Day 9 - Laurel Mountains
The first 8 days of this trip have been pretty full on
@Teebin will be pleased to know that the next couple days are much more relaxed. Today would see us take a trip up the Laurel Mountains, part of the Appalachian Range.
We headed out through Mt pleasant and took a stop to see the Seven Springs Ski Resort, with temperatures touching 100 it was hard to imagine the skiing season but the slopes were clear to see even if they did lack the cold white stuff. After a brief stop we were back on the road heading further up the mountain, the views from up here are stunning and some of the green scenery was reminiscent of the English countryside.
We arrived at Ohiopyle waterfall and rapids on the Yougihony river in no time. The rapids and falls are ferocious but there is a shallow area of water which allows bathing, the water was so clear and with the heat beating down I couldn't wait to take a dip but first we had a walk round to check out the area. we headed across the bridge onto the Yougihony bike trail which runs some 400+ miles all the way to Washington DC, again the views from here were stunning and showed mother nature at her best.
Lunch was looming so we hit the The Falls old general store, inside was like taking a trip down memory as the walls were adorned with photos of the store and area dating back to the early 1900s. I ordered lunch from the specials board, American beef, mushrooms, onions and swiss on a 6" sub, a side of beef barley soup and a soda, all for less than 10 bucks. The sub was really good but the real hero of my lunch was the beef barley soup, this was so good I purchased a quart to go, perfect for the nights starter.
After lunch it was time to cool off in river, it was chilly at first but once the body acclimatized it felt wonderful against the searing heat. The current was strong and I couldnt swim against it so waded up stream to swim back down, the ducks and geese had the same idea and the memory off swimming alongside them is one that will last forever. After our swim we dried off and made our way back to the car, on the way I spotted a dear old lady trying to make her way down a small slope to get to the waters edge, being an English gentleman I headed over to offer her a hand. She was most grateful and to my surprise Ann was from the UK and had moved over to the states many years previous, we stood chatting for ages, infact we chatted so long Ann never made it to the waters edge but I did help her back up the slope for her ride. We both agreed that if her daughter asked she did go in the water.
This whole area is steeped in history and
@Mad Dog knowledge of this is second to none, seriously you couldn't pay money for a better tour guide. He took us down route 40, the first national road in the U.S, showed us fort necessity and Jumonville Glen where George Washington assassinated the French representative which led to the French & Indian war.
@Mad Dog taught me so much I am struggling to retain it all.
From the mountain views, the river and the old town of Ohiopyle this side trip had shown me some of the America I had been searching for, and it didn't disappoint. The parks are great but this was what it's about, real rockwork, natural beauty and gold old fashioned fun that didn't cost a dime.
After the trip we were all hungry and
@Mad Dog soon had steaks sizzling on the BBQ. Med rare and cooked to perfection, the soup from earlier made the perfect start to the massive but delicious steak dinner, those steaks overhung the plate. Great job buddy :drool::eat::thumbsup:
After dinner we sat out on the balcony, Its just like being at AKL with all the wildlife on view, over a beer we sat and watched deer, squirrels. chipmunks and various types of colorful birds. Gregg (
@Mad Dog brother) joined us and I was determined to catch him out with the cats/jim beam game. I asked him if he knew of the famous deli (Katz ) I had visited in NYC, he kept guessing wrong so I had to change tact, I showed him a photo on my phone "ah katz" he replied :exclap: shots all round, before the end of the night we had another bottle to hang in the tree.
Edited - missing paragraph
Photos to follow later.....................