Shown is a view inside of the Tidioute Trading Post.

It was a Sunday afternoon and a perfect day for a drive. On a drive along the river on Route 62, there was scenery and solitude as we traveled along the edge of the forest. The river was high after all of the rain over the past few days.

It had been a few months at least since we’ve been down this way. I was looking forward to checking out a business that people had told us we had to try.

The Tidioute Trading Post is a gas station slash convenience store located right along Route 62 as you’re entering Tidioute. The outside of the building looks like an old old trading post that settlers from a long time ago would have stopped at to pick up essential items and maybe a treat for the kids. It’s also a Keystone gas distributor.

A truck pulled in next to us as we parked. A man with a boy and girl got out of the truck at the same time that we did. I, as is my habit lately, took a picture of the price of gas on the Keystone sign.

“Would you believe we have a refinery nearby?” the man said to me. He shook his head and continued walking into the store.

Inside we were greeted by many eyes on us. But those were from the many animals that lined the walls. There were deer heads and a large elk head mounted on the wall as well as a lot of other animals. My eyes kept looking up at these walls instead of right in front of me where all of the goods for sale were.

The man and his children from the truck grabbed drinks from the cooler and headed towards the register as I walked around looking at stuff and taking pictures. More customers kept walking in the door as I did this.

I heard the man say something to the young woman running the register about “that guy taking pictures.” His boy then said loudly,

“He’s a tourist and that’s what they do!”

I had a good chuckle at that as I kept looking around. There was a small grocery store, a deli counter, and even Tidioute branded clothing. Just what a tourist needs!

My wife Tonya saw a man with a sub and said it looked delicious. The cashier finally had a free second so I explained why I was taking pictures. I asked what her favorite item here was. She thought about it for a minute and then her eyes lit up a bit.

“Breakfast sandwiches! We sell a lot of them.”

To be a great convenience store, you’ve got to have a good breakfast sandwich. I made a mental note to come back here and give them a try. I saw a sign in front of the register that said they had ham loaf. I love ham loaf.

The customers continued to come in and out and I noticed a lot of people grabbing drinks. I had heard a day or two earlier that Tidioute was under a notice to boil their water, which remained in effect on Tuesday. The notice came out in a phone blast that many residents said they didn’t receive.

Information wasn’t being shared about what was going on with the water, according to a resident I chatted with earlier on my phone. People were frustrated with the town officials and the lack of information being given.

“Don’t drink the water” is something that tourists are sometimes told on their trips but this isn’t something you would expect to hear in this country and right down the road from home.

We left the Tidioute Trading Post with a lot of pictures, that’s what tourists do! We also made plans to come back soon and hopefully be able to drink Tidiuote’s water.

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