On our 12th Anniversary we went to Ohiopyle. We'd never been there before, but the InterestingNet told us that it was relatively close. So we hopped in the car and took off (rather late in the day for my taste, but you have to work with what you have). It took about an hour to get there from Morgantown.
The Scenic Overlook was fairly nice as those things go, several levels of decks overlooking the Main Falls area. We didn't hang out there for very long though, because Delia was itching to get her feet wet and I wanted to hike. We wandered down to the water's edge.
Turns out that the Youghiogheny, at least in this area, is not for wading. The park area is home to plenty of whitewater rapids, and though we saw a few kyakers, it was clearly posted "No Swimming". We trekked along the rocky river's edge till we came to the old railroad bridge that crosses the river and went across to the Ferncliff Peninsula.
The trails on Ferncliff were fantastic. We wandered along the river and then up through the sea of ferns for about two hours, and Delia really didn't complain at all. We found the rumored remains of the Ferncliff Hotel, but it wasn't nearly as interesting as we'd imagined. There were no ruins because the hotel had been completely removed. So if you go there don't imagine you'll see a spooky Scooby-Doo style haunted hotel, because it isn't there.
Everyone started to get a little cranky around 5:30, hungry for something besides granola bars, and we were out of water too. So we used our compass (to get our bearings) and then our binoculars (to locate landmarks on the other side of the river) to determine exactly where we were and where we had to go to get back to town. The Ohiopyle Park Map is one of the nicest I've ever seen. And it folds up neatly to fit in a back pocket.
When we got back to town, we decided to eat dinner at the Ohiopyle House Cafe. I cannot reccomend this place at all. They didn't have any sandwiches, only dinner entrees costing upwards of $9. Which would have been OK if the food had been any good. Keith ordered the crab cakes, and while they were OK, they weren't great, and the freaking frozen veggie side ruined it. Completely uninspired. I ordered the veggie lasagne, which was cold. Eventually I flagged down someone (our waitress was a poor server, she failed to bring our drinks in a timely fashion and then brought salads without dressing, and when she did bring the dressing it was oily and gross) who took my plate and microwaved it and brought it back to me STILL COLD IN THE CENTER. The veggies tasted like the same frozen crap on the side of Keith's plate, and I really couldn't bring myself to eat it after it came back cold a second time. Delia got a HUGE plate of spaghetti, which she shared with me so I wouldn't starve. I have to say that the meatballs weren't bad. We were frustrated, but everyone kept cool and we left that joint as soon as we could and trucked on over to The Kickstand to get some Ice Cream.
Delia was disappointed because we didn't get to swim, but other than that and the stupid dinner, a great time was had by all. I hope we'll make it back to Ohiopyle sometime this summer so we can experience the Natural Waterslides.
2 comments:
wow, i've never been there before. it looks gorgeous. nice that it's only an hour from motown too!! i'll have to check it out. looks like you guys had a great time. and happy anniversary!!
Two funny stories: 1. My first white water rafting experience was at Ohio-Pyle. It was guideless. I was scared $@$%less! Was so sore by the time it was done that we couldn't hoist our raft up. We had to have assistance..What an adrenalin rush.
2. Jason and I had a "date" on the Ohio-Pyle bike trail. We were going for a "little" bike ride. We rode from O.P. all the way to Connellsville. It ended up being 36 miles round trip. By the last 10 miles I was cussing and crying. The sun was setting and life was not good! Poor Jas wanted to tether my bike and pull me the rest of the way, but I wouldn't speak to him! hahahaha...That was 30 miles more than I had EVER ridden on a bike before. Needless to say, walking was not comfortable for several days! We survived!
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