New River Gorge Archives - Page 2 of 6

Out of my comfort zone?

What is better than a costume party?

Sock Monkey. Guy in Tux. — Sock Monkey. Tuxedo. Both costume wins.

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!

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.

Out of my comfort zone?

No not at all. You?

We’ve Got That Old-Fashioned 4th Pride

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…

We have all that in Fayetteville, WV.

Bring Grama and the kids and do some recreation, some relaxing and some cabining.

We have all that at Opossum Creek.

We’re Your Free WV Wilderness Guides

Let us be your guide. (For free!)

Why should you put that kind of trust in us?

We have been guides, really, all over the world!

Geoff’s got guide experience in fishing, rafting and other adventures.

Okay, the whole world is stretching it, but a big chunk of the Western Hemisphere is accurate.

From Montana’s ice cold waters and rugged back country, to the Grand Canyon, to the southernmost reaches of South America on rivers dammed long ago, to that narrow waist of Central America. Yes, raft guiding was very good to me. There was some fly fishing guiding, and there were some pack trips on horseback that took me to places I am sure no one has ever set foot. Keith and his family have led trips to the high plateaus of Peru building schools.

And we choose to make The New River Gorge our home.

Now, we don’t guide anymore, but we know the area well, and we do love to share our knowledge. Take advantage of our free info and ask us some questions! All guides love the sound of their own voice.

We have some fun and informative videos on Youtube that will really help you plan your vacation. Tours of town, trails and restaurants, to name a few.

We also show how to tell temperature based on rhododendron leaves, if you like that kind of thing.

If you visit our website, you will see full-day itineraries for almost every situation.

Let’s just say you want help with some questions about certain activities or the best time of year to come bird watching or to Girls Club. Okay, maybe we are not Girls Club experts, but… well, yes we are. At least the planning part.

Call us. We are good guides.

And did we mention it’s FREE?

Want $100 Off Your Next Stay?

UPDATE, JULY 17, 2013: This promotion is now closed; we had a great response to our question. Thanks to everyone who provided feedback to us. We’ll be in touch!

Our first Boy Scout reservation!

YES! Direct economic impact. One of the groups helping run the 2013 Jamboree booked 2 cabins for their VIP’s. This is our first reservation related to the Boy Scouts Summit Betchel Reserve.

The event is just 4 weeks away.

This raises lots of questions in my mind. Not long ago, we would have people call and book (pay a downpayment) months, if not a year ahead of time. That time frame has been shrinking and shrinking to the point we have had large, multi-family groups call the same day and book for a week.

Yikes!

Bribe time.

I am hoping you can help us understand this phenomenon. If you are so inspired to answer any or all of these questions we have, or pose some of your own, we will happily give you $100 off your next stay at OCR.*

No fine print. $100 off.*

So this is the strange part: why did they wait until now, the very last minute, to make a reservation?

Okay, it’s not completely last minute; we have 4 weeks to go. But they had to take cabins that we had, not the ones they wanted. And, well, we just do not, not, not like not being able to give people what they want!

Has our society as a whole become last-minute planners? Are you?

Or might it be that you have done your research, and just do not pull the trigger on a reservation until the last minute because, well, who knows what might come up?

What would compel you to pull the trigger and confirm a reservation well in advance?

If a national organization that has been hands-on involved with the Jamboree for years waits to the last second, why shouldn’t you?

UPDATE, JULY 17, 2013: This promotion is now closed; we had an great response to our question.Thanks to everyone who provided feedback to us. We’ll be in touch!

Hitting the Halfway Point

Halfway.

We don’t do things that way. It’s just that we are halfway through the year. Sweet and sad at the same time.

It’s no wonder the Boy Scouts chose to set up here. Beautiful, wild and wonderful!

For the next few months, we are jamming! And for good reason: it is Ossum here in the summer.

If you have not made a summer trip to the New River Gorge, we still have a few holes in the calendar.

If you don’t like what we have to offer, you need your pulse checked. This area is rich with excitement and relaxing options side by side that you can’t normally find all in one place.

Our variety is so great, The Boy Scouts of America “bet it all” on Fayette County and the New River Gorge. If you have not heard, BSA has made us their new home for “the next 100 years,” Former Gov. and current US Sen. Joe Manchin was quoted as saying, “This will be a billion-dollar project.” The BSA has said they are going to spend $400,000,000.00 (That is so cool, typing all those zeros).

The contractors I have talked to have say we have been tasked with building “best in class” on every project. That means best bike trail in the world, best shooting sports venue in the world! We already have best rafting and climbing.

Whatever they are building has to be the very best, and this is thrilling, especially if they allow the public to use these fantastic facilities when the Jamboree is not in town.

2013 is the first run for the National Jamboree here in Fayette County, WV, on the Bechtel Summit, and The Scouts will be here in numbers too big to ignore in a few weeks.

No one knows what the Jamboree will mean to our area or Opossum Creek Retreat as a business. We hope it will be a big positive.

They punched the ticket; now all we can do is take the ride. Hope it’s best in class.

A Big Thank You to All Who Were Part of the New River Birding and Nature Festival

We love to make our guests cry.

Wow, what a week! So much fun, so much hard work, so many people to thank.

Opossum Creek Retreat is the happy home of The New River Birding and Nature Festival.

For one week a year we entertain about 100 people a day, feeding them, taking them on birding and nature field trips, showing off our guides’ amazing talents with popcorn talks, evening presentations, and according to the participants, having lots of fun.

The Festival is one of our favorite times of year.

Here at OCR, we know “we” is a big word. The gargantuan “we” that makes this event happen behind the scenes are OSSUM!

From the breakfast at Burnwood in the AM to the lunches in the field (made with love by the early-rising ladies in the deli at Foodland) to the ACE adventures super-safe bus drivers that make it possible to criss-cross the New River Gorge Region as a group. Sharon, Cindy and the staff at the CVB put up with a lot over the course of the year. Pastor Ray Crook and the ladies of the ramps who feed a few lucky trips each year at the Danese Community Center.

Sherri at the NPS patiently reminds me, then re-answers the same questions I had last year as we fill out the National Park Service permit forms.

Spouses and friends all contribute in their own way, from jumping in and volunteering to stitching names on hats or keeping the home fires burning while we immerse ourselves in the week.

The landowners like Dave Ross of Dave’s Exxon who allows us to traipse onto his family’s fields and revel in the unexplainable song of the Bobolink.

I am surely missing some, like a bird I forgot to mention in all the excitement, but they are no less appreciated.

We’ve seen the birds countless times. What is amazing is when one of our guests, world famous authors, or guides sees the birds for the first time. At that moment everyone in the group can feel the wonder, awe and emotion wash over us. “We” all feel the joy.

Tears of joy are far too rare in this world. Those feelings are why we do this event.

Thank you to all our past and future guests. We are honored to share this festival with you.

I am not crying.

Events at Oppossum Creek Retreat & New River Gorge

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.

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!

Weddings at Opossum Creek – We Love This Stuff!

Set up for a celebration at The Meadows with loved ones.

Aw! The first wedding of the year just took place at Opossum Creek!

The seasons fade in and out, and lovers keep joining us to bind their lives together at Opossum Creek Retreat.

What’s the allure of OCR (other than the picturesque perfection)?

Exchanging vows here is something special. Each ceremony reflects the unique bond of the couple professing their “I do’s.” And we make creating your elaborate moment simple. We LOVE helping people get hitched!

Step 1 is choosing a venue. You need: a breathtaking ceremony location, a place to party down for the reception, and comfortable lodging for guests. Lucky for us, we have all three at Opossum Creek Retreat.

Most of our weddings prefer our DIY (do it yourself) package, which includes: up to three nights in the Meadows cabin (depending on the season), outdoor tables and chairs, a 20×40 tent, outdoor restroom facilities, and some fresh flowers to spruce up outside and around the cabin.

But we’ve got more options, and we’re more than happy to help you tie your knot, your bow, your tie, whatever makes your vows your moment to enjoy.

We are happy to do everything except fitting the dresses.

(And, hey, we’ll help find you someone for that, too. We know people.)

Yoga Retreat Returns to Opossum Creek Retreat in 2013

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.

Are you?