family stuff Archives - Opossum Creek Retreat

They had me at…

They had me at Dangerous!

No, this is not really about our cabins, but some things are worth talking about, even if you won’t get any cabin bookings from it.

I really did not pay any attention to the planning, as I was going on this end-of-summer family trip regardless of what was happening. We head up with a group of 12— 6 adults and 6 kids. I am not the oldest in the group, but definitely the roundest. We have been adventuring together for 18 years. That makes it easier somehow.

Let me start by saying I have no fear of heights. In fact, I was one of the first kids to have a leash. Pretty sure someone saw my mom tie rope around me and clip the dog leash to me and turn the dog loose when we got out of the car at some overlook some where in the midwest in the early 60’s, and then they watched as I realized there was a cliff and ran for it, only to be yanked off my feet at the end of the line. They saw this, and the lightbulb went on. You can buy them online now days.

That happened a lot, I think: me dangling from the end of the dock in Canada, pissed that I did not hit the water some 20 feet below and over and over again until at some point (I do not know when), I stopped at the edge.

Looked first, then jumped. That’s when they took the leash off.

Once, much later, I sent a picture to my parents of me flying off a cliff with skis on. She asked I not do that anymore. Send the pictures, that is.

I still get the urge to jump even now, but something has changed. Kids of my own, I guess. Maybe my body remembers some of those landings, and deep in the subconscious, it says “lets talk this over” to that part that just wants to fly.

I climbed a little one summer when living in Estes Park, Colorado. So I was not concerned about the idea of climbing steep rock with hundreds of feet of exposure.

I was thinking about the “walk” to the rock. I could see it way up there.

As we started out after getting geared up, I was wondering why we were not taking the bus. WTF, walk up a road? If there is a road, and a bus??? Then it dawned on me: this is by design, to weed out the round ones like me. You better get a head start, I heard a voice say (I think it was in my head) a few minutes in. The rest of the group scampered past my head start, and then they disappeared around a bend in the road.

I was not alone, though. One of the guides, Justin, was keeping a close eye on me as I plodded up the hill to the base of West Fin of Nelson Rocks. I am sure he was guessing how long I would last.

He kept asking questions so I could not breathe. I had to talk and breathe and hike. DUDE! Please, I am sucking wind, here. Let’s chat latter!

This inquisition went on for some time as we left the road and started switching back on a trail. Then, as we came around a switchback in the trail, the whole group was standing there waiting for me, so they could start the safety speech.

Blah, blah, blah, “1 in 10 will not make it to the end.” What ? F…, we have 12. Who is not going to make it? Everyone looked at me. Did I mention it was hot and sticky? Even the skinny little shits where red-faced and sweating.

We stood looking straight up. I was so glad this was the last of the hiking and we could start climbing. If for no other reason than to get to the first evacuation point so I could bail!

Then I stepped onto the rock, and to my delight, the Via Ferrata was a breeze once I stepped up off the ground onto the rock. I was happy— inexplicably, positively giddy. The guide even stopped worrying about me and stayed back to coach others along.

I felt like a goat scampering around on the rungs and rocks. Wow, this is cool. Pretty and beautiful. What a view, and why have we not done this before? And how is this in the winter, when it’s not hot and sticky? I want to do it again, and we are not even all up off the ground and on the route yet.

I will save you the details. Suffice to say, you should go and try, even if you are one the people that takes the early out option. I did not made it all the way and loved it.

The part that really struck me is the attention to detail. It was exquisitely laid out, like a well crafted story. Ebs, flows, surprises, and did-not-see-that-coming and take-your-breath-away moments.

They said it took a special kind of crazy to lay out, come up with and pull off the idea of the Via Ferrata. I would like to meet him someday. And I am sure glad he is.

Countdown To … Nothing?

Stop the presses! The world will end on Dec. 21. We’re not taking reservations after the Mayan calendar expires in 17 days.

How are you spending your final 17? Wouldn’t it be quaint to spend the last few days of time as we know it holed up with your loved ones, cherishing each other and the natural beauty surrounding you? We’re all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it. In fact, it would be a downright shame if you weren’t able to visit us before the end of time.

That’s why we’re giving you a little help: $5 off for every night left on the Mayan calendar. Thank you for a great run, and be well in the time and space beyond the end of time!

To be honest, we’re not really sure what the physics of time after time will be. Maybe we’ll see (or otherwise perceive) you there? But we’re crossing our fingers you visit beforehand, just to be safe. Until then, enjoy the holiday season!

How I Fell in Love in September in West Virginia

I fell in love in West Virginia in September and you should too.

The year and the date are a little fuzzy, but I do remember the place. I traveled a lot back then. I had just rolled in from Montana, in the dark chased down a windy two-lane road by a coal truck. The next morning I hit some raft companies up for a job. Late in the day an owner of one of the companies was walking out the door when I pulled up. You a guide? Yes. Where from? Montana. Really, they have white water there? Catfish hired me on the spot, not for my river resume but “based on the collection of cassette tapes on your dashboard”. I was on the river the next day.

Yes, the Gauley River is everything it is made out to be!

The river I was ready for. The tall drink of water from UVA I was not.

But that is another love story. This particular story is about West Virginia’s New River Gorge National River and Gauley River National Recreation Area in the fall.

Why You Should Visit WV in September

September anywhere is a great month. It is fantastic here.

I must admit I had some preconceived prejudices about WV. Some of them were well deserved. Some were unfounded. But all add to the character that makes this place so wonderful.

My first year here, I had only two or three days of work per week and got to spend the rest of the time exploring, fishing, hiking, golfing, and biking. I thought this was a wonderful place to visit; lots of very high caliber activities. As everyone knows, the Gauley River is world class and that has not changed, never will.

What has changed (and is not so well-known) is that everything else is just as good.

Really! Just as good. I am not bragging (okay I am), but my passport looks like someone used it to test stamps at the factory. I have spent time in 46 of our states. This place, our place, The New River Gorge Area, what I now call home, has something really good for everyone. Well almost (don’t show up looking for carnival rides, t-shirt shops, and rubber tomahawks).

We even have more really good restaurants than you could get sick of in a year, let alone a weekend.

I am having a hard time separating these two love stories. You see, Catfish did another favor for me a few weeks into that first September. He introduced me to that tall drink of water from UVA, my future wife. I am forever grateful for both favors.

This September will mark 20 some years for these two loves. There is something here that you will love too. Come test my theory.

Bucket List: You Can Do it All Here in the New River Gorge

I took a quick look at all the fun stuff we did during our reunion. Here’s what I realized:

Some of the people in the group will never need to make a bucket list because they have done any and everything that pops up.
Others have slayed dragons so large and scary most of us could not comprehend them.
Others overcame fears that paralyzed them for years.

Your reunions may not be like this; however it sure makes for great dinner table conversation.

And so we begin the story of stuff our family did during our famial”ish” reunion.

The New River Gorge area became famous for white water rafting 30 some years ago, and it is still the mainstay of high adventure activities in the area. That said, we are just as famous for rock climbing. Mountain biking is growing in stature and recognition. Several ziplines have popped up in the past few years. You can skydive here and roll down a hill in a ball. Golf is all around us. Smallmouth bass fishing is world class. I am sure I am missing something, so let’s tell the story and see if we find it.

Dutch, who is one of the “ish” parts of the famial”ish” reunion, had actually made a bucket list. He has been tweaking it since retiring a few years back.

Dutch put 4 check marks on his bucket list in 5 days.

Zipline
White Water Rafting
Bridge Walk
SKY DIVING

He also golfed, visited historic sites, and was all-around up for anything, including passing initiation into the clan. He is welcome to come back.

Even more impressive, Aunt Chrissie checked one off her list. A Giant one. She is absolutely terrified of water. Like, won’t do dishes except in the dishwasher terrified! YES, she went Rafting!

Aunt Chrissi (on left) and Aunt Gay Gay with the littles.

I would not say she relaxed but she did calm down enough to look around take some pictures and really enjoy herself. I doubt she will ever do it again. And that is not the point; she did something so huge so scary and so far out of her comfort zone that she may never find her way back. And for that she should be very pleased and proud.

Yes, others slayed some dragons too. My Mom took a Biplane ride and did a Barrel Roll. Several folks with a fear of heights got up in the trees and had a blast on the zip line or went on the Bridge Walk.

Surprise! My Dad ambushed my Mom and son with a Bi-Plane ride. What a great idea and the both loved it.

Some people had just never had the opportunity to do some of the many adventures we have here. My little brother got to hop on a horse’s back for the first time and go for a ride.

Lots of people even did two different activities in one day. Rafting first thing in the morning gets you back about 2 or 3 PM, leaving plenty of time to get in nine holes or take a hike or bike ride or rappel or heaven forbid just kick back and relax. For some of us everything was new and different.

How cool is that?

It is not about how scared you are of the activity or how dangerous or expensive it is; instead it’s being open to a “NEW” experience, stepping out of your normal routine and trying something. Even if you don’t end up loving it, you will have something to talk about at dinner (and will have attained new heights in your mind’s eye and everyone else’s too).

We are here to help you slay some dragons! Big or small, let us help.

What did you cross off your bucket list when you visited the New River Gorge?

Consumed, Devoured, Hit by a Train, Chewed Up, Spit Out, and Left for Dead

And that was from the family reunion, not the “Derecho” storm!

About the derecho – we suffered no damage from the storm at the Cabins or our home. Our neighbors and friends were not so lucky. We were without power for 8 days, but everything is back to “normal”.

The family reunion was a huge success! Really, it was “Ossum”.

I had every intention of giving regular updates during the week of my Familial-ish reunion; what we were up to, how it was going , who liked what best and why.

But then reality set in: TOO MUCH FUN! We were too busy ‘reunioning’ for me to talk about it. So a month later, here goes.

All week people were movin’ and groovin’, making themselves happy doing any number of activities (we will talk about ALL the great activities in a future post). Hanging out with each other, getting away from each other, and even fixing stuff. Fixing is always more fun when you have help!

The single best part of the week (although I was not excited about it at first) was the daily group meal idea. It turned out great. We kept it simple. No one got over stressed (that I saw) about putting on the dog for 40 + people. And because we did not try to outdo each other with fancy dishes, serving standard fare, that made it all the better.

The first night we ordered pizza from Pies & Pints. WARNING: This is important!There are two phone numbers for two locations on the website; one is in Fayetteville (304-574-2200) only 10 minutes from the cabins. The other is in downtown Charleston, WV, over an hour away. Do not call the Charleston location and order 20 pizzas! Like we did.

Now, this could have been really bad. But fortunately, we are a lucky bunch. When the group standing at the bar in Fayetteville got blank stares when asking for 20 pizzas plus all the other good stuff, some brilliant detective work quickly revealed the order had been called into Charleston.

This is the lucky part: The Brits arrived at Yeager Airport in Charleston a few minutes before the pizza was coming out of the oven at the Charleston Pies & Pints, so we just swung by and loaded up. This makes me laugh and started the week off with a great “TOP THIS MESS UP” story.

For the rest of the week, family groups took turns satiating the masses from The Meadows Kitchen. Nothing fancy: frozen lasagna, chili, hamburgers and hot dogs, mexican grub, and leftovers made up the menu for the week.

Maybe the simplicity helped take some of the stress out of cooking for 40 people down a notch or two. The emphasis was on sharing a meal and some conversation with loved ones, and this was going on in abundance all week. It was magical.

It is a monumental task to organize a family reunion. Let us help you make yours as wonderful as ours was.

See you at the Cabins!

How Not To Have The Family Reunion From Hell: Part 2

Panic has set in.

The last-minute barrage of questions is in full frenzy.

This is not unusual behavior; it’s just that this time, the zeal my family is demonstrating at this point in the planning has caught me off guard. I don’t know why, because they do everything like this: OVERBOARD.

What you need to understand is that each event (no matter if it is a couple getting away for the weekend or a wedding for 100), has phases.

We're more like friends once you've stayed with us!

1. Inspiration

2. Research

3. Planning

4. Scheduling

5. Planning

6. Reservations

7. Planning

8. Packing

9. Forgetting all the planning

Then calling someone who might remember what was planned.

And then finally calling anyone you may have had contact with because, “OMG I cant find the map”!

This is an excerpt from an actual conversation about our reunion:

“I found the MAP”

“Good.”

“How do we get to where this map is? What State is this in?”

“West Virginia.”

“WEST VIRGINIA? HONEY YOU NEVER SAID WE WERE GOING TO WEST VIRGINIA! Does this place have running water?”

This illustrates that no matter how hard you try, some communication just doesn’t get out to the whole group.

Communication in all its forms is the cornerstone to a good event. Our family has had hundreds of communiques over the past months and addressed each issue more than once.

However in the excitement of the waning hours before departure the brain does weird stuff! People start blurting out questions before they even ask themselves if they might already know the answer. Grown adults become completely helpless and need someone to hold their hand while they decide what to pack.

Here at Opossum Creek, we answer these questions and go through all the phases for total strangers everyday. And then they are not strangers anymore. But if it’s your family you’re dealing with, then they just become ‘stranger’.

The strange people who are my family start arriving on Saturday. I half expect to wake up and they will be sleeping in their car in my yard a day early. It has happened before.

I will keep you posted as to how the chaos progresses and when Murphy shows up.

How Not to Have “The Family Reunion from HELL!”

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.

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.

“Hippo-Cricket”, or, My Florida Spring Break Adventure

By Geoff

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?

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 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.

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.

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.

Spring Break at Opossum Creek – Why It’s a Great Idea

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?