Asleep at 1030pm the night prior left me feeling completely rested at morning's first call. It was just before 600am when I jumped out of bed to begin enjoying my vacation day Friday. I was determined to have a fantastic day. But to remain on task and to be where I planned to be I had little time to waste. I exercised, walked Ykraps, sipped some coffee, meditated and ran 4 miles all before the sun came up. Speaking of which, I was surprised at how late the darkness held on. It wasn't fully daybreak untiI somewhere around 730am. I was back from my run at 715am. I had an hour and fifteen minutes to shower, dress, and pack the days provisions for hiking, but that was more than enough time. By my guesstimation, I would have plenty of time to relax before taking off on our trip.
Mindy was planning to be at my house sometime around 8am and we were planning to hit the road at 830am sharp. After my shower I bagged some nuts (peanuts and almonds), some bite size chunks of Swiss cheese, and several candy bars. I also packed a couple of bottles of water and even filled a two liter bottle with extra water in case anyone got real thirsty! Mindy was about 15 minutes behind her planned arrival time but that was cool with me. It just gave me a little more time to get everything together without rushing. I hate to feel rushed!
After taking a few pics of the beautiful Friday sunrise we were ready to hit the road. We were out the door at 834am - only four minutes behind schedule. Our first stop was Picktown to pick up brother Tommy. To my amazement, traffic wasn't that bad at all. We arrived at Tom's house at 900am, and he was ready and waiting. Miracles can and do happen! We were back on the road to Old Man's Cave by 905am. We had 55 minutes to make our prearranged meeting of10am sharp. We took the rather new Lancaster bypass, which is now opened all the way to just west of Logan. That cuts several minutes off the old drive. We arrived at the park at 1001am - only 1 minute late. Pretty good al things considered. Glenn was already there and walking about the parking lot. Most of us had to pee so we took care of that task right-a-way. I think we were all excited about the day ahead.
We began our journey under a slightly overcast sky, and a cool morning temperature somewhere in the low 40's. It was perfect hiking weather. We spent the first hour and one half hiking around the main cave and the lower falls and taking in almost all of the lower trails. The views were spectacular! The trees and leaves, the sandstone walls, and the native plant life were all very pleasing to the eye. It was more beautiful than I had remembered it being. Cedar Falls was the next logical destination. Many folks leave the park by car and drive, but it's only a 2.5 miles hike and all of us being healthy adults chose to hike it.. We were not disappointed either. The trail was just beautiful. The walk provided an abundant number of photo ops. Some scenery was just too unbelievable. I wondered all day why I hadn't been coming here more often. Our plan all along called for us being back by 230pm so that we could be back in town by 4pm. Our trek was timed almost perfectly. We were back to our vehicle and on the road by 240pm. We dropped Tommy off at his place somewhere around 330pm and arrived back at my house at about 410pm. Mindy and I shared a little snack then she was off to fetch her children and niece and to ready herself for an evening with me. And since it was Friday, Barleys was in our future.
Mindy showed up sometime between 730 and 8pm and it wasn't too long before we were on our way to Barleys. I can't think of a better place to cap off an already splendid day. We were short many of the Barley regulars but the bar was still pretty full. In fact, we had to stand for a short while until a couple of bar stools opened up. Still, many of my friendly acquaintances were there. The night's Firkin special was Hobgoblin, a seasonal concoction that's a blend of their house Pale Ale along with a dash of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. It was tasty! Mindy opted for a glass of Shiraz, which was no big surprise. She's not much of a beer person. Don't tell anyone though! What would they think of me!!! We were both hungry for something hearty, after all we had burned a number of calories while on our Hocking Hills hike. We both ordered a Barley burger and fries. Not only are their burgers big, but they're out of this world delicious too - trust me! All totaled, I had three beers, two firkins and a Scottish Ale. Mindy had two glasses of wine. We left Barleys around 1030pm, and I think it's safe to say, we were relaxed, happy, and full! Once back at my house, we kicked around the idea of hot tubbing and building a fire. We built a fire then decided not to hot tub. I had an exceptionally fun day and night. I spent quality time with two of my brothers, the woman I love, nature, and Barleys. Does it get any better?
Asleep at 1030pm the night prior left me feeling completely rested at morning's first call. It was just before 600am when I jumped out of bed to begin enjoying my vacation day Friday. I was determined to have a fantastic day. But to remain on task and to be where I planned to be I had little time to waste. I exercised, walked Ykraps, sipped some coffee, meditated and ran 4 miles all before the sun came up. Speaking of which, I was surprised at how late the darkness held on. It wasn't fully daybreak untiI somewhere around 730am. I was back from my run at 715am. I had an hour and fifteen minutes to shower, dress, and pack the days provisions for hiking, but that was more than enough time. By my guesstimation, I would have plenty of time to relax before taking off on our trip.
Mindy was planning to be at my house sometime around 8am and we were planning to hit the road at 830am sharp. After my shower I bagged some nuts (peanuts and almonds), some bite size chunks of Swiss cheese, and several candy bars. I also packed a couple of bottles of water and even filled a two liter bottle with extra water in case anyone got real thirsty! Mindy was about 15 minutes behind her planned arrival time but that was cool with me. It just gave me a little more time to get everything together without rushing. I hate to feel rushed!
After taking a few pics of the beautiful Friday sunrise we were ready to hit the road. We were out the door at 834am - only four minutes behind schedule. Our first stop was Picktown to pick up brother Tommy. To my amazement, traffic wasn't that bad at all. We arrived at Tom's house at 900am, and he was ready and waiting. Miracles can and do happen! We were back on the road to Old Man's Cave by 905am. We had 55 minutes to make our prearranged meeting of10am sharp. We took the rather new Lancaster bypass, which is now opened all the way to just west of Logan. That cuts several minutes off the old drive. We arrived at the park at 1001am - only 1 minute late. Pretty good al things considered. Glenn was already there and walking about the parking lot. Most of us had to pee so we took care of that task right-a-way. I think we were all excited about the day ahead.
We began our journey under a slightly overcast sky, and a cool morning temperature somewhere in the low 40's. It was perfect hiking weather. We spent the first hour and one half hiking around the main cave and the lower falls and taking in almost all of the lower trails. The views were spectacular! The trees and leaves, the sandstone walls, and the native plant life were all very pleasing to the eye. It was more beautiful than I had remembered it being. Cedar Falls was the next logical destination. Many folks leave the park by car and drive, but it's only a 2.5 miles hike and all of us being healthy adults chose to hike it.. We were not disappointed either. The trail was just beautiful. The walk provided an abundant number of photo ops. Some scenery was just too unbelievable. I wondered all day why I hadn't been coming here more often. Our plan all along called for us being back by 230pm so that we could be back in town by 4pm. Our trek was timed almost perfectly. We were back to our vehicle and on the road by 240pm. We dropped Tommy off at his place somewhere around 330pm and arrived back at my house at about 410pm. Mindy and I shared a little snack then she was off to fetch her children and niece and to ready herself for an evening with me. And since it was Friday, Barleys was in our future.
Mindy showed up sometime between 730 and 8pm and it wasn't too long before we were on our way to Barleys. I can't think of a better place to cap off an already splendid day. We were short many of the Barley regulars but the bar was still pretty full. In fact, we had to stand for a short while until a couple of bar stools opened up. Still, many of my friendly acquaintances were there. The night's Firkin special was Hobgoblin, a seasonal concoction that's a blend of their house Pale Ale along with a dash of nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon. It was tasty! Mindy opted for a glass of Shiraz, which was no big surprise. She's not much of a beer person. Don't tell anyone though! What would they think of me!!! We were both hungry for something hearty, after all we had burned a number of calories while on our Hocking Hills hike. We both ordered a Barley burger and fries. Not only are their burgers big, but they're out of this world delicious too - trust me! All totaled, I had three beers, two firkins and a Scottish Ale. Mindy had two glasses of wine. We left Barleys around 1030pm, and I think it's safe to say, we were relaxed, happy, and full! Once back at my house, we kicked around the idea of hot tubbing and building a fire. We built a fire then decided not to hot tub. I had an exceptionally fun day and night. I spent quality time with two of my brothers, the woman I love, nature, and Barleys. Does it get any better?
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