Mommy's Blog: Take Me Home Country Roads

So, West Virginia? Turns out it's pretty nice.

As we loaded up our van for our THIRD big trip of the summer I thought to myself- am I maybe "traveled out"? Could that be possible? My motivation to drive 5 hours and sleep in a new place was low to say the least.

Then we hit the foothills of the Applachains, all green and rocks and waterfalls. Then we got to our lovely AirBnb, all full of our friends. And I was not "traveled out" after all. This little trip was the perfect mix of exploration and scenery and food and games and quality time with some of my favorite people, and I'm so grateful for all of it.

Car full of teens plus box of 50 snack bacgs of doritos = lots of crunching. We were so glad to take along Jack's friend Nolan, so that Jack would have someone to hang out with. Turns out Nolan is both well mannered and hilarious, so it was a win all around.

These three set up camp in the bunk room, complete with blanket forts and a floor absolutely covered in clothing and other items. Except for Lillian's area, which was neat as a pin. I love these three together, how they are like one unit, yet each so unique.

We warmed up to the the area with a short hike to view the New River Gorge bridge. Thought we might venture further down one of these very poorly marked trails to a waterfall, but it quickly devolved into sliding along muddy paths through overgrown rhododenrons so we went back to the house for walking tacos instead.

After dinner pool tournaments...

Also talking with these ladies. How lucky are we to have each other for all these years. I adore them.

If you were looking for Jack and Nolan in the house, chances were good you would find them here.

Night One game choice: Cards against Humanity. The adult version. Kids' choice, much to the adults' chagrin.

Do we record for posterity here on the blog the last card Naomi read that night, or is it seared sufficiently into our memories!?

Quality parenting at work... But they had so much fun being inappropriate and making their parents cringe!

Day two, morning adventure! Babcock State Park, a half hour from our place and apparently the "most photographed for calendars" mill and waterfall in America. We could see why.

Between the stream and mill and waterfalls and CCC-built shop and stairs and patios... it was a fairyland of dappled light.

Made a super quick stop at the National Park visitor center on the way home to get maps for the next day. Took in the view while we were there...

Then it was off to our big adventure- White Water Rafting on the New River! We went through the "TryWVA" company and they were everything we were looking for, complete with a super sketchy school bus ride to river and tough-as-nails, hilarious guides- and just enough danger and excitement for everyone to have fun. Class 4 rapids are our jam.

It couldn't have been a nicer day out, and despite being quite nervous in anticipation of the trip, I really enjoyed hitting those rapids. Much more than I expected to, actually! Looking around the boat in between rapids, seeing the smiling faces of all these people I love, shining in the glorious sunshine to a backdrop of green and water... Worth the price of admission to capture that one moment in my heart. When I told everyone as much, my friends and family mercilessly mocked me for being pre-emptively nostalgic, and I told them to deal because being sentimental is just who I am. :)

Warming up back at the house...

Taco night number 2! Yes, we had tacos every night. Walking, Shawarma, and some sort of all-day-cooked magnificence that I can't remember the name of but which definitely earned Kate's new beau Dave a place in our hearts.

Tried our hand at a new game- Ransom Notes. Fun but not quite for kids-- they didn't quite understand how to write to the prompts and Dave just kicked all of our patooties at it. So by popular demand it was back to Cards Against Humanity for the rest of the night.

Day 3: It's that time on the group vacation when Nat and Amanda get tired of waiting for everyone to do things and just run off on their own. We hiked the Endless Wall trail at NRGNP and it was so perfect. Easy hiking, little offshoot paths to explore at all the "climbing access" points, each offering a view that we thought was more incredible until we got to Diamond Point where it was utterly breathtaking.

Like, crazy-beautiful.

I could have stayed up on that cliff all day.

But we had shopping in Fayetteville to get to! :) What a cute little town. And what cute, tall, independent kids we have...They had such fun thrift shopping and buying alllll the bulk candy at Ben Franklin.

Our afternoon fun also included getting our van thermostat replaced. Because its not a vacation if we don't have an inconvenience to deal with. Gratitude for a nearby shop that could get it right in, and for good friends and multiple cars so we could get ferried around all day. Gratitude also that a trouble some bolt was able to be removed without taking out large parts that would take days to get in. We had the van back by 5pm and were able to join in on the swimming fun at Summersville Lake.

Next to Summersville Dam, the lake is a lovely resevoir of very clear water which reminded me a lot of the Guernsey resevoir (only with a lot more green).

Hey look! More hot tubbing! Our teens took full advantage of the amenities at this Airbnb!

Final morning photo shoot.

Had lunch at the Cathedral Cafe on our way out of town.

Can I just tell you how happy I am soe my dear friend look this content? It was great to meet Dave and welcome him into our extended Hiram family. He clearly treasures Kate, so we all approve.

West Virginia and the views! Hawk's Nest State Park delivered another.

And to finish off here in "almost heaven West Virgnia"- Cathedral Falls. Tucked about 50 feet off the road in a little niche in the mountain, this little spot was too perfect for words. The pictures do not do it justice nor do they show the 100's of yellow butterflies flitting about in the sunhiney greeness of it all.