Silver Birches Resort, PA
Bob & Tanya Waite
On our way to Silvers Springs, a resort on the shore of Lake Wallenpaupack, we travel the Jersey side of the Delaware as instructed by our travel guide, Google Maps. Mr. Maps isn’t always the best, we find out as we arrive in Pennsylvania and are directed to take a broken down road through a state forest in the Northern Poconos. It is February and snow is still clinging to this narrow, pocked road. Tanya asks, “Are you sure you are on the right road?” I answer, “Pretty much.”
We do arrive at Silver Birches and go right to the registration office at the inn. Silver Birches is like a little village. There are houses, cottages, and the inn. The cottages and lake houses open in the spring, but during the winter only the inn remains open. In the office we meet Tara, our very helpful desk manager. She shows us the lobby and a sunporch, where she suggests we can eat breakfast, and after some time asking her questions, we are escorted to our Premier Luxury Suite with a jacuzzi.
The first thing Tanya notices is the large picture window overlooking Lake Wallenpaupack. This lake is the third largest lake in Pennsylvania and it is spans two counties. It is 13 miles long and at its widest part is a mile. We are at the northwest end of it in Hawley. And the lake is a short, maybe 40-foot walk from the sunroom that is below our room.
Our suite has a fully furnished living room. Tanya, loves the simplicity of the two chairs facing each other at angles in front of the fireplace. I love the comfortable couch. The furniture is a blend of transitional and period pieces. Tanya says, “Look at the lamps, how pretty they are!” but I don’t hear her trademark hallelujah until she walks into the bedroom, which also has a couch that is providentially meant just for me and my future nap. Both rooms have TVs.
I go into the bathroom, while Tanya is still admiring the bedroom. The first thing I notice is the jacuzzi and how good that hot water rushing around me will feel later this evening. Tanya walks in and immediately claims it for tonight. I try to say “dibs” but she claims it first, and I defer to my wife’s desire. The shower has a glass half-covering, two glass shelves and the walls are tiled with impeccably clean white tiles. The floor is tiled with grouted dark gray and black tiles. The sink has a cabinet below.
We go back downstairs and Tara offers us a glass of either Champagne or red wine. We take the red wine and relax on the heated sunporch looking at Lake Wallenpaupack, which is frozen and covered with snow. We spend some time downstairs on the sunporch and then retire to our room. It’s been a long drive and we decide to stay in and make plans for tomorrow. Since we ate on the way, we open our snacks and are thrilled to be in a premium luxury suite in a beautiful inn. Tanya and I cuddle on the couch and watch a Netflix movie on the smart TV, eating Dots, pretzels and chips.
I wake up early and decide to read while Tanya stays in bed another half hour. I make us both a cup of coffee in the Keurig coffeemaker in our room. I decide to visit the Cocoon Coffee House & Bakery. The Cocoon is on the property of the Hawley Silk Mill, which is now a building with shops, event space, a fitness center and professional offices. The Cocoon is where the silk mill once raised the silkworms.
The Hawley Silk Factory is described on its website (www.hawleysilkmill.com) as “… a vital part of this community since its construction in 1880. Its many incarnations over the years have included a silk factory with the foremost technology of the day, a textile factory, and antique center. Never has it been more vibrant than today. The vision for the repurposed factory is to have a center that celebrates the lifestyle of the Pocono Lake Region–a place for the residents and visitors alike to shop, gather, eat, exercise, and learn.”
Entering the Cocoon, I realize that this could be a coffee house and bakery in any major city. The baked goods look tantalizing and the coffee smells great. I order two breakfast sandwiches and two coffees and head back to Silver Birches. Tanya is up and we enjoy the sandwiches and get ready to go to Hawley and look around.
We park in Hawley. It has all the appeal of a small, Pennsylvania mountain town. Our first stop is the Hawley Antique Exchange, which is a multi-dealer antique mall. We enter and are enchanted by the old dolls, antique jewelry, glassware and China, knives, old tools, first edition books, furniture, music machines, but the most fascinating items on display were a few rows of Vaseline glass. Vaseline glass is a type of uranium glass that has a distinctive yellowish color, but when put under ultra violet light becomes a brilliant green. In the basement of Harley Antique Exchange is a museum which houses the Martin Collection of Vaseline glass. This collection is renowned for its brilliant green color. Unfortunately, it is closed on the day we visited. At the Exchange we introduce ourselves to two women who work there, Barbara Quick and Leslie Rutkin, who tell us about the Martin Collection and other items on display at the shop. I buy Tanya a necklace, which she picked out.
We drive into the town and park on the main street. We see through the window people eating and drinking coffee at the Black Brass Cafe. I expect to see Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed talking to each other, but I snap out of it and we enter another antiques shop, Time Machine Antiques. Again the nostalgia beckons us both to stay for a while. The store is smaller than the Antique Exchange, but it is jam packed with interesting finds.
As we are passing through Hawley, we see a sign for rail bikes. Neither Tanya nor I have any idea of what a rail bike is, so we investigate. Pennsylvania Rail Bike has two seater and four seater rail bikes that have electric pedal assist and are fun for all ages. These are pedaled with assistance of electricity to ride along the picturesque Lackawaxen River. The routes are 10 and 20 miles long. On their website (www.parailbike.com) they invite you, “… to embark on a unique adventure, where each mile tells a story, and every turn unveils the beauty of the Pocono Mountains. Get ready to pedal into a world of lush landscapes, fascinating history, and the joy of outdoor exploration. Welcome to a new era of recreational fun–welcome to Pennsylvania Rail Bike…”
From Hawley we drive to the town of Honesdale, which is larger than Hawley and is situated so that it kisses hilly Pennsylvania farmland. Route 6 is full of strip malls, fast food restaurants and some fine dining and, of course, interesting places to buy coffee and baked goods. We drive back wondering what it would be like to be in the area surrounding Lake Wallenpaupack during the spring and summer.
We take a detour down Route 6 going east. We imagine what spring and summer is like as we drive the contour of the lake. We see cabins, marinas, and there are boat tours. Wallenpaupack Boat Tours & Rentals is right on Route 6, outside of Hawley. There are three tours you can take: the 50-minute tour covers one third of the lake. There are also two and three hour tours. On the Fourth of July there is an evening tour to watch the fireworks over the lake.
As we drive back to Silver Birches, I look forward to eating at The Dock on Wallenpaupack. It is around 5 p.m. and we have reservations for 6:30, which means time to freshen up and walk over to the dock, which is a part of Silver Birches and is a short walk from the inn.
The Dock on Wallenpaupack states on its website that it “…features a combination of water-inspired foods and culinary twists on vintage classic dishes that would have been prominent when Baby Boomers were kids—comfort foods such as soups, snacks, salads, sandwiches, and light entrees. Many of our menu items include seafood dishes as well as grilled steaks and other classic dishes.”
We come in and feel right at home. Tanya says, “It’s so cozy, and yet it’s big.” We both are happy to see that it is friendly and that families are sitting at tables with smiling children and they are all talking with one another. We don’t see anyone on a phone or tablet. The fireplace adds to the rustic feel and the people sitting around the bar are eating, laughing and enjoying each other. We can’t miss the TVs. Even though they are discreetly placed and do not rob the room of its rustic feel.
We are seated at a table and in no time a waiter arrives and asks us if want anything to drink. I order a craft beer, and Tanya orders a Margherita. They arrive quickly and we are ready to order dinner.
We order Boneless Buffalo Wings for an appetizer. I know what I want but Tanya is hesitating between the Sauteed Chicken Marsala and the House Made Blue Claw Lump Crab Cakes. She decides on the Chicken Marsala. I order the Guinness Braised Boneless Short Rib.
Our appetizer is fantastic. The wings are at just the right level of heat and they are large yet tender. We each eat six of the twelve wings. Soon after, our entrées come. Tanya’s Chicken Marsala is a combination of Marsala wine demi sauce with shallots and mushrooms over linguine. She says, “This is good, but there’s no way I’ll be able to finish it.” My Guinness Braised Boneless Short Rib is topped with caramelized onion and served over horseradish mashed potatoes and I also know that I won’t be able to finish mine either.
The food is great and the portions are generous. Our table is visited by the assistant manager, Jenifer Carra. She asks us how we like the food and we both give her a thumbs up. We ask her about herself and find out that she is a math teacher who works part time at The Dock. She sees to it that we get containers to bring back what we don’t finish.
Back at the inn, Tanya gets her chance to sit in the Jacuzzi and I watch a movie on the TV in the living room. We tuck in early, and awake to the sunlight of early morning. I order breakfast and eat it in our room, and then we pack and hit the road.
As we leave, I wonder if I should consult Mr. Maps and I do. This time I am taken back on Route 402 to Route 84 to Route 80 across the Delaware and then back home by driving the Jersey side. In the car we talk about our visit to the Lake Wallenpaupack and both decide that we will be back in the late spring.
(bio)
Bob Waite is the editor of Bucks County Magazine and Tanya is his wife, travel companion and the co-writer of this department.