Left on a short vacation last week, Thursday through Sunday, just to get some R&R before the new semester starts.
We went to a wonderful state park in West Virginia called
Pipestem. The first night we spent camping, then the next two nights in a lodge at the bottom of a river canyon - the only access to the lodge was via an aerial tram (imported from Switzerland apparently). Photos of course can be found in the
gallery.
It all started with us arriving at the last minute thursday night, just barely getting into the park before the gates were closed. We set up camp, built a nice campfire, and had a couple beers before it started raining and we retired to the tent. Next morning the rain stopped long enough for us to cook up a nice breakfast and break camp, but then it rained like cats and dogs.
We explored the park, went down to our room at the lodge, and went on a rainy 3-mile hike. those who know me will be surprised to hear I actually had a great time walking in the rain (my head was covered though!) When we got back to the lodge, we cleaned up and went down to the extra-fancy restaurant and ate a great meal, probably took us two hours, watching the storm out the window the whole time.
Next day was better weather and we went horseback riding for an hour, and there was also time for a golf lesson, and we cooked out in front of our room some tacos on my MSR stove...
Sunday we played the par-3 course before heading back home. Great time.
Everything about Thomas the train is fun for both Ashley and Andrew. Here we are inside a giant tent-like thing that is shaped like Thomas the train. I learned the names of all the Thomas train cars and engines and watched several Thomas movies. Apparently among the many 38 year-olds that were sampled, I am an expert.
It is important to view the world from the height of the dog to appreciate kid-sized gear and accessories.
