Being honest, would you take time to spend a holiday vacation with just your immediate family? You know, the ones who live under the same roof?
“Just the nut jobs we see every day!” These are mine. -Geoff.
Yeah, I mean not the WHOLE family, just the everyday ones. I know the holidays are family time, but does it have to be all of them, every time?
Let me just take a risk for all of us and say NO! Love ya, mean it, do not want to spend the holidays with “y’all” or better said, “ALL y’all.” I know; I am evil. I just hurt someone’s feelings, and the ones who are most hurt are the people who secretly agree with me the strongest.
They may even be a little jealous that they did not come out with it first.
I am not trying to get out of Family Vacation with the WHOLE family, just saying we should not feel guilty for reserving some time just for us.
Even if just for a few days, away from the normal routine, but with the nut jobs we see everyday.
Yep, they are crazy ,but they are family and we love them. And in the right environment, without the day-to-day grind to weigh us down, they are so Ossum to be with.
Of course, there’s nothing wrong with a whole family holiday. Here’s a family Skyping a loved one in Afghanistan.
Our guests always rank cleanliness at the very top of the scale on the exit surveys— something we are very proud of and work hard to ensure. Actually, now that I add them up, it is easily the highest-rated category. Looks like we need to work on signs, and we don’t answer the phone or respond to emails fast enough. (Why is everyone looking at me?)
So it was not a surprise to see this in the mail, and though it is not the first time, I had to take a pic and show it off.
Think this is big water? You haven’t seen anything yet! 2013’s Gauley rapids will swell higher than ever before!
Don’t get me wrong, this Gauley River rafting season is going to be epic. More water than ever scheduled before. (You see, they have released this much and more, but they have never told us when it was going to happen.) So now that we can plan for it, you should, too.
Okay, as you can see in the wonderful newsletter from or CVB (Convention and Visitor Bureau, the folks responsible for making good use of half of the 12% tax we have to charge you when you book any lodging), that all the raft companies are very excited about the extra H2O, as well they should be.
This is how we make your life better: we will give you the inside scoop on all the other great stuff to do while you are here for this epic, never seen before Whitewater Wonderland!
We have some links to our great itineraries, but for the hardcore goining-to-raft-all-day-everyday guest, this is for you:
Save the boozing it up for the end of the trip. Like, the last night. Countless guide stories about the guy with the hangover…
Use the hot tub to loosen up those paddling muscles.
Have the fridge stocked with easy-to-make meals (i.e., grill it!)
Day two or three, schedule a day off and have our message team come work you over.
Go for a hike or bike ride to get the lower body in the game.
Make it a progression. Don’t start out with a Double Upper Gauley trip.
Start on the Lower Gualey at normal flow on a Sunday, hit the upper on Monday, and then do the Lower river on these dates:
Sept 17, 24 and Oct 1
Rest for a day and see massage team
Bike for a day, then repeat
Of course, you will have to win the lottery or quit your job, but this is going to be EPIC, and may never happen again!
Of course, we have special rates to help if you do not win said lottery or do quit your job.
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.
Scaling the Walls of the Via Ferrata
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!
Swinging Bridge during the climb
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.
Finish books (a woman stayed in cabin 3 writing for a month because she was “on a roll”.)
Paint.
Painting done during a stay at OCR
Get married.
Get inspired to get married.
Get inspired to stay married! (Maybe not in that order.)
Read books.
Draw.
Fall in love.
Forgive a loved one.
Explore, outside and in.
We talk about relaxing all the time.
These are the kinds of things people experience once they do relax.
All of these are stories we have heard from our guests, who have written in the guest books or in a note on the comment card. Some even have gone to the trouble to send us a thank-you letter. We are humbled and thrilled that you think of us this way.
Puddles. I hope this is my nickname in my old age.
I was talking to a guest and he was going on about what a great area the Gorge is, how much he liked the cabins, how private and peaceful it was, and how great restaurants in Fayetteville were. And then he asked, “Why don’t you fix the road?”
I knew immediately what he was talking about. You see, we have a long driveway, not really a road so much. It’s not a great road. It is really not even a great driveway.
I would like to see a strip of grass down the middle making it more of a two-track from my childhood, but… fix it? No WAY! Those puddles are staying!
Cities and fancy resorts and gated communities— these kinds of places have speed bumps. We have Speed PUDDLES! Yep, speed puddles. Some call them chuck holes or potholes or any number of endearing terms, but to us, they are speed puddles.
Speed Puddles
They don’t have much affect on humans.
This one had a life of it’s own so we had to fill it in.
These are our style.
The straight away has lots of speed puddles to remind you to relax.
You see it is a one-lane gravel driveway, not a road. And if you are going too fast, you will miss something you don’t want to miss. I mean, you do want to miss the puddles, and you can work around them if you slow down enough. And you don’t want to miss all the cool things we have seen on the driveway.
Slow down, look around and relax. The mud will wash off.
Besides, they are a good weather gauge: if the puddles are dry we need rain. They have not been dry too much this year.
Come check out our speed puddles and slow down a little. You will like it.
The BSA Summit is very “Disney-esque.” Very well organized; everyone knows what to do when. Amazing design, wonderfully constructed with attention to detail.
Yes, they are still studying mud.
I heard not one complaint about the mud. But there is lots of it.
But the Tree House is perfect. What an amazing piece of work! Every school kid in Fayette County needs to spend the day in it. Or better yet, every school kid in the region. Heck, the country. This is a truly world-class learning environment.
The Summit’s Tree House
I would like a tour just to tell me about the bridge. The giant swinging bridge. Whoever thought this up was tripping for sure, and wow, is it OSSUM!
There are not many straight lines, and that is really cool. Even when they could go in a straight line, they did not, and man does it pay off in the overall feel of the place.
Could they do things better? Like have a lot more trash cans? And with every trash can a recycling bin? This is a big disconnect from the message that is so perfectly delivered in the Tree House.
Of course, “It will be better next time.”
But we saw so many happy faces, you had to smile along with them. From the fat old white guys in their scout outfits huffing up the hills talking about the wonders their troops had seen and experienced, to the solo young lady in her Venturer’s uniform from some foreign land studying every detail of the Tree House exhibit. I imagine her taking the idea back to her homeland and building something like it.
Geoff and his favorite part of the Summit!
The happy young locals laughed with the Scouts as they sold ice cream and lemonade from under little umbrellas, feeling the weight of the cash in their pockets and the newfound understanding that the Scouts are a lot like us.
Yes, business was slow for us, and all the other businesses I have talked to. Maybe that will change for the next one. Maybe we will see residual positive business from this long-term.
The most fantastic part, one way or another, no matter how distant or disjointed the connection between you and our visitors to the Summit is, this event changed people’s lives, because they came here to our WV.
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.
I don’t want to mow these beauties!Another reason why I hate to mow…
I hate to mow! Especially hate it in the spring when all the pretty flowers are coming up. Only two of the cabins really have yards; The Meadows and The Farm House. All the others are in the woods.
Freshly mowed, and saved some flowers
But even with just two yards, we still have to mow.
The Farm House has rich bottom land and a lush yard that requires constant mowing or it will quickly become a jungle. Good thing it is a small, oddly-shaped yard.
The Meadows is another beast entirely. We have worked very hard to get grass to grow on the hard clay ground there, and now it does. Too well sometimes. There are several acres of grass to cut, hence the name The Meadows. The old garden spot is truly a meadow at this point, and we have never mowed it.
It’s not that we don’t appreciate nicely mowed grounds, especially if there’s a tee box and green on either end of it. Those long, even, alternating stripes are beautiful and hold such promise and challenge.
But we don’t have the patience to make our yards look like a golf course. After all, these are cabins in the woods in the country. So, just keep this in mind, and don’t be surprised if the grass is a little tall and the flowers a little taller when you show up for your cabin vacation.
See you soon?
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