A slow day and some Iron City Beer

Location: Gaslight Campground, Emlenton, PA

Yesterday was a little slow around the campground. There was an antique car show where about dozen vintage cars came to the campground. The local volunteer fire department had a fundraiser and sold hamburgers, hot dogs and their "famous" hot sausage. Being brave, I ordered the hot sausage and a water. It was tasty but not hot. The sausage was a firm beef sausage and the peppers were a mild jalapeno-type pepper. For desert I bought some pumpkin bread from their bake sale. It was good too and I should finish it off today. I forgot to take pictures of any of the events.

The neighbors on my door side is a nice young couple with two kids and large lovable dog. I got several doses of the dogs love yesterday and it was great. I think she is a Newfoundland (Newfie). I'll try to get a picture of her today.

I also fulfilled another reason for coming to this part of Pennsylvania. It was to try some Iron City Beer. My father was a beer expert and that was the brand he drank when we lived in Elizabeth, PA. After moving away, he would sometimes bring up how good the Iron City Beer was to other beer experts at picnics, BBQ's, etc. Of course, for some a lot most of my Navy time I was a beer expert as well. My favorite was Carlsburg which I was only able to find in Denmark. I never saw it anywhere else and after I got married, my beer expert days ended. They ended after my oldest son saw me a little tipsy and the next day asked "what happened to me." It was then that I realized after drinking, we become other people. I didn't like the idea of my children having to deal with more than one of me so I only drank very modestly and infrequently after that. One drink a year was enough for me.

Pennsylvania is a strange state when it comes to buying alcohol. You have to buy wine and liqueur in a special store and beer from a distributor. When I asked at the campground office where I could buy some beer, wouldn't you know it but the owner is a beer distributor. He told me where his place was and off I went. Once I got there I learned that the minimum quantity they sell is by the case or keg. I asked

where I could get a six pack and he pointed to a bar down the hill. I said, "the one with the welcome bikers sign"??? He sort of laughed and said "yep, they will get you hooked up". Hooked up? I hadn't ever considered buying a six pack, getting hooked up. I was hoping "six pack" wasn't code for something else. I walked in the bar about 1:00 p.m. and it was dark as a cave inside. There were about 6 or 8 people sitting around the bar nursing their drinks. Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates stuff hung everywhere. Did I happen to mention I was wearing my New Orleans Saints hat?? The bartender behind the bar said, "what'll it be?". I told her the guy up the hill said I could get a six pack of Iron City Beer here and she said, you sure can honey, for 8 dollars. I paid her and left before people noticed the hat. I like the Saints, but not to the point of bar fighting for them.

Once back at the campground and knowing I didn't need to drive anywhere else, I cracked open a bottle. I said to myself, "this one is for you Dad". It was smooth and good. I understood what my father had told people over the years. It was surprising that such a good beer would be brewed locally. 

The one I drank was in honor of my father. The five I poured down the drain was in honor of my mother who never liked my father's drinking.

Tomorrow is a travel day and I look forward to getting into a place with more things to explore.

Ya'll take care of each other and I'll Cya down the road.