Hiking and sightseeing got rained out, but the real reason for the trip was to see my sister and cousins
I HAD A plan. So did Mother Nature. Her plan topped mine.
I had a trip planned to my hometown to see my sister. On the way out to Wilmington, Ohio I went a longer southern route through the mountains of Western Maryland and West Viriginia then into the Ohio foothills of the Appalachian.
My drive was beautiful. Plan was to spend the night in Cacapon State Park outside of Berkley Springs, WVA and do some late day hiking on Wednesday and Thursday morning. Alas, rain and falling temps. Hiking was scrubbed.
I drove in rain to southern Ohio and it was pretty with the mountains shrouded in mist. No complaints. My return trip was planned with a stop at an old historic hotel in Morgantown, WVA Sunday night with some walking around in the evening and Monday morning. Alas, a marginal forecast went in the toilet. So, ended up canceling that stop.
Instead I will get up Sunday morning and take the turnpike route back to West Chester. I am not complaining. Weather is weather. It rules. Besides, the trip was a success.
I had not seen my sister in a couple of years. My cousins were at a family wedding in Knoxville and so they planned a stop in Wilmington Friday night and Sunday morning on their way back to Indiana and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. That was the real reason for the trip and weather could not intrude on that.
I also had plans for Saturday morning to join some Quakers from the meeting I grew up in and other activists in a wee standing protest at the Courthouse, the target of the protest being all that is going wrong with our country right now. Alas, rain is in the offing so that probably won’t happen.
But I am having a nice visit with my sister and am looking forward to seeing my cousins so I will just hand this round to Mother Nature on the side trips.
And I won’t go into the food poisoning……
Rich Heiland is a retired journalist and semi-retired consultant, trainer and public speaker. During his journalism career he was a reporter, editor, publisher, college instructor, part of a Pulitzer Prize-winning team and a National Newspaper Association Columnist of the Year honoree. He lives in West Chester, PA and can be reached at [email protected].