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Falls Lake State Park – Wake Forest, NC
Traveling to the state of North Carolina was a pleasant experience. The beauty of this state is fantastic. One is surrounded by lush green color seen in the trees, bushes, and grass. It emits a feeling of bountiful nature. The campground is filled with greenery, and you feel one with nature. Our site wasn’t far from the lake. Notice how we always seem to get by a lake. Most of the time, it is deliberate, but occasionally we get lucky. The lake had a roped-off swimming area. The weekend was filled with children frolicking in the water till the sun went down. Sunday afternoon, the weekend warriors are gone, and the park empties. Monday was a great day to go kayaking as we had the lake all to ourselves.
We decided to ride our bikes on the Neuse Trail. The Neuse River Greenway Trail is 27.5 miles of paved trail with various features. It has scenic views of the Neuse River, and wooden boardwalk areas through wetlands, and is home to various wildlife. On our ride back, a deer was on the trail side and remained unfazed as it stood its ground and continued to eat. Most likely, bicyclists, rollerbladers, and walkers are common occurrences.
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Colonial Beach, Virginia
Harborview Campground
This campground was one of the best Thousand Trails we have stayed in on our journey. It has lots of trees and plenty of space between sites. They offered mini golf, a children’s playground, and a good-sized pool. Mitch was able to get in a few laps during this stay. The campground was well maintained and super clean.
Kayaking on the nearby Mattox Creek was relaxing. We saw several small wooden huts in the water and surmised it was most likely where boats pulled up and patiently waited for the ducks to fly across their line of sight. Easily camouflaged by the wood, ducks would never see the gun pointed at them as they flew by. (Poor ducks) We concluded it must not be duck season as each hut was vacant.
We took a two-hour drive to experience Shenandoah National Park. While there, we decided to go for a hike. Mary’s Rock was a hike off of the Appalachian Trail. This hike was a rough one for me. It continued to climb upward with no reprieve with flat areas or downward dips. It seemed it would go on forever. Up and up we went. At last, we made it to the crest overlooking the valley. It was beautiful, and not a soul was around. We enjoyed the serenity until some other hikers made it up and interrupted the quietness. As we descended, we passed a frail older woman with a hiking pole. Behind her was her grandson. We let them know they were almost there. Two thoughts then came into my head. The first was admiration for her tackling this hike, and I told Mitch, “I want to be like her when I get to that age.” The second thought was embarrassment. I was complaining about how steep this climb was, and this woman, maybe twenty years my senior, was making her way to the top. One enormous advantage of an all-uphill climb – it’s downhill until you reach the bottom. Yea!
Fredericksburg was a quaint town with lots of shops and restaurants. Lots of history of civil war battles for those interested in checking out sites where soldiers fought throughout Fredericksburg. Cannons are seen spotted on some of the roads we traveled. We enjoyed our time here even though we aren’t much of a civil war history buff.
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Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater Home & Surrounding Areas – Mill Run, PA
Our campsite for the week was Outflow Recreation Area in Confluence, PA. The sites were spacious, cozy, and a stone’s throw away from the dam. In the early morning, the mist on the river hovers over the water and emits an eerie glow. From the campground, one can hop on the Allegheny Highland Trail.
The trail runs from Pittsburg, PA, to Cumberland, Maryland, totaling 334 miles. Our ride was only 20 miles, but it took us among the beautiful tall forest trees, wooden bridges, and through a long, dark tunnel. It was a great morning to enjoy a bike ride.
We decided to travel over an hour to Mill Run, PA, to see the infamous Frank Lloyd Wright Fallingwater home. Upon arrival, we discovered all home tour tickets were sold out for the month. Much to our chagrin, we purchased the grounds ticket to tour the grounds and view the home. First stop – go to the visitor center to inquire about any no-shows. The universe smiled as we were booked on the next scheduled tour. We were ecstatic and, afterward, so glad we didn’t miss out on touring this wonderful home.
In 1935, the home was designed for the Kauffman family, who owned a department store in Pittsburg. It was a summer retreat to escape the city’s hustle and bustle and business demands. It was built in 18 months, and a year later, they added a guest house. The main house totaled 9,300 sq. ft with 4,400 sq. ft of outside terraces. Anywhere you are in the home, the calming music of the swiftly moving water cascading over the rocks can be heard. Imagine spending lazy summer days listening to the falling water surrounding acres of green, lush forestry with not another home in sight. The home’s natural air conditioning is provided by mother nature.
Everything in the home is original, right down to the two Picassos, Tiffany lamps, and other invaluable treasures throughout the house. The Kaufmann’s only son entrusted the home to the Western Pennsylvania Conservancy in 1963 for the rest of the world to experience a one-of-a-kind home.
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Finger Lake Region – NY
Sned-Family Acres Campground – Ovid, NY
This campground is nestled in the beautiful Finger Lake Region of New York. Wide open spaces and all the amenities a family can look for. It was our home base while we visited several other places close by. This campground evoked a pleasant childhood memory. At night, the fireflies twinkled like lights on a Christmas tree. Living in Florida, this is a special treat.
We made a memorable trip to the east side of Canandaigua Lake to see one of our groomsmen. We hadn’t seen him since our wedding almost 40 years ago. His lakehouse was right on the water, and the urge to live on a lake intensified.
Taughannock Falls State Park
Not far from the campground was Taughannock Falls state park. It has 750 acres, and its picnic area is right on Cayuga Lake. (Mitchell’s old stomping ground) The falls can boast it is the highest waterfall in the Northeast, even higher than Niagara Falls. Unfortunately, due to the dry climate, the waterfall was not as robust as it cascaded down the cliff. Afterward, we had dinner at O’Malley’s. Mitch said it was the best ahi tuna wrap he ever had.
Watkin Glenn State Park
This is an absolute must-see in this area. There are over 800 steps weaving around the chasm created by glaciers eons ago. The waterfalls are plentiful, reminding us of how wonderful nature is.
The last weekend we were there, we visited the west side of Seneca Lake to visit with Mitch’s brother and sister who live in Rochester. We met at the visitors center, and lucky us, they had a farmers market going on that Saturday. We unanimously decided to visit two of the many wineries dotted along the east and west sides of Seneca lake. An excellent lunch with wine was had, along with laughs and reminiscing about their childhood growing up in this area. Mitch and I decided this area is one to return to and spend some time in – that’s how much we enjoyed the Finger Lakes.
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