Weekend Away Sans Kids

Although I never thought I'd get my wife out in the woods during the winter, the warmer than normal temps and the treat of having my parents watch the kids for the weekend was enough of a spark to light her fire and get her out in the great wilds of PA for a few day hikes.
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We headed out to a place I've been many times in my life, Pine Creek Gorge and the surrounding areas.

Friday we took the day off, dropped the kids at my parents and bolted.  We made a beeline for Slate Run, PA and checked in to our room at the Hotel Manor.  Which is a very nice place located right on the creek, with stunning views and that real locals feel that you don't get at every other hotel you stay at.

This was a trip of both pampering, relaxing and hiking for us.  The winter grinds to a halt the normal fun things we like to do and easy get-aways we normally try to do in the summer because of work and the kids being in school.  The first thing we did was visit the first place we ever went camping together.  Which was probably not exactly where we were supposed to camp, but it was pouring at the time and we had no idea where we were and no one was around to say anything to the contrary.  With a quick ride down the road from the hotel, shifting the Jeep into four wheel drive for a little ice and snow that was on the road we made it.   I got out to take some pictures of the scene of the crime so many years ago and was alerted by the local Bald Eagle letting me know that this was his/her area and he was there first...

Back to the hotel to check in.  We got our room, which was a very nice cozy room with a view of the creek and a huge bathroom.  Since it's winter, we were the only people in the place other than two locals, the owner and a bartender.  Strapped on our hiking boots, zipped up our coats and headed out up another snow covered road to the Black Forest Trail.  We slipped down the initial hill and walked along the tall pines of the area.  Beautiful trees and a beautiful trail.  Down to the creek we went, where we were greeted with crystal clear waters that weren't completely frozen yet and plenty of icicles on the rock walls.  The babbling creek and wind in the pines was enough to lull you asleep, the brisk cold was enough to keep us moving!

We stayed and took lots of photos before heading to the our hotel parking lot and the other side of the creek to walk down the trail and see the creek from a different angle.  Which was equally nice, and surprisingly different.

Back at our hotel for a dinner in the dining room, alone, 'cept the bartender and two locals.  We enjoyed our dinner and some nice conversation without disruption.  Around these parts there's very to little cell phone reception, which is great for what we were looking for, not so great if you were ever to be in trouble and needed help.

Day two included a nice hike on the West Rim Trail which is just a little ways up the road.  Mostly snow covered and very cold, but it was a great way to get the heart pumping for the morning.  We were the only people on the trail, and on the road for the most part... maybe even in the entire area.  Just how I like it.  We hoped to reach the lookout but after going up and up and up without having snacks or water, we let the cold win and we retreated to the Jeep and headed on our way to the town of Wellsboro.

Wellsboro is a very nice little down and in the winter, you really know you're an outsider because everyone around you knows everyone else and you know no one.  Which is also fine by me.  It's eerily comforting.  We had a nice lunch at Pizza Hut as we waited for our room to be ready at the Canyon Motel.  Once done lunch, we checked in to our surprisingly nice, and large, room.  It was complete with kind size bed, huge bathroom, and small sitting area.  The motel really didn't look like much from the outside but it's quite nice once you're inside.

We unpacked, took a very nice nap and then headed out for the visitor's center on the East rim of the canyon.  Surprise, surprise, we were the only one's there........ and the only one's on the road to for the most part.  With grey skies ahead and a stiff, cold breeze we braved the icy path to the overlook and snapped some pictures.

Back to the Jeep and the warmth of the motel.  We ate at a local restaurant and enjoyed our dinner very much.  The bartender literally knew everyone that walked in the door but us.  It's nice to see such a great, close nit community.  After dinner we went two doors down and had some beverages at a watering hole and really felt not like a local, but enjoyed it equally as much.

Back to the hotel room for some swimming and tv.  We enjoyed quiet time, relaxing and felt like we had a long night, until we realized that it was only 7:45....

It was a very much so needed weekend away.  Ironically enough we missed the blizzard of '16 by heading to the woods.  This meant once home, we were greeted with two feet of snow in my driveway and higher drifts by the front door.  We had the kids back and while I shoveled my wife took the kids to the local sledding spot and everyone was happy.  No one ever wants to see a Sunday end but this one was especially hard to part with.

My son.....

What a difference a life makes when you have a son.

My son is a wonderful, fun, wild, hysterical, crazy, annoying and wonderful boy.  He can be all these things at once or one at a time or any number of things put together.  He's about as unpredictable as can be when trying to figure him out but also the most predictable kid going when you know what his next move is going to be.

He's what I've always dreamed he'd be most of the time, I finally get to roughhouse with him and have a catch, or kick the ball around.  He's a great swimmer and definitely a summer baby.  He LOVES the beach and the ocean, his favorite is boogie boarding.

His path to this age has been rough, he knows how to push his daddy's buttons like no one else and can do it at the drop of a hat, without hesitation.  I know these greys are coming out in force because of him solely.

He's not always been what I thought having a son would be.  I've always thought he'd be there to watch me work on something, ask me questions on how something works, etc.  He used to do that, he was always watching me, asking me how things worked, what I was doing and if he could help.  He doesn't do that much anymore, but when he wants to really help, he's a great helper.

He's amazing in school.  Which is surprising 'cause, I was never.  He loves his school.  He's the man about town in there.  Watching him roam the halls with such broad shoulders and so proud, it's amazing and awesome.  He's become a great reader.  He's very good at math and working on his writing, which is easily his downfall right now with school.

I know there's going to be a time soon that he'll be back to helping me or wanting to go camping with me, or head out on road trips to parts unknown, but for now he's not that way.  I struggle with this.  I thought he was going to be one thing, but I guess I never knew what to expect with him.  He's taught me things, he's taught me that I'm not going to know everything.  I'm going to have to figure him out on occasion with him, just like he wants.  I'm expecting to come to a crossroads where we'll be on the same page and although I know that day will come, it's been a (often) frustrating ride.

He's the most amazing boy in the world, strong like an ox, handsome as can be.  Funny and smart.  Adventurous.  Outgoing and introverted at the same time.  He's an amazing animal that I cannot wait to see unfold and develop to his fullest potential, but for now I need to just enjoy who he is right now, the good, the bad and the ugly.

Daddy's little girl

When I was younger I always envisioned being married and having children to cherish and spend all my time with.  I wanted to share with them all the things that I truly loved so that we could do them as a family, sharing our time the best way possible, with each other.  One of those dreams was of a little girl laying on my chest on the beach on a beautiful summer day.  She'd be in a white baby outfit complete with cute hat.  Well many of those dreams have come true, I have a wonderful family and two wonderful children of my own, one a little boy and one my sweet baby girl.

My dreams came true when she was born.  We spend time on the beach, occasionally she'd spend an afternoon crashed out on my chest enjoying the warm summer breezes.  Watching her play in the sand and grow from being a small little infant to a toddler to a preschooler.  Each phase of her life so far has had different levels of fun and discovery for her.  The beach has grown to be one of her favorite places to be, although she's still quite timid of the actual ocean, but she's thrilled with the small gully's and puddles that form after the tide recedes along with the moon, back to the sea.  She'd run through there with the expression on her face that there is no happier place to be.  And she's right, when is it ever not fun to frolic in the warm summer waters on the beach?

She has gone from not talking or walking to being a constant discussion from the moment she opens her amazingly beautiful eyes to the second she closes them.  On most days she's outside, running with the wind, her ever messy and knoted hair bouncing behind her.  Her giggle is constant and fills the summer afternoons with happiness.  When I pick her up from school she makes me feel like I'm the most important person on the planet and that she's been waiting for me all day.  She stops what she's doing and runs to give me the biggest hug she can, laughing as she does and telling me how much she loves me.  When I come home from work and she's been home, I get the same greeting.  The feeling is immeasurable. 

When she used to not be able to talk I used to think about what she was thinking, now I don't have to think about it anymore, she tells me everything.  Every part of her day, every thing people say, everything she wants and what she's seen that day.  She's loud.  She gets that from me.  She's always telling me about what they learned about in school that day, they've been learning recently about road trips and has since been telling me of the places she wants to go.  She also gets that from me.

She's not even four feet tall but by far has the biggest personality and imagination of anyone I know.  She's got the biggest heart of anyone, no matter the size.  She's beautiful in every way there is, even in the times that she pushes my buttons she'll recoil with something hysterical to say and I cannot help myself.  Everyday I am thankful for her.  She makes me feel whole.  I cannot imagine a life without her and is by far the best decision I've ever made.

Annual Brother's Trip into Nature...... if only for the day

Matt, Chris Joe and I ventured away from our families and our everyday activities and met at Batso forest in New Jersey for a day of being outside, together, in nature.

We changed it up a lot this year, for one, we didn't make Joe drive two hours, just to drive two or three more hours away to get to our camping destination.  We also didn't spend the night outside, we only got in a day hike for about 5 hours, accomplishing ten miles through the Jersey woods.

The weather called the shots, it was supposed to be complete crap on Sunday and none of us wanted to be trudging through slop on the way out, let alone packing up in the morning in the pouring rain, just to get soaked the whole way back to the car.  It ended up being a smart call due to the fact that it rained relentlessly Saturday night and most of Sunday morning.

There wasn't much to the trail, although it was well marked and apparently heavily used.  For the most part it was single track, easy flat walking and was clean.  However, on the road you could almost set your watch by how many beer cans there were along the way.  People who trash places like this are the ones who take away our ability to enjoy them, and not trash them.  It's really ridiculous, it's got to be locals because I cannot imagine people coming in, at night, getting hammered and leaving.  It wouldn't be difficult to spot them.

There were no real sights, just the guy in front of you and underbrush everywhere.  We took the Batso trail and made a loop with the road to bring us back to our cars.  There was a little bit of water views every now and then, but there's not a lot to see.  The park is huge and there's plenty of trails to explore, even if there's not a ton to see in the sense of look outs and the like.  It's a neat piece of nature that doesn't exist many other places.

We ended up spending the night at Joe's shore house, dry and warm, with clean clothes and an actual bed to sleep in.  It was a night night of hanging out, watching movies, making fun of each other.

It wasn't what we, okay Chris and I, thought of originally but it was the right decision and it was just nice to get out, accomplish something huge (I haven't hiked ten miles in one day in years) and spend time with each other.  Next year, we're definitely getting out for an over night trip, we'll just have to hope for nice weather... or weather we can actually tolerate.