ocrwvdev, Author at Opossum Creek Retreat

Do You Know The New River Gorge? (A Nature Nugget On Shrooms From Keith)

In front of Over the Hill cabin — The Shroom that started it all

Last summer was an unusually wet one for the our little group of vacation rental cabins in the New River Gorge.

I can remember when Paul Shaw (an Opossum Creek Retreat family member) and I spotted the giant gilled mushroom growing from the side of the tree in front of the Over the Hill cabin. That seems to have been the beginning of the “Year of the Shroom”.

I don’t recall ever seeing so many different varieties of mushrooms in the woods as we did last year. Almost every turn revealed a new (to me) fungus on the forest floor. Some were really tiny and some were huge. There were shapes and colors I never imagined from translucent orange and creams to electric, lime green. And I’m a guy that’s spent tons of time in the forest. It was an amazing adventure every time you stepped into the woods. Every chance I got I was grabbing my camera and heading in to see what new ones I could find.

Paul and I took hundreds of pictures and researched almost every one. Names like Dead Man’s Finger, Wood Ear, Old Man of the Woods and so many more lured me into the fascinating world of fungi.

Just what I needed, another outdoor obsession.

My wife Tammi was amazed by the unusual shapes and colors she even bought me a mushroom book for my birthday. It’s called Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians by William C. Roody. A great reference for the shroom enthusiast.

So, what the heck is a mushroom, anyway?

William Roody defines a mushroom as a fruiting body of a fungus. Most mushrooms are temporary creatures that appear sporadically, depending on environmental conditions. I always thought that most all mushrooms were poisonous and could kill you. After doing some reading and researching I find that there are a lot that are ok to eat. Some are even great to eat.

The most common edible wild mushroom is the insanely delicious Morrell. The Morrell is a local favorite (if you can find them before the turkeys get to ‘em, or someone else). Some locals call the Common Morel “Molly Moocher” or Sponge Mushroom. No matter what you call it, it fares well on the table for sure.

The mushrooms you can find in the gorge area and here around your cabin are plentiful and a lot of fun to look for and look at. Get out there and look around, you’ll be surprised and what you might find. One thing I really like about shrooms, and that you will too, is that they are a lot easier to photograph than birds. To see some of the photos you can visit our Facebook fan page and check out the OCR Fungus Album.

Happy hunting!

Are You Prejudiced Against Trees?

The New River Gorge (our backyard) is filled with trees. So what’s one more?

What follows is the story of our Royal Paulownia Tree, AKA the Princess Tree, and its life at Opossum Creek Retreat…

It’s weird to think that, if you packed your china in some seed pods to protect them (the original packing peanuts) on the long journey to your new job, that hundreds of years later your packing peanuts’ offspring might attack someone’s building foundation!

Science fiction its not.

Immigrants from the Far East used the seed pods from the Royal Paulownia Tree or Empress Tree as packing peanuts for a long time. Trains rattling up and down the New River Gorge brought in goods from all over the world to the people who lived in the great river valley (mostly the mine managers and owners). When the recipients opened their boxes, the seeds fell out on the ground.

Those seeds love disturbed soil like along train tracks or all around new towns like the ones being built during the coal mining days. Or, you know, next to the foundation of The Meadows Cabin. We found the damage the tree had caused when we excavated and put in a new drain system in preparation for the timber frame great room addition.

Now, the tree in question was a favorite, and anyone who’s been to Opossum Creek Retreat knows that we go a long way to blend the cabins into the rest of the environment. I mean, some of the trees are ridiculously close to where we built, but what can I say? I’m a tree hugger.

The Paulonwia is “an invasive plant species”, and to some that means it should be eradicated. The likelihood of that happening is about as high as getting rid of Starlings (I like them too). While it is not native, it’s been here for a long, long time. I wonder how long something has to be in a place to be from there?

It is doing very well here, and lots of people (including me) like the tree. It’s beautiful. I’m sure that way back when, even before us humans, things got moved around and took up residence wherever that volcano or hurricane blew them. Did that make them invasive? Just sayin’.

If a plant or animal happens to have ended up someplace new, with or without human help, is it really invasive? Or is it just part of evolution, in the long run? I’m sure some people will always look at newcomers to an area as invasive. But I guess that’s a rant for another blog.

I’m not saying invasive species don’t exist. They do. But I sure did hate to cut down our Princess Tree.

Beat The Heat

Baby, it’s hot out there! I’m talking about the New River Gorge in West Virginia. Y’know, the big backyard for our cabin rentals.

I remember when I made the move here in 1992 from Central Florida. My dad and I rented the box truck, loaded it and made the trip. It was July and it was H-O-T in the old F-L-A. When we arrived here, the temperatures were in the high 70’s, and dad was digging for his sweatshirts and long pants. We were only here for a day or two before we headed back, just long enough to unload the truck.

The mountains of the New River area are usually a cool retreat from the hot south. Even when the temperatures are in the 90’s you can always find relief in the shade of the hemlocks or an old maple. Mom and dad would come for several weeks during the summer to visit, and when the temps went up you could find dad in the shade of the big maple in the front yard. He was always amazed at how much cooler it was there. “It’s gotta be twenty degrees cooler under here” he’d say, and invite me under to sit a while.

There are plenty of cool things to do here when the heat is on.

One hot afternoon on the way home I decided to take a drive down to Fayette Station, just for kicks. When I got there I ran into some friends who were cooling off in the river. I kicked off my shoes and joined them in the water. We floated and caught up since it had been a while. Floating with friends is a pretty cool way to spend an afternoon.

Summersville lake is another cool spot that’s close to Opossum Creek Retreat. There are some great swimming holes, and you can enjoy the cool clear water of the lake, fed by the Gauley River. My daughter Al and I have had some great times playing in the water at Battle Run Camping area and beach.

Of course a whitewater rafting trip will give you plenty of opportunities to get wet and cool down. That always helps beat the heat. On the Lower New River there are a few long pools that are great for swimming alongside the boat. And if a more controlled environment is what your after the Fayette County Park has a pool that offers some refreshing public swimming, and lifeguards too.

There are also plenty of hiking trails that wind through the heavily forested areas of the New River Gorge. Remember “it’s gotta be twenty degrees cooler under here,” from my dad? Fern Creek trail is a “cool” walk with some beautiful views of the gorge.

So, when it gets too hot where you are, come try the New River Gorge National River. It’s our backyard. And we’re pretty sure it will quench the fire.

The Fastest Zipline Ever (Almost)

The entrance to some family fun at the Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park.

Cool shirts. Plus, they put on a great soccer camp

As a rental cabin owner guy, you get certain perks. This is a post about one of them.

Burning Rock Outdoor Adventure Park had invited The Opossum Creek Retreat Adventure Team ™ (that’s us) to test drive their Brand New Dual racing Zip line.

Having been a stranger in a strange land, I know it can make you do strange things. So I asked the coaches from our kid’s soccer camp, Challenger Sports (all from England) if they would like to peg the adrenaline meter with us on a zip line and they said “Yep we’re in!” And then they immediately said, “What’s a zip line?”

Thanks to Burning Rock’s hospitality they said yea, bring on the Brits too!

The Burning Rock zipline is always safety first.

There is something really great about taking people outside their comfort zone; when you do, it’s easier for everybody to just laugh out loud at themselves and at each other. Just another great thing about living in the mountains

Burning Rock has the fastest, longest zipline east of the Rockies, and I’ll say this about it: it feels like you’re flying.

View from top of Burningrock zip line over looking camp ground ATV track ready for burning rocks 2500 foot zip line.

Personally, I think it could be longer and faster. Hey, Woody (Duba, Burning Rock GM): I know you have a spot picked out. Go bigger next time, huh? (People say my sarcasm is endearing).

What else can you say? If you like speed, and thrills, and doing things you’ve never done before, and West Virginia, then this is for you. If you don’t like that stuff, you should probably stay home. Or maybe watch it on youtube.

What’s also cool about Burning Rock is the 8000-or-so acres and 100+ miles of West Virginia ATV trails. I’m not a huge ATV guy, but I like to ride every now and then, and I think it’s going to be a blast to take my kids.

In the past, we had sent guests down to the Hatfield-McCoy Trail System, which is a pretty cool place in its own right. But it was a fairly long drive to get there, and the system down there is actually several different trail systems, all connected together. Burning Rock is more of a one stop shop. Rentals, guides, gear… everything you need.

I’m definitely looking forward to what Opossum Creek Retreat guests have to say about it. Almost as much as I’m looking forward to going back myself.

The Secret To Hiking With Kids

Hiking with kids in and around the New River Gorge of West Virginia is all about going nowhere fast…

I am a mountain of patience. I am mountain of patience. I am a mountain of patience. Aaand breathe.

That’s how I recommend starting each hike with kids. You can try starting each day that way, too. Best of luck with that.

When they’re little, anything (and I mean anything) will stop them in their tracks and halt the hike. The older they get the more creative the diversions become. They make up games to play, and still later we look at birds and bugs and plants to break up the march.

From the kids we can learn a very important concept to understand and embrace: The destination is secondary to the hike.

The value in going for a hike is not the part where are feet move it is the part when we stop and talk, look, listen, explore, play, snack and wonder. Yeah there is a great view at a beautiful overlook but don’t overlook the value of taking your time. Enjoy the distractions along the way.

Here’s some stuff to make sure you bring:

water
snacks
wipes (hey, they’re not just for babies!)
camera
patience

Ultimately, that last one’s the secret. Be patient. The whole idea is to make sure that you’re somewhere memorable (the trail) with someone you love (the kids).

Here are some things to leave behind, or at least to not use:

phone
temper
phone
watch
phone

True, there’s some safety in having a phone and watch with you. But you have to balance that with how tempting they are to use. If you can keep them in your bag except for emergencies, great.

But if you’re renting a cabin, and you’re just out to spend a little time on the trails around the gorge, consider leaving them back. I can say from experience that you’ll enjoy yourself a lot more if you can devote yourself to just walking around in the woods for a while.

Your kids will too.

How To Have The Best 4th Of July Of Your Life: Follow These 5 Tips

The New River Gorge is surrounded by small towns, and it’s perfect for the 4th of July. I came from a much bigger place, but a lot of the traditions are the same.

Back in the day I can remember weaving red, white and blue crape paper through the spokes of my bicycle.

A couple baseball cards taped strategically to the rear forks created the sounds of the motor as they slapped the passing spokes. And a couple of American flags attached to the handle bars.

It meant we were ready for the parade.

All the neighborhood kids got together and rode along with the parade as it went through town, displaying our patriotism and cheering on the veterans and others who marched. Back then I knew the definition of the holiday and why we celebrate it. But it wasn’t until much later that I would understand the true meaning, sacrifice, and perseverance that it represented.

The day always ended with a fireworks display of some kind. Some years it was a magnificent display with a grand finale that left us in awe. Other years it was a neighbor with some illegally imported fireworks that they set off in their back yard (sometimes I was the neighbor).

My favorite memories of the 4^th of July are when families got together and celebrated together. Kids running around the yard with sparklers (as a parent I would discourage this), marshmallows over a campfire, hotdogs and hamburgers on the grill. You know, the stereotypical 4^th of July that you’d see advertised most everywhere. Watching my daughter Alex when she was six or seven years old holding a sparkler, imitating the Statue of Liberty while singing the Star Spangled Banner, still makes me smile.

If you’re in our neck of the woods around the 4^th of July, these 5 tips will help you have the best ever.

Make sure you have family and friends around you that you like.
A hike in the Gorge is a great way to start the day.
Be sure to catch all of the festivities that Fayetteville has to offer.
Let the kids roast their own marshmallows
When you watch the fireworks, Ooooo and Ahhhhh as much as possible.

What else? What’s essential to your 4th of July?

Why River Guides Are Awesome A Former New River Raft Guide Speaks

My first spring here in West Virginia, I was training to be a whitewater raft guide in the New River Gorge. In March.

Right. It was cold. Unbelievably cold.

Right down there is where you'll find your guide.

A lot of our initial trips found us on the icy river with snow still on the banks and freezing air. I wondered to myself if I was crazy for being out here in those conditions. The verdict is still out. Kind of.

Now that I’m older and wiser I doubt that I would do it over again in the early spring. But any guides do this every year; they come to train or be trained as a guide here in the New River Gorge. One of the guides who trained us that year was Jeff “Tiny” Elliott. At first, I figured Tiny was crazy. Later, I realized it wasn’t just him. They’re all that way. It’s a good kind of crazy.

Tiny many of our trips that spring fun and he was able to teach me a lot about the river. He had guided all over and was well versed in hydrology. He made reading a river seem simple and interesting while at the same time making sure all was well with the entire team of trainers and trainees.

That’s what guides do. They’re not only here to provide a great experience for the guests, they also have to be aware of all that is going on on the ever changing river. They make sure that everyone pulls their own weight in the boat and take up the slack for those who can’t. All of this to ensure a safe and enjoyable trip on the river. River guides are often full of…what’s the word…lore…yeah, that’s it… and interesting facts about the area and what went on here in years past.

River guides are awesome. Think about it:

They know the river
They know their history
They know their flora and fauna
They are educated in first aid and some are EMT’s
Some of them can cook
They are responsible for hundreds of people each season

The list goes on and on. Try a raft trip on either the New or the Gauley River this year (we can help you out if you don’t know what trip to book). Quiz your guides, and you’ll be surprised at what they know. I know I always am.

Building The Perfect Cabin: A Love Story

What some people imagine when they hear "cabin in the woods".

For some reason, when you say “Cabin”, lots of people still think of the hunting camp. They imagine a stereotype of a cabin. You know, a moldy, dirty shack. Out house only. We still get people asking if we have running water. Even after they’ve seen our brochure or website.

I don’t get it.

That is not what we offer. Just sayin’.

Cabins 1 and 2 especially are “showcase cabins”. They’re over built for sure. From the ground up, we over did it. The question is, why?

We have a “grandfather clause” at Opossum Creek Retreat. That just means that, when we build a cabin or a table or whatever it is, we want to be able to show our grand children, and they can show theirs. It’s not the traditional meaning of “grandfather clause”, I know. But hey, being able to show generations what you built? That’s a good legacy.

Because the cabins are tucked in the woods, we didn’t want to dig a trench in the ground, cutting all the tree roots in the area. A tree is actually bigger underground than it is above. To minimize the impact of our

West Virginia Cabin rental Cabin 1 from outside

foundations, we dug small holes straight down to the bedrock, drilled into the rock, and tied the steal in the hole then poured cement. We still cut some roots, but only a fraction compared to standard perimeter foundations, and all the trees are still healthy.

These two were framed in conventional stick building style, with a lots of insulting and vapor barrier. All of the siding was sourced locally. We found a saw mill making pressure treated siding from poplar trees. We asked them if we were to buy enough, would they sell it to us before the pressure treating process (highly toxic arsenic)? They agreed, so we pulled a batch out of the production line and we hauled it home. We stained it with some nut oils, which was way nicer than arsenic pressure treated. It’s still in great shape, and should be for a long long time.

The interior trim is from the same mill. Poplar is not as knotty as aptly named knotty pine. It has all the shades and character. We tongue-and-grooved some of it, used it on the ceiling, and used some on the wall (not too much, I think). It’s still mostly drywall for that crisp, clean, this-is-not-a-hunting camp look.

The screened porch came from a different mill nearby. Back then, at the right time of year, mills cut hemlock for tobacco barns and that’s what we got in on. Beautiful golden hemlock wood, sawn post-and-beam with some

Timber frame screened pourch on Cabin rental 1

Japanese’s timber frame joints that one of our builders, Craig, did just for some style points.

You get the idea. A lot of thought and sweat and creativity went into these vacation cabins. You’re going to love them.

Your grand children will too.

5 Activities You Shouldn’t Miss With Your Kids In The New River Gorge

My daughter and I grew up together, here in the New River Gorge.

We have been exploring it since she was just a tot. We hunt, fish, hike, pretty much anything outdoors. Alex is in College now, but we still get out when we can (I’m looking forward to some time together this summer).

Any time you can spend together with your children is quality time. There is a lot to do still, and we’ll eventually get it all in. Eventually.

There are just way too many things to try and do, even on a short visit to the New River Gorge. Here are five things you shouldn’t miss with your kids while you’re here:

1.) Somehow, some way, you need to get on the river. Whether it’s a playful float on the upper New River or thrill filled “white” water excursion on the Lower, you’ll find the day exhilarating and full of great memories. I can remember Alex when she was just seven or eight years old, paddling around and singing “Just Around The River Bend” from Disney’s Pocahontas.

2.) Horseback riding is another don’t-miss experience, especially in Babcock State Park. Babcock Stables offers you a not so usual horseback ride as it is set in the pristine woods in and around the state park. There are high mountain vistas, and plenty of places to stop for a rest and enjoy the wild outdoors. Not your typical gravel road ride. Wildlife abound in the park, so chances are you’ll be seeing plenty during your ride. Years ago on a ride here Alex said, “This reminds me of the old pioneer days, Dad!”

3.) Hiking Long Point trail is a great way to spend an evening with the whole family. A short, moderate trail the ends in a breathtaking view of the Gorge from on high. 3.2 miles round trip and not too difficult, this one makes for another awesome memory-maker. You’ll want to allow enough time to sit and take it all in when you reach the rock outcropping that overlooks the Gorge. It gives you a totally different perspective of the Bridge. Great family trip.

4.) The Tree Tops Canopy Tour is another adventure we love. Zipping along in the hemlock forest ranging from 20 to over 100 feet off the forest floor is now our favorite way to explore the forest and woodlands. Looking down into a blooming magnolia blossom is something you don’t get to experience too often. Watching canopy dwelling bird behavior at eye level is another. Not to mention the thrill of the ride. One zip is over seven hundred feet long! Wow! We’ll be talking about zipping in our family for a long time.

5.) Summersville Lake and Plum Orchard Lake are both great spots for a canoe or kayak excursion. Spend the day playing on the water, casually floating and cruising the steep banks of Summersville Lake. Exploring the hidden pockets of Plum Orchard Lake will give you a perspective not found or seen from the banks. Get out there and show your kids what there is to see!