, as well as a juvenile bald eagle fishing. I wish I had photos of the bald eagle, but that whole event took place while we were in the water swimming. I had a better view from the water than I would have from the beach, but I had no camera in my hands. So all I have for you is this story!

Once we finished our swim, and rinsed off in the outdoor showers, we got in the car and headed over to the old docks at Hunter Run, a favorite low-key place. I've written on these pages before about an old stairwell at Hunter Run. The water is always lovely to look at there; you know how I can get about that sort of thing!

I walked around to take photos, and as I reached the docks, a large bird made a weird/wild cry and took off. A blue heron! It flew across the lake, took a leisurely bath, looked like an errant brush stroke from a Japanese painting, and finally, did its best impression of a pterodactyl.

Once we were done at the park, we decided to risk the newly paved road, and I am happy to report that it seemed fine. In fact, MUCH better than Jacksonville Road, which we are now placing on the "no way are we going there again until they're done paving which could take a while" list. However, now we know. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Knowledge is power!

Our soundtrack song is Back in Time, by Huey Lewis and the News, from the Back to the Future films.