First to Tremont (actually a Goodspring, PA address) and the Summit breaker. More than a little hard to locate, but I got help from a gas station owner. When I finally found it— the entrance (see below) was memorable and was a sight for sore eyes after driving for hours—the lady minding the scales was very patient with a beginner like me. I figured she'd just weigh the 5 gallon pales I'd filled, rather than weigh the vehicle twice
. After getting 120 lbs for a test burn, I drove the few miles to Hegins, and the Superior breaker. With all I've read about Superior coal here, this is coal I am most eager to try. Well, those of us not from Hegins might assume Hegins is tiny, but it is not—it stretches for miles! Along the way, I passed the miner shrine pictured below, and stopped in Elsie's diner for lunch, choosing the Chuckwagon Special of the Day: a (sort of) chicken-fried steak sandwich next to three fried pierogies—the latter very good, but that sandwich is still barking. While at Elsie's, I spoke with some nice folks who pointed me toward the Superior breaker. Very picturesque setting. The pile from which I shoveled my ~150 lbs of nut coal was big—those boards at the top of the pile were 2x8's I think. When it came time to weigh and pay, I bragged to the cashier that mine was probably her largest sale of the day--$11.40. I had to wait behind the full-length trailer pictured below who likely had a little more than me. (If a tri-axle holds 23 tons, how much does that baby hold?)Next on my route was Harmony in Mt. Carmel. However, I called and learned they were closed until Jan 5—foolishly, I didn't call until I got to Mt. Carmel itself.
Disappointed I didn't get to sample Harmony, I'm eager to test burn the coal I did get, but will wait for colder temps first. If Superior or Summit really sets itself apart from the South Tamaqua coal I have now, I may try to hire, this coming summer, the guy who delivered my current supply to fetch next winter's supply in June/July/August, a little farther north from where he gets it.
As I was trying to find these breakers, I reflected on how nice it would be to have latitude/longitude coordinates to plug into a GPS device—although that would have reduced the chances of me meeting some of the kind people I met. One thing that surprised me was how many cords of wood waiting to be burned I saw along the route. I figured that many more natives would be burning coal than wood, but price may be a factor—free is pretty hard to beat. Another surprise to me was how hard it was to locate any retail bagged coal. I wanted to try Kimmel's, having already burned about a ton of Blaschak earlier in the Fall, but no one seemed to have bagged coal for sale.
Overall, a very pleasant day. Thought I'd post a few pictures for those of us, like me, not from the area, and who've maybe never seen some of the places that get mentioned frequently here. (Some of the pics are in the Reply that follow this post)
Pictures of these places is like going back in time. 
I wonder how many of us here have heard those exact words?
... but only outside.
