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Showing posts with the label camping

HOME AWAY FROM HOME, Pt. 3 (SHARING THE LOVE)

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With a huge smile on her face and a look of amazement in her eyes, my 12 year old neice, Jackie, explored the area around Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park .  Jackie had never been to a place like this and she was absolutely loving it. My wife, Robin, and I had a camping trip planned (my third in the past five weeks) for the last weekend of June.  This also coincided with when our nieces, Jackie & Sophie, and my nephew, Isaac, would be visiting from Arizona.  So...instead of just the two of us...Robin and I thought we'd share our love of camping and nature with the kids. My niece, Jackie Raymond, taking in the beauty of Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park. -- June 30, 2018 It's been quite a while since I've been camping with kids...so this time around there were no ambitious hikes planned, no white water rafting trips down the Youghiogheny, and no mountain biking involved.  Instead, Robin and I packed a few games, a frisbee, and a ton of gr...

HOME AWAY FROM HOME, Pt. 2 (DOWN TO THE RIVER)

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In 1754, frustrated with the tediously slow progress of his men as they hacked their way westward through the Appalachian Mountains to capture Fort Duquesne (present day Pittsburgh), Colonel George Washington broke off from the main group and, along with a handful of men, began exploring the Youghiogheny River as a possible water route through the mountains.  The group made it as far as present day Ohiopyle, Pennsylvania where, legend has it, Colonel Washington stood on a rock overlooking a 40 foot waterfall and decided to abandon the plan when he came to the realization that the rapids of the Youghiogheny would not be a viable means of transporting men and artillery westward.  It's this very waterfall, and system of rapids, that makes the Youghiogheny River the focal point of any visit to Ohiopyle State Park . My son, Alex, and I standing on the west bank of the Youghiogheny River...possibly the same rock that George Washington stood on in 1754. -- June 20, 2018 ...

HOME AWAY FROM HOME, Pt. 1 (STILL THE SAME)

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My parents first took my brother and I camping in 1981.  The preparation involved for our family camping trips was a sight to see.  Dad had a 1976 Subaru, in which he and my mom seemingly packed half of our household belongings.  On those first camping trips, my mom and dad really made sure that our campsite would literally be a "home away from home."  On the Coleman grill (while listening to her Neil Diamond tapes), my mom made pancakes for breakfast and dinners that consisted of meals such as spaghetti and beef stew.  It was like we were at home...but in some ways better.  It was on these trips, at the age of 7, that I was introduced to campfire food...hot dogs roasted over the fire, smores, and my all-time favorite, mountain pies. My mother, Kathy Raymond, preparing dinner for us at Rocky Gap State Park. -- 1981 Left to right:  My father, Dave Raymond, me (age 7), and my younger brother, Jacob at Rocky Gap State Park. -- 1981 Our family...