Another state high point is in the bag! Yesterday Bernie and I drove across Pennsylvania (from New Jersey, where I'm currently visiting) to stand on the tallest point in the Keystone state.

Mt. Davis is located in far southwest Pennsylvania in Somerset County. I can give solid directions from the north: From Somerset, Pennsylvania, travel south on State Road 219 to Meyersdale. In Meyersdale, turn right on SR 2004 (Broadway - there is a large sign for Mt. Davis at this spot). This is Mt. Davis Road. Take that road all the way to the park that includes Mt. Davis. Keep in mind there are a few twists, turns and forks in the road. Simply stay on the main road and there are a few signs directing motorists toward Mt. Davis. Tracking yourself as you go on your road atlas is a good idea obviously.

This high point page is part one of four parts. After visiting Mt. Davis, Bernie and I visited two more state high points later in the afternoon followed by a fourth the next day. We stood on four state high points - a grand slam baby! - in 25 hours. :) Stay tuned for all those pages.

The adjacent photo of Bernie taking it all in at the observation tower on Mt. Davis. It was a very pretty day in the Alleghany Mountains of Pennsylvania!

-Steve

	Along The Way To Mt. Davis, Pennsylvania Oh the excitement! Before showing our high pointing adventure, here are photos from our drive. We drove quite far into southwestern Pennsylvania on Interstate 76, the Pennsylvania Turnpike. Four tunnels go through north-south ranges that are part of the Appalachian Mountains. I snapped this photo as we drove on the highway approaching the Tuscarora Mountain Tunnel near Willow Hill.
	We were just a few miles away from Mt. Davis when we spotted a pretty area of the country west of Summit Mills. Bernie, a professional photographer, went out there to capture some of the scenery. I merely sat in the passenger seat and photographed the road and Bernie respectively.
	We saw a few Amish locals riding horses on the roads. The Amish fascinate me!
	The large sign on Mt. Davis Road pointing out we were very close! We turned left (south) on the main dirt road and parked in the main parking lot. It is a short walk to the Pennsylvania high point from there ...

At The Highest Point in Pennsylvania (Mt. Davis - Altitude 3,123 Feet) ... And there we were! Even though we simply drove to the top of this mountain, I nonetheless felt a distinct "rush" at first. The excitement and joy of conquering of another high point pumped me up with adrenline. Yay! :) The feeling is a similar to sense of accomplishment when I finish a long bike ride or hike a difficult mountain!
There is a tall observation tower on Mt. Davis that provides views above all of the trees in all directions.
The views were decent. I would think this spot would be beautiful during the autumn season!
Bernie was the big attention getter on the tower. We spoke with this friendly Pennsylvania couple who were traveling and visited because the notoriety of the high point was near their route. BOTTOM LEFT: Bernie holds out his arms to "take in" the grandness of this beautiful high point. BOTTOM RIGHT: Bernie looked way down at the bottom. He asked me to photograph his hand held along with the shadow on the trees. Isn't that a neat shot?
An interesting sign about how one's eyes tend to interpret overlooks and nearby mountains.
Below the tower was the official marker located on the top of a rock.
I put an arrow above the rock. The suspicious part about this is the marker is located on a slab of concrete on the top of this rock. (You can click either photo at a larger size to see the marker better.) Now high points are always measured by the most natural point of ground, not human creations. For instance, the tallest skyscraper in Chicago could be considered the high point in Illinois, but it is actually a hill in the far northwest section of the state. The top of this rock very well may be the legitimate high point, but the extra concrete on its top is questionable at best. Ah well, technical details aside, I was just happy to be there and sat on the top of the rock! :) Anyway, this was my fifth state high point. Below are my four previous high points: Connecticut Colorado Florida New Jersey Maryland West Virginia Delaware