Lions and tigers and bears…oh my! Well, maybe not lions and tigers. But, we did see bears, deer, squirrels, and the occasional chipmunk, bat, groundhog, racoon and skunk. Where did we experience all of this animal wonder? That would be a little place called Leonards Mountain Cabin.
After we departed our West Virginia house, we headed north to the land of William Penn. Mama Nomad found us a place nestled in the forest up in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania. The place is called Leonards Mountain Cabin after its owner, Mr. Frank Leonard. It is hard to describe the feeling being here. In West Virginia, you knew you were rural. We were 2 miles from a paved road and a dozen or more miles to a store of any kind. However, at Leonards Mountain Cabin, our driveway was connected to a paved road. We were in a subdivision with lakes, barbecues, tennis courts and more. A grocery store was 12 miles one way and another was 7 miles the other. There were thousands of people within a few square miles of us. But, when you are actually at the cabin, it is almost like no one is around.
The cabin is situated about 100 feet back from the road. The driveway is arched by tree limbs and foliage. You get closer to the cabin and the tree canopy opens up so you can see the sky. The area all around the cabin is filled with trees, ferns and all manner of plant life.
The cabin itself is 3 stories tall! The lower level, which is ground level but for some reason we kept calling it the basement, is the entertainment level. It has an actual pool table and Foosball table. That level also features a bar, and a much needed bathroom to accompany that amenity. To round it out, there is a sitting area with a couch, and an entertainment center with a TV.
Venture up the stairs to the second level and you will come across three bedrooms, another full bathroom, and an open floor plan that flows from the kitchen into a large dining area and ending in a living room with a propane fireplace. It also has two sliding glass doors that lead out onto the wrap around deck. We spent plenty of time out on this deck barbecuing, drinking coffee, reading and Noah even shot many videos for his YouTube Channel.
When you ascend the final staircase, you enter a loft bedroom. Watch your head as the ceiling inside follows the roof contour. This area is perfect for a good nights sleep. The bed is one of the most comfortable that I have ever slept on and the area in the loft bedroom is dark. When you wake up in the morning, you can look out of the two stories of windows on the front of the cabin or look out one of the back ones to see the field of ferns in the forest. And you may even catch mom and the twins out there. That is the name we gave to a mama deer and her two fawns.
Mama Nomad and I would walk around the neighborhood almost every single day. It was quite enjoyable and peaceful. Not too many cars would come by and the scenery was beautiful. The only eventful day we had was when Todd showed up. Who is Todd? Glad you asked. The cabin has a place at the end of the driveway to put your trash in. It is a couple hundred pound wooden structure. One morning I woke up to our trash being turned over and strewn about. I won’t rehash it because we already posted about it here the first time and here the second time. Bottom line, a bear got into our trash. We named him Todd. Well, one day out walking and who do we see on the road in between us and the house? Todd! Here is a more in depth writing about it. Anyway, we were unharmed as black bears, the kind of bear Todd is, do not commonly harm humans. Talking to the owner, who has had this place for more than 10 years, we are an anomaly as he has not seen a bear the whole time. I tell Mama Nomad that she attracted it because her and Trevor kept wanting to see a bear. While we were here, we saw 2; the other was on the Appalachian Trail.
The cabin is located in the town of Pocono Lake. There is a small town a few miles away called Blakeslee. It has a small grocery store and two of the best restaurants we have frequented. Commonly when we are traveling, we never visit the same place twice. We ate breakfast at Chat-N-Chew three times and ate Papa Santos twice. Papa Santos has the best pizza we have eaten thus far. Now, go a dozen miles in the other direction to Mount Pocono and you have bigger grocery stores, home improvement places, movie theater, and more. About 30 miles southeast and you run into a city of size called Stroudsburg. This is where you find your big box stores and chain stores.
If you want a place where you can party and have the nightlife, this is not for you. However, if you want to get away from it all, enjoy nature and the simpler things but not give up your amenities or access to services, this is the perfect place for you. The owner, Frank Leonard is a great person to rent from. He attended to our every need and even went above and beyond for us. If you need a place in the Poconos, reach out to Frank and tell him the Nomads sent you. You can go here and enter in property number 75061. And, if you see Todd, tell him we said “hello.” Safe Travels.
