Wild West Virginia

You can call me a rule follower, but I pay attention to parking signs after driving over a 1,000 foot high span bridge (the 2nd highest in the world of it's kind).

Carrie wouldn't tell me what we were doing on the side of a valley after 8:30 PM, but the view was pretty.

I found out shortly. There was a high-rope and zip-line course! Carrie signed us up for a night tour!

It was the sort of thing right up my alley. There was a dual, locking carabiner system to keep everyone safe. I'd seen something similar when we went on a via ferrata run for Matt's bachelor party. Frankly, this system seemed idiot proof.

All it did was slow me down. If Matt and Patrick had been around, we'd probably have made eye contact and started to race.

Carrie and I didn't race, but we had a lot of fun.

Now, while I think the course was safe there were plenty of ways to bang shins or pinch yourself. Also, I have to reaffirm that West Virginia is not a great place for those afraid of heights.

Wednesday we visited the Tamarack in Beckley (good memories!) and drove up to gorge yet again. This time, we went whitewater rafting.

It must have been twenty years or more since I've been on rapids. It's fun, but that's also about how often I'd be interested in going. A good guide makes everything seem easier and safer than it can be (we had a good guide), so I don't get the same sort of adrenaline rush more personal activities would afford (like a kayak).

It's still fun. I recommend everyone try it at least once. Unlike before, this time I got to swim through a level one rapid, have Carrie with me, and watch as Carrie catch a kid's life jacket midair so that he wasn't launched into orbit (his mom was thankful, but the kid looked disappointed!).

The highlight of the trip was 'Jump Rock.'

"It's twenty feet tall, looks like thirty from the top, and will be forty feet by the time you're telling what happened," said Paul (our guide).

He was right.

I ran, jumped off and hung in the air long enough for the exhilaration to wear off and second thoughts to kick in.

It was awesome.

It was also the low-point of the trip for Carrie.

We had to climb to Jump Rock barefooted, because we were in flip flops. Carrie slipped and hurt her left foot near the top. Bare minimum she jammed her toes and gouged one. She assessed one toe as likely broken as she sat and recovered. There was blood on the rocks where she stepped.

Unfortunately, our guide warned us that the way back down from Jump Rock was more dangerous than jumping. The quickest way down was to take the plunge.

Carrie's one tough cookie. She jumped.

Our guide borrowed a medkit and the journey went on.

Carrie would be somewhat hobbled for the rest of our trip. Worse, she was scheduled to do a lot of walking and horse back riding with Grandma in Ireland for a business trip the following week....

...but that was for the future. We rested up after our half day trip and had a pleasant final night in WV.

This trip will always hold a special memory for me, because of the climbing, the rafting.....and it's where Carrie and I started Pandemic Legacy.

Pandemic Legacy quickly became one of my favorite board game experiences ever. If you've played Pandemic and are considering trying Legacy: Do it. Just make sure you have people you can rely on to play it through. Carrie's the type to binge, and without Shane we played multiple games across two nights.

Out and About Outdoors

Winter made an attempt to return this weekend. We spent a lot of time outdoors anyway.

Carrie trailered Mira south to the barn she'll foal out at.

Shane and I helped inspect the trailer.

He climbs everything.

We went on a walk when we got home.

There were no pokemon, but Shane was fascinated by some minnows (I don't think they were tadpoles - too early and cold).

There weren't any kids at the playground, so Shane turned stepping from rock to rock into his own game.

Note: I told him to watch out for glass. I'll try and remember to bring a bag with me at some point.

Shane made it all the way down the creek to where the trail crosses over without falling in! Once upon a time, I would have never allowed him to try it. His ability and my confidence in him have increased since.

We saw some ducks on our way back.

Mallards - which I will forever know as Nana's favorite. She used to have a pair of wooden ones while I was growing up.

My childhood bro, Bill, called while Shane were walking. It's been forever. We talked for a long time while Shane threw sticks, peed on a tree, and talked to himself. 

I had to hang up eventually, because of this downed tree.

Shane wanted to sit on it.

It's easier to spot with both hands and no side conversation.

Not that I blamed Shane. Who do you think walked out over the water and inspired him to climb up?

If he was older we could have each had a stick and gone pugil. Carrie would not have approved (Note to self: Show Shane American Gladiators).

I got Shane home, fed, and cleaned up for the tee-ball meeting afterward. He ended up dirty all over again, but we went with it and tried to stay out of the house. We bumped into one of his afterschool (and soon to be tee-ball) friends at the library. 

Then, Henry and his dad were outside when we got home.

We stayed outside until the sun slipped away and took that last, small bit of warmth with it. 

Sunday began with church and errands, but we went on a trail walk with Dylan and Eli's family in the afternoon.

It was a shortcut to their neighborhood park.

John and Eli went down to the creek.

The boys, Krista, and I followed a short while later. Dylan led the way.

The boys threw rocks with splashing results. Dylan and Shane started to build a rock bridge/dam. Dylan stayed interested, but Shane's attention strayed to minnow hunting.

I included both of these pictures, because I couldn't pick which one I liked best.

Meanwhile, Carrie chicken-eered.

The chickens (and Carrie) enjoyed their new free range pen in the sun.

It's not safe to stay out overnight in, but Carrie picked a spot that gets a lot of morning sun.

"Ah, the Great Outdoors!"

I read somewhere that the average American kid only plays outside for 7 minutes a day. It was probably from one of those "Tell you what you want to hear" Facebook type articles that no one ever double checks because it's what they want to hear, but still...it rings true to my experience. In NOVA, I had students who didn't know the names of streets in their neighborhood (or even their own). 

Not Shane!  

I think it's important to establish a 'porch presence.' If we're never outside, we'll be inside all day. That's no way to meet neighbors, get fresh air, or have an adventure!

Shane and I dodged dog poop to collect dandelion for Mommy, Sunday. We put them in a toy dumpster.

The bean suitcase came out to play, as well.

Which became an impromptu bean planting lesson/ceremony when Carrie came out.

We'll see if they grow!

Charlie and her parents came out later. Matt and I drew a basketball court with chalk. He killed me in a game of PIG. Shane wanted to have a picnic and ate crackers in the grass. Charlie brought graham crackers.

We still don't know many of our neighbors who don't have kids, but they've certainly seen us around!

Ragged Mountain Reservoir Run

I spotted it on Google Maps. I have driven by it many times, but never seen it.

That got me curious. Shane didn't have a say in the matter.

Shane and I went on a Labor Day adventure to scope out Ragged Mountain Reservoir. I wanted him to see a dam. A large, vertical, four-year old mind-blowing dam. Anything else was bonus.

It was a short drive. The asphalt ended and we hit gravel. The parking lot was empty, but the signs told us we were in the right place.

Our ascent began.

It quickly accelerated.

Shane ran and sang "Sonic boom! Sonic boom!" The hill didn't phase him.

I got him to stop and look at the dam once we hit the top, though.

It wasn't the sheer wall I'd envisioned. The trail got plenty vertical at times, though.

And yes, Shane wanted to run up. I repeatedly told him to slow down. Later, we had three wipe outs over more level ground (where I didn't make Shane put on the brakes). He slowed down a little then.

Our journey continued. There were many highlights.

We found a new friend at an intersection.

We were sad to see the loss of another potential new friend.

The local trees passed a hanging test.

Shane wanted to swim out and test if the island was really an island.

I made him stay on shore.

We found a fallen tree that acted as a bridge.

It saved us at least 10 steps. Plus it was fun!

We found a parking lot on top of the mountain, too. Everyone with at least half a brain parked there (I made a mental note for next time).

Shane couldn't see the boat launch, so I told him to climb up on a rock. It made for a good picture.

Until he grabbed his butt.

Hiking hiked up his underwear or he had an itch.

Shane would have run off into the hills forever, but I herded him in a loop. He had a lot more trouble on the descent. I coached, but Shane slipped and fell on his butt a couple times. He must have hit a rock on the last time, because he made me carry him piggy back down the mountain.

When we reached the bottom, I let Shane take a picture.

That was a good walking stick, by the way. I told Shane I'd use it to look tall if any black bears wandered our way (Then he saw bears behind every tree for a while).

As we pulled out, a hawk took off and flew down the road ahead of us. He perched on branch above the road.

It was a fun hike. I love to explore, learn and make my son partake in both. I'm not a super nature dude by default. The wooded trails are much easier on my ginger skin than most outdoorsy stuff. It was good to exercise and be alive.

Carrie appreciated our absence, because she wanted to try to make gluten-free bagels for a co-worker.

Best of all, Shane was worn out. He ate well and napped sound! Mission accomplished!

PS - Raheem must have missed us. He came to the door at least six times while Shane napped. "Is it three yet?" "No." "It said it was three at my house." "It's not." "It's after three, is Shane still sleeping?" "Tell you what, we'll come outside later. Then you'll know he's awake." I need to make a magnet like Nana.