You probably thought I fell off. You thought I’d never accomplish the mission. That northeastern Pennsylvania would never get the wrap-up it deserves.
Y’all thought wrong.
On a cold, blustery Friday following a major belt of overnight rain, my parents and I finally (after months of planning) set out on the road to the Ponono Mountains and the historic town of Jim Thorpe. Fun fact: The town was founded in 1818 as Mauch Chunk. It was only renamed to Jim Thorpe in 1954 after the famed Olympian was interred there. He had no connection to the town beforehand. Another fun fact: Mausch Unk means “Bear Place” in Lenape. They were one of the local Native groups.
Mauch Chunk was a coal town, pure and simple. Pennsylvania anthracite was shipped via the railway lines that form a core part of the region’s history. That history is too deep to give it justice in this space. From Molly Maguire hangings to unexplained hauntings, the town was a microcosm of eastern Pennsylvania’s heritage. Today’s Jim Thorpe is a tourist town.
The scenic splendor of railways and bridges between mountains and over gorges is the first thing you’ll notice on the ride into the little valley city. The second is the traffic. On a Friday, it wasn’t horrible, but I’d caution everyone: Don’t try to turn across two lanes of traffic. The stream of cars is constant in the southern part of town, where most of the tourist spots are.
One of those spots is the Lehigh Scenic Gorge Railway, a gorgeous steam-age passenger service. The Jim Thorpe Train Station is conveniently central. The cozy but bustling visitor’s center is adjacent to the ticket counter. Most importantly, a massive parking lot sprawls along the Lehigh River from the rail station back thousands of feet near the road we took to get in. The modest $8 they charge for a day of parking on Friday rises to $25 on weekends, but it’s still notably less expensive than in Harrisburg. The newfangled parking kiosks are absurdly complicated and sometimes faulty, but an attendant was on hand, and he proved to be far smarter than the ‘smart’ technology being deployed. Chalk up another win for analog.
King Coal Cafe is part of the railway attraction…an actual, physical component of it. It’s impossible to miss; a glossy, red, old-fashioned railcar sitting right across the tracks from the parking lot. A sign cautions people to go around to the front of the car, and a nice little stairway leads up into the car itself. Safety is really at the forefront here, and with the functioning trains constantly coming and going, that’s a good plan.
The railcar looks new and old at the same time. I discovered a reason for this: The cafe only opened last July. As historic as it is, there is still a “new house” feeling to the interior. Still, it’s plenty homey. Homey like “home,” not homey like your buddy. Or is that spelled homie? Anyhow, there’s a sprawl of comfort food available at the counter for those (like me) who are about to take a walking tour of the town or a train voyage. Burgers, kielbasa, and even Nathan’s hot dogs were on deck. There was plenty of coffee, too.
King Coal was serving Gerhart Coffee from Lancaster, PA. That’s an old roaster, in operation since 1880. That was a fun surprise; I have yet to really sample the Lancaster region (oh yes, that means we’ll get there eventually). Surprise: This isn’t going to be their coffee going forward. That honor will go to Firehouse Coffee of nearby Maxatawny. It was easy to tell that Gerhart was craft coffee. It was light, but it had backbone. I’m not sure what region mine hailed from, but there was a slightly flowery component to an otherwise nutty profile. Central American?
I also got a hot chocolate for myself and my parents (who footed the bill for the gas and drove). I have to say this was the standout. The coffee was good. The hot chocolate was phenomenal. I have no idea what they put in there besides extremely high-quality chocolate. It was only two dollars for a small one, which, again, is reverse sticker shock after paying capital city prices (I’m a resident, I can rag on it). It was like a savory milk chocolate right out of the Hershey factory. I’m plotzing, but for good reasons.
With coffee and cocoa in hand(s), we made our way to the visitor hub. My parents stayed there. They took one look at the enormous uphill grade that constitutes Broadway and noped out in favor of exploring the train area. I knew there was more coffee up that hill, so we split up, and I resolved to make the trek. That’s a story for next time. There was simply too much to pack into a single blog post without droning on, so you’ll be learning about Jim Thorpe and its oddly wondrous coffee culture in a series of installments. I’ll be posting something every other week.
Technically, there is no “until next time.” Next time has already happened; I simply haven’t written about it yet. So, just sit tight. The caffeiniation is coming your way.
the approach…
the car…
the all aboard…
the setup…
the view…
the hallway to somewhere…
the current roast…
the future…
The Coffeehouse Journey 