I am planning for my family to arrive in June. This is a true story and is happening as we speak. Okay, we are not technically speaking, but you know what I mean. Or did you?
That is the really challenge at the heart of a family reunion: communication. Even though everyone in my family speaks English as a first and only language, getting them all on the same page is like herding cats with a pressure washer. If you are lucky it is very exciting and rewarding for a brief moment, but the overall effort is usually futile.
Our fabulous Facebook group page
Here are a few things we are learning (this time around):
Practice makes perfect. We do not plan a family reunion on a regular basis and it shows. Those families that we see here at OCR who make an annual or biannual tradition out of it have the advantage. Expectations have been managed through repetition.
I hate to say this, but someone has to be the point person. This seems to work best if there can be several point people, actually. Food, Lodging, Group activities; all of this must be arranged. Ultimately, someone has to be large and in charge. Personally, I love chaos and mayhem, especially when they show up together! So for me not knowing who is cooking dinner and what it will be are not big questions. But others’ happiness depends on knowing every detail long before it happens, like what type napkins will be in the dinner roll baskets at each meal. So you’ve got to plan.
Knowing the differences that make people tick is helpful because it allows everyone to get the details they need. A Google doc spreadsheet is a great place for all this to evolve. Remember, not everyone will feel safe entering info in this format and you’ll need another method for them to get ideas out to the group.
Also, we are using a Facebook group page and it has been great. It makes for wonderful conversations taking place before the event even kicks off. Still, some folks will not bring certain things up until they confer with others in the group. This helps put things in place that may have otherwise been overlooked, such as who is driving Grama? Because last time she farted and ruined my new car seat…..
We all need to spend more time with those crazy people we are linked to by family ties. Reunions are the perfect way to do just that. But remember, planning is key
I will report back as we get closer to our own event and during said festivities. Until then remember: women are a bowl of spaghetti and men are waffles.
I did not listen to my own advice and paid the price. Literally.
You’ve heard us talk about spending your spring break here in West Virginia. And we now have absolute proof that it really is the best of all worlds. See, I went somewhere else for MY spring break.
That is correct; I am admitting here and now that we went to Florida for spring break.
Hypocritical, you say?
Old Florida
Possibly. But you know, I’m here year round. And now I know for sure that you just can’t beat a West Virginia vacation.
What you’re about to read is a funny recap of our trip to Florida. Well, it was funny if you were not living it. But If you are in the mood to laugh at my expense, then read on. If you want to skip to the moral of the story head then for the bottom (like some of my stuff did) of the page, do so, but check out the pictures along the way.
But I am getting ahead of myself.
Getting There
It has been a long-time dream of mine to pilot a houseboat on the intracoastal waterway and to catch a Tarpon.
So, we booked a 4 day/3 night bareboat (no crew, just you), 41’ long and 14’ wide houseboat departing from Fort Myers, Florida and touring the Pine Island Sound. Then the plan was to blast across Alligator Alley to Key Largo for a resort course in scuba diving, then work our way back home. Great, all-American plan for spring break, right?
I have always been a flexible traveler, so when my hometown college hockey team, the Bulldogs of Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, made it to the NCAA Division 1 Men’s Hockey finals in Tampa the same day we are driving through, we had to see the game. It was a great side trip and a fun way to start off the vacation.
The Houseboat, aka 'The Pig'
The morning of Easter Sunday was spent getting trained by Captain Bob on how to drive and use the houseboat. By noon we were checked out and on our own!
Hitting the Open Water
Let me tell you, driving a houseboat for the first time ever is stressful. It is like trying to steer a pig on ice by its tail. Add in the traffic of Easter Sunday and one of the craziest waterways on the planet (so crazy that on the charts it’s called the “Miserable Mile”), and it’s gripping. I am not saying it can’t be done. Just maybe that it wasn’t our smartest idea ever.
We slid to a stop in the first possible anchorage, Popcorn Bay, between million dollar crafts, and shut the damn thing off. Once we were on the hook (anchored) everything was much better. Some fishing, stand up paddling (thanks Mel!) a beer and dinner and the next thing you knew we are the only ones left in the bay! Peace and quiet made for a lovely first night (or so we thought). “Mom I don’t feel good!” Groans from the other bedroom. Fever, sore throat, weak, pale, STREP!
Fortunately Tylenol and sun bathing seemed to help the strep, so we ignored it. We decided for some reason to leave the safety of our harbor and expose ourselves to the rest of the “Miserable Mile”(and many more miles like it). Eventually, we ended up in Pelican Bay on Captiva Island with 30 or so sailboats. Again, once “on the hook” everything got so much better. We paddled over to the state park island and walked to the beach for swimming and a nap. Then back to the “pig” for fishing and dinner on the top deck.
SUP in Popcorn Bay
Why we left that spot I will never…oh yeah, the STREP! It was getting worse and we needed to get meds in this kid fast. I attempted to dock at the closest marina, but mostly just crashed into it. Meds in hand, we limped out of the fancy marina understanding why they said they did not have room for us. Back out to the open water, where the pig could run free, was better anyway.
Did I mention my dream about catching a Tarpon? On our last day with the pig, we decided to try our luck fishing for the Silver King. I found a likely spot and got everything set. It was high tide, slack tide, we were in a deep channel between the flats and the Gulf of Mexico. We saw Tarpon rising around us, and even had some promising bites! A guided boat was being pulled past us by the Tarpon they had on the line. They were so close that we could see the huge Silver King underwater. He even jumped a few times just to torture us. We waited and waited until we were out of bait.
So, I still have that dream of catching a Tarpon.
Second Leg of Our Journey
After saying goodbye to the pig we blasted across Alligator Alley to Key Largo and stayed in a funky old-style keys cabin called The Hungry Pelican. Next up was our scuba outing. A scuba resort course is when first timers start in a swimming pool and then do open water scuba diving. We dove at The John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. The whole day was wonderful, even though the strep kept one of us on the surface snorkeling.
Scuba Fun
We decided to break up the 16+ hour drive home by staying at Vero Beach in a great little “Old Florida” Hotel called Sea Spray Inn . We spent the afternoon and evening on the beach. Do you know what the red flag means? I will tell you; it means fat, old, white guys stay on beach and out of the waves! I got the stuffing beat out of me and broke a boogie board! The rest of the family had a blast.
The next morning we started off with a long walk on Vero Beach to say goodbye for now to Florida, then hopped back in the car to head north on the interstate. It also happened to be Saturday of spring break week, so we were driving with millions of our closest friends. You could not find a gas pump, let alone a restroom, without a line. We bailed off the interstate and went to lunch in Saint Augustine just to break up the day. When we got back to I-95 it was a parking lot, so we headed for the heartland, two-lane highways through the small towns of the deep south.
The Moral of the Story
So, let me break it all down for you:
6 days of driving 6 to 8 hours each. That is a work week in my world. We could have driven to Mexico! Gas for said driving, $320 plus.
Pig on ice (Houseboat)-$1900. Also requires driving, way harder than a car or anything I have ever driven before. Including livestock.
Fuel for boat – $220
Fishing gear, bait, etc. – $200 (maybe more but I have most of it still, except the bait)
Scuba – $800 (well worth it) full day of awesome!
Hockey tickets-$800 (really, really good seats)
Other Hotels Nights-$800
Total $5,000ish!
I dare say you can do a lot more for a lot less here in the Gorge.
A comparable budget would get your family of four a week in a Cabin and an adventure each day, like rafting, zip lines, fishing, rock climbing, hiking, biking, off-loading, and more.
Not counting food, because we eat when not on vacation too.
The Lesson
So hear me out:
I thought the boat would keep us from needing to hire a guide to catch fish. WRONG! We caught a few little ones and my wife landed the fish of the trip (a beautiful little shark).
I also thought it would be cheaper than a hotel or beach house. WRONG AGAIN! We could have stayed in great little “Old Florida” hotels and easily afforded a guide for three days of fishing for LESS than the PIG alone!
I did, however, fulfill a long time dream of mine. Just remember some dreams are better if they remain in dream state.
We had a good time, but it was expensive (more than expected), stressful, and my back hurts from all the driving both on and off the water.
Yes, I feel more than a little hypocritical, or as one of my kids said when younger, “hippo-cricket”. But now I know! And you have yet another reason to make a Gorge vacation a top destination on your list.
Need a reason to spend your spring break in West Virginia? Not much we can say that adds to this email from one of our guests (except that we are glad they’re coming back). Read on…
Hi Keith-
I don’t know if you remember us or not, but we rented a cabin from you at Thanksgiving. Our daughter goes to Marshall, and she wanted to stay in WV for Thanksgiving and not come back to Florida. Well, as it turns out, she would rather stay in WV for Spring Break as well! Imagine that- we live 30 minutes from the beach, and she would rather stay in WV 😉 Truth be told, we would rather GO to WV again.
We were thinking of going to Snowshoe, but the snow has been so sketchy. It seems we Floridians aren’t that good at snowboarding on ice, which is what I am afraid we are going to run into. And we have kids ranging from 4-19. I think the cabin would be best for everyone, since the little girls can play in the snow (if there is any) right outside, and the big kids can head to Winter Place to snowboard if they want to. We are split on what we want to do- everyone wants to go to Snowshoe (but the littles are too little to ski/snowboard), AND everyone wants to go back to the relaxing cabin where Mommy was in a good mood, they can eat home cooking, and everyone was entertained.
Steve and Wendi
This is not the first time guests have felt this way about their stay. Will you be spring breaking in West Virginia?
Hey there, It’s me, Keith from Opossum Creek Retreat. The Historic Fayette Theatre has been a big part of our winter/spring for quite some time. I haven’t been IN a production for the last two years, but still have managed to lend a hand in building sets etc. for the spring show. However, Geoff is enjoying time in the limelight this year, sharing the stage with BOTH of his kids, Erin and Cameron.
Geoff and Keith in Action
The bottom line is it’s a huge commitment. We take giving back to our community (in this case our community theater) very seriously and love to be involved. This is nothing new, and I’ve written about it before.
Last year we offered our guests tickets to the show; they loved it. So once again, this spring we’re offering our guests who would like to see the show (and trust us, you do), free tickets to a performance during your stay here at Opossum Creek Retreat. Mention this offer when you make your reservation and we will include tickets for your group during your stay. The show is playing several dates the last two weeks in March. There are plenty of great places to eat right within walking distance of the theatre, so make an evening of it and enjoy dinner and show!
The Wild, Wild, Wildest West
Warning: Shows are often SOLD OUT! The Spring show, produced by Millie Petersen and her hand picked crew, almost always sells out. It has grown in popularity so much that people come from all over to see these shows.
Past productions include Cinderella, Jack and the Giant, Oz, Way out West in a Dress, Doo Wop Wed Widing Hood, The Lady Pirates of Captain Bree (after my roll in this play, I was recognized 3 states away). All shows are family friendly.
This year’s production is “Wild Wild Wildest West”, directed by Sharon Bibb, produced by Millie Peterson, and featuring a talented cast. Best of all? See our own Geoff Heeter as “Snydly Dastardly”!
Recent guest Clinton Curtis wrote this blog post about his recent stay at Opossum Creek with his family.
Clinton and Megan
My wife and I created a ritual this year – coinciding with the Chinese New Year we would escape to a secluded location in the mountains with our two daughters to reflect on our lives and plan for the year ahead. Theoretically, we could have done this at home, but to retreat from our daily routines and familiar surroundings added energy and excitement to the process.
We rented a cabin at Opossum Creek Retreat where the stars pierce the ink black sky at night and the only distractions are the wildlife and the gurgling stream.
Fun in the Tub
To some, it may seem like a lot of effort to pack and drive to an offsite location for such an event, but many fortune 500 companies send their employees great distances for such ‘offsite’ meetings because of the unencumbered creativity that ensues. For us, however, the trip from our home to the woodland sanctuary of OCR is all of seven miles!
To describe this phenomenon we’ve borrowed the term ‘staycation’ from the 1970’s book Your Money or Your Life. Our staycation has been even better than expected. We have welcomed the Year of the Dragon in fine fashion, nestled in the tree branches of the eastern woods we love so much.
Our cabin exemplified simplicity and royalty simultaneously, and dipping into the hot tub in midwinter added an element of the mystical.
Our family found a wonderful harmony at OCR and a quiet ability to fulfill our goals. As I mentioned, we have created a ritual, and we plan to return to Opossum Creek Retreat in 2013 to bring in the Year of the Snake!
Take a quick peek at the map. What do you see? Or, more importantly, what don’t you see?
East Coast Light Pollution
While I love riddles and trick questions, this isn’t one. There is an explanation.
The image displays levels of light pollution on the East Coast. The brighter the color, you guessed it, the more light. You will notice there is a “hole”.
Take a look at cell phone coverage maps. There it is again.
Road maps? Yup, you guessed it, same thing.
We Are In a Hole…Sort of
Opossum Creek Retreat is on the south-western edge of the “hole” you see in the maps. We spend a lot of family time inside the void, for good reason. While the maps and images may lead you to believe there is nothing there, in fact, it is full of things to do and discover.
The Monongahela National Forest
West Virginia has plenty of public lands, more than 1.5 million acres, with The Monongahela National Forest taking-up close to a million acres alone. Just about anything you can think of to do outside, can be done within the Mon boundaries.
825 miles of trails
576 miles of trout stream
8 Wilderness areas encompassing almost 100,000 acres
75 different tree species exist in the forest
Elevation ranges from 1000′ – 4863′ above sea level
Nearby Favorite
Located about 45 minutes from our cabin rentals is ‘The Cranberry’. Near the National Forest’s southern boundary, a visit to The Cranberry is like venturing to another latitude. Literally.
Red Admiral Butterfly enjoying the late summer wild flowers in The Cranberry Backcountry
This area is the southernmost hold-out from the Great Ice Age of the Pleistocene. The result? It’s like going to the Canadian tundra, without a border crossing, or Loonies, or anyone ending sentences with “A”.
The plants and animals you might encounter along the Botanical Area boardwalk are from the great white north. Red Crossbills (a bird I have yet to see), Canada Warblers, Skunk Cabbage wild flowers and trees, are all normally only found much further north.
Bears & Scenic Drives
Black Bears are beautiful, graceful creatures. They are plentiful in and around The Cranberry, in fact we see one on almost every trip over. However, don’t let that stop you from making the trek, make it a reason to go!
Be sure to stop in the visitor center (a great one) for a map, some books, great exhibits and modern facilities. Then take a trip across the Highland Scenic Highway for a “Sunday Drive” to remember.
There is so much to do while you are in the “hole”, we couldn’t possibly share it all in one post. After your next trip, be sure to share the photos.
Yes, I have rental cabins in the New River Gorge. Also, I’m a dad.
Here’s some quotes from an exchange I had with my kids last week:
Climbing camp? Wait… you want me to pay so you can sleep in a tent just a few miles from home and climb?
@#$%$% You can do that in our back yard for free! Seriously. There’s a cliff right back there- go climb on it. You can sleep under the over hang were the neighbors used to keep the milk cow. And then you’ll still have time to get some chores done.
Now that I hear myself say it, I can see why he wants to go to camp again.
Let the fun begin for Teen Climbing Camp
Our son is a repeat at the camp only because he loved it enough to put up some of his own money to pay for it. Coming from a 12 year old boy, that’s an endorsement!
It’s too late to get your kids here for this year, butyou should start looking into it for next year. Stone cold (climbing pun) pros run the camp with years of experience and training. Both girls and boys of all ablity levels attend. The kids actually “camp” IE in a tent and make meals over a fire. They do have showers and bathrooms at the camp ground. Each day involves way more than climbing.
If you’re interested (and you should be) check out the camp’s web site and Rock your kids world (another climbing pun). You can also see lots of pics on their facebook page.
Okay, time to come clean: this is not a totally selfless pitch for the camp.
The idea is that, while your kids are at climbing camp you might want to enjoy some vacation time in our area, and stay at one of our cabins.
There. I didn’t want to have to spell it out like that, but doesn’t that sound like a great plan? Sunday afternoon, drop the kids off at camp and then go check into the cabin KID FREE.
Cameron helping counselor Leah and Kurt load safety gear
I don’t mean to sound over excited about it but, well, to me, that sounds exciting. Our own kids camps are all opposite weeks this year so we are not KID FREE at any point this summer. Can you believe it?!
I am going to have to work on that for next year. Even if you are not bringing your kids to climbing camp you might want to find time to get away KID FREE some time soon. Seriously. I know I do.
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.
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.
Don’t get me wrong; I love the games and the cheering and visiting with the other parents. Plus the kids need the exercise and really seem to get a big kick out of it. As a sport, I think it’s kind of awesome.
Finial game of U-12
But soccer sucks up the time. It eats away at valuable family vacation time that you could be spending in our cabin rentals in West Virginia. Which is, of course, where you should be spending time (I’m a little biased).
There. I said it. You could be relaxing in a rental cabin in West Virginia. Instead, you’re driving kids from practice to game to camp and back, eating up every weekend from March to mid June and Labor Day to Thanksgiving.
Let’s just say you have a little family vacation planned for a weekend of rafting and hiking in the New River Gorge National Park, and then your kids’ team wins two games in a row for the first time in years and bang you’re in the championship game on the weekend you booked your family cabin. It’s great, but at the same time, ARRRRGGGHHH!
I know I am being selfish. I want you and your families to come and stay with us. The Big Game is very important (I know: I have had the good fortune to have both my kids play in the finials several times). It’s a great experience for them.
Or is it?
Devoted fans in the rain
Most of the rest of the world teaches soccer to their children in a very different way. There are no teams. You just sign up and show up. Dads and Mom still volunteer to do the coaching there just aren’t any games no winners no LOSERS! No referees to yell at. Just skill building fun having no pressure drills of all kinds. Individual drills, group drills, ball handing, foot work, set plays, drills to learn the rules all are studied and practiced.
When they do go into a game situation or live scrimmage the coaches pick the teams and ref the action. This allows them to stop and start the game to point out key strategy and opportunities. The next practice may have more or less in the way of live scrimmage but they never have set teams or keep score until well into their teens.
Not to change the subject, but since it’s my blog, I can do whatever I want. WVU had a football coach named Don Nehlen. I didn’t really like his style, but he got us lot of W’s and a shot at the National Championship.
One day I heard him on the radio. He said something to this effect: “We should not be keeping score until college. Everyone should be practicing skills and drilling, and there’s too much emphasis placed on winning and losing. There’s not enough emphasis on skills sportsmanship and teamwork.
Pizza and ice cream help wash away the taste of Defeat
WOW! A coach of his caliber saying something so unAmerican?! No losers, no kids crying, no parents embarrassing themselves and their kids, yelling at the referees and coaches. No kids quitting because they never get on a “winning team”. We could eliminate those agonizing car rides home after a loss, and you would not have to miss the weekend getaway in the mountains of West Virginia. It’s win-win.
If we followed Coach Neilen’s advice, and the rest of the world’s example for youth sports, we’d be better off. Until then, we’ll see you after the championship.
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