No, it is not a hoax. I got that question many times over the past week or so. I guess it sounds too good to be true. It is true, though.
Just a couple thank you notes from Veterans who stayed free with us this weekend:
“Thanks so much for the ‘Free Veterans Stay’ at Opossum Creek Retreat!!! We had a wonderful and relaxing time! The cabin was so cozy and clean! The view from the hot tub was amazing!!! What a wonderful way to honor those who have served our country!!!! Thanks again!!!!”
-Sherry H.
“My heartfelt thanks to Keith and Geoff and Co. for my free stay in cabin 3 Veteran’s Day, Nov 10-12, 2013. Very nice accommodations. Will return. Took a drive to see The Farmhouse. It would be fun to take a bunch of us down there to stay and ride the area.”
-Brian B.
We gave away our entire inventory for a 4-day period. Thirteen Veterans and their loved ones got free stays over the 2013 Veterans Day holiday weekend.
That’s correct; we did not give a free cup of coffee when you bought an $8 breakfast. We bought the whole breakfast, and the coffee.
Maybe this is an unsustainable model, and that is why all the big chains only hand out a token thanks of free pancakes or what have you. Maybe next time we should give away free cabins with no furniture in them, or have the power and water off with a sign saying you have to pay extra for those.
Well, we won’t do it that way.
Meet in the middle at OCR, near all these major East Coast locations.
The free Veterans Day deal will be back again next year. And more of our favorite holidays, Thanksgiving and Christmas, are just around the corner.
We’re smack dab in the middle of the East Coast, so the whole family can gather here easily. Vets, if you want to treat your family to a holiday getaway at OCR, please use our 10% veteran discount. The deal is annual, but we offer the discount year-round.
If you missed out on the free cabin this year because we were full, be sure to like our Facebook page and sign up for our newsletter to get the first crack at next year’s Veterans Day Free Stay offer.
Shutdown be damned! Bridge day is really happening anyway.
BASE Jumping is still on for Bridge Day, despite Government Shutdown.
It’s Official. “We will have Bridge Day even if the government is shut down,” said Sharon Cruikshank of the Fayette County Chamber of Commerce.
Yes, it will be a little different, but who will notice? My guess is no one. All the security and traffic control supplied by the State Highway Patrol will be in place, and everything is going to run smooth as silk.
Will we see fewer park Rangers? They are designated as essential, so they will be there.
The crew from New River Jetboats will be leading the team picking the jumpers out of the river— one of my favorite parts. The Ossum food vendors will be there.
We will be there, and we hope you will be here, too.
Everything except the world-famous Visitor Centers are open now. This park does not have a gate, so we are free to enjoy our lands, and the weather has been beyond perfect for fall fun.
No, really, it is hard to make a party any better than starting with costumes and dressing up. It’s like Halloween in June.
But there are a few things that really made this day in one of America’s “Coolest Small Towns” even better.
Start with a town full of happy people. (Back in the day I could have used the word “gay” in place of happy, but it has been taken over to mean other things.)
Add: puppies!
So many Sock Monkeys!
Add: a WWII Biplane. A giant Sock Monkey and some dude in a tux.
Add: lots of kids, Kids are shameless when it comes to putting on a costume. When do we lose that?
Add: a skydiver.
Add: a film crew. You are going to want to share the fantastic images later.
Add: perfect weather.
Add: some bikes, trikes, roller blades,longboards, and anything else that moves
Add: more Sock Monkeys.
Next, have everyone run around a lot, laughing, smiling, screaming, and yelling. Then…
Dance! Dance in the streets while the police block traffic for you! You will have to watch the video for this part.
What a great way to spend the afternoon. It reminds me what a lucky bunch we are. Humans, that is.
They had me at food vendors. Plus sampler-size versions of most of the activities, lots of logo gear, a concert Saturday and a huge fireworks show!
Ziplining will be one of the activities visitors can try during the Jamboree.
Besides, my Grampa B was a big-time scouter, and my Uncle Scott is an Eagle Scout. I think they would like it if I went. I was a scout, too, but I do not still fit in my uniform.
Just so you know, the Boy Scouts of America had to win me over to try again. I was really uninspired after the drive through that I tortured the family with a few weeks back.
The Summit let a bunch (1,200 cars) drive through for a tour. The line stretched forever— bumper to bumper traffic. It took us 4 hours to drive through. There was virtually no explanation of what you were looking at. What you could see was not finished, and, frankly, the place looked like a bomb site. My cousin Katie said, “Are they studying Mud?”
Don’t get me wrong. I have been cheerleading for this from the start.
I am sure it will look very different in a few days when they open the gates on the 2013 National Jamboree. I know how things tend to come together at the last minute, having had that phenomenon play out with every cabin we built. Deadlines work.
That said, I really want to see how it will be different on game day. What we learned after the first tour is much of the “under construction” stuff is not scheduled to be ready for this Jamboree. I am sure they got more grass to sprout and cover up the mud.
I am betting that the pain of the last trip has been forgotten by my teenage son, and I can dupe him into making a day of it, and even talk a couple of his buddies into joining us. My wife will not be swayed, and our daughter is out of town at camp. The boys and I will sample as much stuff as they will let us, eat “fair food,” and maybe stay for the concert and fireworks. That sounds like a great day.
We are definitely thrilled about one aspect of the Jamboree: the scouts will be doing “the largest service project ever undertaken” while they are here. Service work is good stuff. We do it, and we love the idea that a lot of good work will be done through the service projects. Wolf Creek Park will get some love from a few troops. We actually helped develop the programing by volunteering ourselves, and will be there again when they show up to cut trail and build boardwalk.
We have been invested in this event from the beginning and are cheering and helping to make it a success.
I will be there with bells on as a volunteer and a visitor. From these viewpoints, I will see firsthand how OSSUM it is, and fill you in.
Back in the day, 4th of July was a stay-at-home holiday. Most families did not travel. That’s why we think of the hometown, American-feel Main Street parade when we think of July 4th. All those cliches are true, and give us a warm and fuzzy feeling about our nation’s birthday celebration.
Celebrate America and the values of the good old days
As well they should!
Today, our summer vacation schedule is compressed into 6 weeks: Mid-June to the end of July. That’s down from Memorial Day to Labor Day in the good old days, when there was a good solid 12 weeks of Summer.
There are lots of reasons why the summer has been smooshed, but let’s save that for another time and just say that if you still want that hometown feel while you’re traveling over the July 4th holiday…
Bang! Like getting shot out of a cannon! (On my bucket list, by the way.) That’s how we start our season.
The New River Birding and Nature Festival (April 29- May 4) is our Daytona 500. Yes, I just referenced NASCAR in the same sentence as a nature festival. We like doing it this way; it’s like getting smelling salts when you are a little groggy from that long winter’s nap.
Why is this festival such a big deal here at OCR? We love getting together with people who appreciate our woodland home in the Gorge as much as we do. So much so that we provide a daily dinner and nature presentation, which is included in the festival registration. Major media contributors, distinguished authors and nature educators will share their expertise over a delicious homestyle meal.
And just after the New River Birding & Nature Festival, climbers will converge in town for The New River Rendezvous (May 16-19), one of the East Coast’s most loved rock climbing get togethers. Newbies and experts alike will be here sharpening their skills, sharing their tips and taking on the Gorge’s diverse sandstone cliff faces.
This is their 10th event (Rendezvous X), and the VIPs have been staying here with us at OCR since the beginning.
Our New Wedding Pavilion
We have lots of other Big Events planned. We have already had two couples share their vows here, and the new Wedding Pavilion in the backyard of The Meadows is going to make even more couples really happy this season.
The Boy Scouts are coming in for the first-ever Jamboree at their new home, The Bechtel Summit, in July. Scouts from all across the globe will be flooding in to adventure through the Gorge and lend a hand with community service projects.
We also have some family reunions and corporate retreats on the calendar as we roll into summer. Never a dull moment!
But even with all of this going on, we still have some great weekends available for people to tie the knot, have a reunion, or just sneak away to a cabin in the woods.
Has your year started off with a bang, too? Hope it’s been as good as ours!
Yoga is not for everyone; neither is Opossum Creek Retreat. And I don’t think they should be.
The local Yogis here in the New River Gorge and from Kula Yoga Studio in beautiful downtown Fayetteville are really excited about having another yoga retreat at Opossum Creek. It has been a long time in between. Too long, in fact.
This weekend has some big things going for it. A famous name, Todd Norian, and a fancy title, “stepping into the current of grace”, both make me nervous. So does going into Walmart at the first of the month and I still do it.
If I can do yoga, you can too.
I am also nervous about doing yoga Friday night, all day Saturday, and again on Sunday. That will be more mat time than I usually do in two months. “Baba Ranboyd”, my yoga teacher, laughs when I tell him this. “You’re ready, you will be fine”, he says. Knowing that there are going to be some Ossum yoga practitioners attending from near and far, raising everyone’s level to new heights and inspiring the rest of us. This helps put me at ease.
So if you are a middle-aged, overweight, sometimes yoga person like me, or a yoga guru like Erin Larson, join us at Opossum Creek Retreat for what will be a very special weekend. (This is a big confession you know, not that I am middle age and overweight, but that I do yoga). So if I can come out in public and say this, you can surely find the courage to join us.
Starting at $245 pp. Two people have told me this is a great price! The first person to book and an old buddy from out west who emailed to ask “Is that $245 for 2 nights and the yoga? That’s a pretty good deal.”
We already have some folks brave enough to trek to wild and wonderful West Virginia from near and far for a Yoga weekend.
Too slow. Yep they got me. I will be helping the Chamber of Commerce again this year and be in the thick of it all. See our recent immersion or aversion blog and you will get how hard this is for me.
The fun part is while I am volunteering for the greater good, I will be reporting to you from the Bridge Day Festival Event Live. Do you have any requests of something you would like to see or have me do this year?
The weather looks good for this weekend’s Bridge Day Festival and the trees are proving me wrong, again, by putting on a great color show.
Here’s what we’ve learned: there are people who are all about Bridge Day, and then there are people (like Geoff) who’d rather avoid it altogether.
Which one are you?
Either way, we’ve got the skinny on what you can do if you’re here during Bridge Day.
Full Immersion
We have a secret or two for you if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t want to miss a minute of that Bridge Day excitement. Here’s your itinerary:
Right Now: Reserve your spot on one of the Bridge Day shuttles that take you under the Bridge to watch the action from below. Into the Gorge Shuttleswill take you under the Bridge for $20. You do need a reservation.
BASE Jumping on Bridge Day
Friday, October 19: Go to Taste of Bridge Day at Adventures on the Gorge. It’s truly a wonderful atmosphere with a world class sunset. Here, you’ll get to try sample plates from area restaurants and rub elbows with other Bridge Day faithful.
Saturday, October 20: This is the Big Day! Here’s what you want to do:
Get up early. As in, no later than 7am. Have breakfast in your cabin.
Between 8 and 8:30, head towards the Bridge. There are many ways to get there, but if you plan to drive, be prepared for a possibly longish walk from your car to the event entrance.
The gates open at 9am. Your first stop should be at the Official Bridge Day Booth, where you can pick up souvenirs like the official Bridge Day t-shirt and poster. These items have sold out the past couple of years, so get them first.
Take a walk towards the Bridge and check out all of the cool vendors lining the path. Stop for coffee and a funnel cake (no, it’s not too early).
Make your way to the jump platform and check out the BASE jumpers parachuting towards the river. You might even catch a glimpse of one of the catapult jumps, which are new for this year. Yes, we said catapult.
Catch your shuttle to head under the Bridge. You’re going to want to spend some time watching the action from this vantage point. A very cool experience that every Bridge Day fan should have at least once.
Head out of the Gorge and back up on top of the Bridge. Check out more vendors, or go into the town of Fayetteville. They are hosting a Chili Cookoff, a car show, live music, and more during and after Bridge Day.
Sunday, October 21: Grab the last ride on the Gauley River for the year. Rest up and head home.
Full Aversion
Your version of Fear Factor is negotiating a huge crowd and eating funnel cakes while walking on concrete all day and watching people jump of a bridge. Are you and Geoff twins?
Yes, you’d rather avoid the Bridge Day crowds. You’ve been there, done that.You’re looking for a different kind of adventure this weekend.
Now, your ‘aversion’ can be as simple as ‘stay at the cabin’. Check in and don’t leave the cabin until you check out on Sunday. But if the thought of that gives you cabin fever, we’ve got some suggestions.
Babcock Grist Mill
Friday, October 19: Get to town and head straight to Fayetteville for dinner. You’ve got a ton of choices: Pies & Pints, Gumbos, Diogi’s, Secret Sandwich Society, The Vandalian, Dirty Ernie’s. End the evening in the hot tub or lounging by the fireplace.
Saturday, October 20: Get up early and head out for your rafting trip. Hit the New River and catch the fall leaves from the water. Coolest part? Your trip might end right under the New River Gorge Bridge. So yes, you could potentially float right past all of the Bridge Day excitement.
or
Skip the Bridge Day crowds and head north for Babcock State Park. It is close by, won’t be crowded, and is Ossum. Photos of the park’s iconic Grist Mill grace the pages and walls of publications and homes across the world. (Seriously, we know someone who spotted a Babcock Grist Mill photo hanging in their hotel room in Scotland). Check out the mill, take a hike or horseback ride, and then stop for lunch.
Next make your way to Richwood for lunch or just dessert and coffee at a little hole in the wall called Mumsy’s Iron Skillet. It is not to be driven past. In either direction. After lunch, you could head further north to Cranberry Glades. These bogs and wetlands are perfect for hiking, nature-spotting, and autumn leaf viewing.
We’re not the only ones who know how amazing fall in the New River Gorge is – National Geographic thinks so too.
So there you go – your Bridge Day itinerary. Whether you actually go to the Bridge or not.
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