父親節，2014-06-15

【Aiden in English】

        The Pocono Mountains are a national famous attraction. When you think about them, the first thing that comes to mind is lush, green forest and deep, majestic valleys. You probably would never have thought of the peaceful and quiet town at the foot of the mountains to also be a gateway to the Poconos. That's exactly where Dad and I were going.

        And after an hour of torturous driving, we arrived at the tiny town known as Jim Thorpe in the eastern PA. At first, the town looked undisturbed. But as Dad and I roamed the streets, people began to open shops and exhibited their homes. It seemed as if somebody flipped the switch and people started appearing everywhere.

        The square right next to our parking lot soon was filled to the brim with tourists and food stands. That's when I really noticed the architecture of the buildings. They all looked similar with the red painting on the walls in the old style of the late 1800's and early 1900's. Yet what was truly interesting to me was that all the buildings were very different. The houses were used in a large variety. Some were for homes, some for shops, some for restaurants, and many more. The experience allowed me to see that nothing was exactly the same.

        The town was only half of Jim Thorpe. It had a natural side by the mountains and lakes as well. There was a sightseeing train that offered countryside view. Dad and I zoomed onto the train after lunch and sat there in anticipation for the ride to begin. We were not disappointed about this place as the "Switzerland of America". The countryside was amazing with great lakes and meandering steams. The songs of birds rang through the forest, and the mountains seemed to touch the sky. The ride was perfect, except for the conductor blabbing on about history.

        Just as I thought the ride was over, it blasted off to another level. There, around the bend, was a waterfall. It wasn't huge, but the fall was big enough to make the passengers on the train gasp. The water dropped down into a stream that flowed on and it was in the middle of a vast forest. After this spectacular show, the landscapes have been etched into our memory forever.

【紅霞譯文】

        波可諾山脈可謂全國久負盛名的優勝美地，一提起蘊藏其中的旅遊景點，你首先會聯想起蔥鬱繁茂的綠色森林和幽邃深壑的峽谷盆地。也許你永遠意識不到通往波可諾山脈的路上有座祥和靜謐的小鎮，這正是我和爸爸要去的地方。

        經過個把鐘頭顛簸行駛，我們終於抵達位於賓州東北部的吉姆‧索普小鎮。初來乍到，小鎮看似與世隔絕，不過一旦走街串巷深入社區，我們發現當地居民開店納客招攬生意，不約而同地從四面八方湧現出來。

        停車場附近的廣場遊人如織，地攤縱橫，建築結構迥異，所有樓房均被塗成紅色，突出體現十九世紀末、廿世紀初古典風格，各式各樣的民居商家餐館設計獨具匠心，讓我大開眼界。

        吉姆索普小鎮依山傍水，觀光列車可以讓你置身事外，親臨大自然欣賞鄉村景色。午餐後，我們決定抓緊時機乘車環遊這座素有“美洲瑞士”之稱的名城。河水淼淼，炊煙裊裊，鳥兒在林中歡舞歌唱；我們站在山巔之上，天際近在咫尺，恨不能信手可得。如果列車員在介紹風土人情時播音清晰可辯，環遊效果會進一步得到提高。

        返程途中，我們眼前出現一個氣勢不大但卻相當奇特的瀑布，山水自上而下，徑直跌至密林深處。吉姆•索普鎮好山好水好風光，令人刻骨銘心。