28 September 2022, Wednesday
On to Pennsylvania:
We leave Cedar Haven by 7:30 in order to get to Standard Baking Co. in Portland when they open. I buy 2 multigrain miches, 2 whole wheat sourdough loaves, 2 baguettes and some pastries for the next few days’ breakfasts. We stop at a rest area about 20 minutes south so we can enjoy today’s scones while sitting still.
We arrive at Nockamixon State Park in Upper Bucks County PA without difficulty. Finding the cabin area is a bit more difficult. It’s on the opposite side of the park from the main facilities. We must exit the park and drive around the long lake to get to the cabins. We still manage to arrive before dark.
Our cabin, #2, is just that – a cabin and nothing else. Well, there is a kitchen and 3 bedrooms, but everything is stripped bare: No linens, no towels, no dishes or utensils. But there are plenty of ants in the kitchen! It’s a good thing we have everything we need in the van! We sleep on our camping pads and under our camping quilt on top of the full-sized bed. Happily, the ants stay in the kitchen.
29 September 2022, Thursday – A brief visit to Wilmington DE
In the early morning we walk Lucy through the woods to the lake. It is pretty here. After another breakfast of pastries we drive to Wilmington DE, about 1 hour and 20 minutes away. Here we get all of our grocery shopping done since we know our way around so well (having lived here almost 40 years!) We are stocking up for our next destination, Lost River State Park in West Virginia. After shopping we drive to our Wilmington friends’ house for an afternoon and evening of catching up. The time passes too quickly and we say goodby and part with hugs. O and I return to Nockamixon for the night.
30 September 2022, Friday
On to West Virginia and Lost River State Park
The next morning we continue our drive to West Virginia for a mini family reunion with my sister and her husband, who are driving from Ohio, and my cousin, L, driving from Maryland.
After an early breakfast and showers we fill the DEF (Diesel Exhaust Fluid) reservoir in Vincent. Then we are on the road once more. O and I have been watching the weather reports. Hurricane Ian is heading straight for Florida. We are concerned for friends and family living in the area. The residual rain from Ian is forecast to head straight for West Virginia.
We arrive at Lost River State Park about 3:30 pm and check in at Cabin 18. The cabins have been renovated since O and I were last here almost 20 years ago. The kitchen has new tile and cabinets. The cabin has new windows, and the bathroom has been updated as well. O and I have just finished unloading the van when my cousin, L, and her large coon hound, Belle, arrive. It looks like Lucy and Belle are not going to get along. The dogs trade off time in the bedrooms and time with their humans. Generally Lucy is around when food is within reach since Belle is very tall and can reach counters and table tops easily. . . and she loves to eat!
My sister and her husband have reserved their own cabin at the park. They join us for dinner, having brought a lovely pasta dish from home. After dinner we enjoy reminiscing before we all retire for the night.
1 October 2022, Saturday
It rains pretty hard overnight. For breakfast the five of us share a mushroom-egg scramble with oven roasted potatoes and toast along with some of my sister’s excellent bran muffins. L and I continue to keep Belle and Lucy separated. After breakfast we go on an abbreviated walk in the rain. The afternoon is spent reading, snacking and journalling. Dinner: mushroom quesadillas. We are all glad to have a cozy cabin to keep us warm and dry in this weather!
2 October 2022, Sunday
More rain – remnants of Hurricane Ian. Blueberry pancakes for breakfast, ratatouille over roasted potatoes for supper. O builds a nice fire in the evening. Laura and I continue shuffling dogs.
3 October 2022, Monday
Finally we see some blue sky! We enjoy a breakfast casserole which fills my sister’s casserole dish to overflowing. L has to leave later this afternoon as she has a meeting to attend Tuesday morning back home in Maryland. We finish breakfast quickly, drive to the parking lot at the stables where the trail to Cranny Crow begins. I believe Cranny Crow is the highest point in the park. It’s two miles up with 1000 feet of elevation gain. O trips on a sneaky tree root half way up and smashes his nose and lips, but he elects to carry on. At the top my sister, my cousin and I reminisce about all the times we visited this shelter as children. We rode up here on horseback back then. L leaves a note in the journal at the shelter. “We’re back after 58 years and still vertical!”
Following our hike we return to the cabin where L retrieves Belle, who got left behind so she and Lucy wouldn’t fight. We say farewell and L departs for Maryland. She texts later to point out that it’s still raining there. My sister, her husband, O and I have lots of yummy left-overs for dinner. O builds the final fire of our visit.
4 October 2022, Tuesday
Homeward Bound
The four of us have our last breakfast together. We do our best to finish the breakfast casserole and almost succeed. We also enjoy more of the bran muffins. O and I save a few extra muffins for breakfast with his sister and our niece in Cleveland. Our drive to Ohio is uneventful and we arrive to a dinner of Navaho stew and corn griddle cakes.