Camping with Grandchildren & High School Graduations

We met Anna and Dave and the kids at Higley Flow campground. It's in South Colton on the Raquette River.
Lucy spent the night with Grandma and BobBob the 1st two nights there. The second night we made up a special bed for Lucy in the camper. Both nights went well. I think we can handle an occasional sleepover.
We didn't do a lot but Lucy helped Grandma with all her chores. We swept the camper stairs and she helped me wash dishes as well. Then at naptime Lucy fell asleep with her book over her face just like Grandma often does.
And Freddy has changed so much- he laughs and coos and talks to us now. He's such a happy baby!


My sister and brother both had daughters graduating this year. One was Saturday night and the next one Sunday morning and it was a little over a 2 hour drive between locations. The girls looked beautiful (and grown up!). We're very proud of both Krissy and Dani.
Not only my siblings but my cousins also attended the party for the graduates. It was great to see everyone.

Ride Home

There was a line of rain, thunderstorms, etc headed our way. So that and the fact that Anna and Dave aren't home, we decided to try a different way home. We took Rt. 68 across to Rt 81. We went from WV, to Maryland to WV to Md. It was a beautiful drive across the mountains. Most trees had leaves then we were high enough -Keyer Ridge (2880 elevation and the RV handled it much better than the trucks we passed - many were barely going 5 mph) that only a few trees had buds. The many shades of green and areas with lots of red buds made the trip very pleasant. The nice weather and colors continued until about Cortland.
Mid 80's and sun to rain and much cooler temps- It's still good to be home.

Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum(TALA)

The Weston State Mental Hospital is an awesome place. It is the largest hand cut stone building in North America. The building is huge and then there are also additional buildings. Tours are offered daily. There are also various kinds of ghost tours. Much as I enjoy ghost tours (I've learned lots of history that way) I had no desire for this one.

Glass Fest part 2

The demonstrations today were all outside. There was a glass blower doing some beautiful work- he was making a small pitcher and then we saw him make a vase. There was a lady etching glass. The young man who was making the glass pendants was still there. He was making the stopper for a perfume bottle he made earlier.
We talked with Mr. Turner and explained we had seen the information about the glass festival on the AAA site and we planned our trip around it- so that bit of advertising was worth it. We said we were really glad we had. He thanked us for coming and hoped we were enjoying (obviously because both of us had items to purchase). We repeated our thanks for the festival as we paid (Mrs. Turner). She told us about some other festivals they’ll be at- a fall festival in October in Elkins- and some others. She, after asking us what we did, said they’re supposed to be retired but are helping their son get the business going. We watched outside a little more, bought the glass pendant we saw being made (and a couple other things). Definitely take time to stop if you’re traveling route 79 through WV.


Then just because it was a nice day we went for a ride. We turned off the main road onto a paved two-lane road. There were school bus stops and some houses. The houses became less frequent and the road got narrower. It was a very pretty drive but the only roads we came to were dirt roads that went farther into the mountains. After about 30 minutes we ran out of power lines along the road about 10 minutes later we turned around and drove back. I’d still like to know where the road goes. I guess we need to buy some better maps.

There’s a café in town that is supposed to have wifi- we’ll find out tomorrow.

Stonewall Jackson State Park

There was supposed to be a Ramp Festival. We found a chef making cornbread muffins with ramps. She gave everyone the recipe and a sample. We heard some stories about kids being sent home from school, or being made to sit in a small separate room. Then there was the lady who said they could only eat ramps on Friday so the odor was gone by Monday. The chef said ramps are stronger than garlic when someone asked her for a comparison. Maybe there was more ramp cooking later but there was no info so we checked out more of the state park.
West Virginia has several state parks that are resorts. This is one The hotel looked fabulous- on the lake with paddle boats and a tour boat, an outside pool with lots of lounge chairs. There was an Arnold Palmer golf course, very nice looking cabins you could rent, and a nice campground with most of the sites on the lake. We got camping info for a future stay.

Glass Fest

I was so busy watching and listening that I forgot to get my camera out.

We pulled into the parking lot at Appalachian Glass and Bob said the Sausage Wagon should be here. There were some venders set up – Fried dough, Funnel cakes, plants, etc. Everyone was just getting set up. We went inside where they were blowing glass. There was a circle of chairs and people sitting, standing and watching as one guy blew the glass and several others explained what he was doing- he 1st made a witches ball (when it was finished they made sure everyone watching could see the three glass threads inside- someone had said that was what he was doing during the process- it made since after seeing the treads), then a friendship ball, then a fancier ball with a long neck. Then other men took their turns (one broke). It was a very relaxed, friendly atmosphere. We did a little shopping and headed for the car. Outside, near the entrance to the glass blowing, another young man was set up so we went to see. He was making glass pendants. We were the only ones there so he explained what he was doing and then answered our questions about the material he was using. He was using a different material and different process and he explained the differences in the glass they were using to make hand blown objects and the glass he was using. He was trying some new colors and explained every step and showed us at different points how it was turning out. He explained that he was being very careful about the hanging loop because if it’s not perfect it won’t hang right around the neck. It was a very pretty pendant but he wanted more yellow (WV colors) so he told us how he’d try it next.
The festival is all weekend so we’ll go back probably Sunday.


A little information about Appalachian Glass (from ‘Two-Lane Travelers by Lisa and Frank Minney www.wvtravelers.com)

At one time there were more than 30 glass factories in this area now Appalachian Glass is the only one in Weston. It’s a family affair - Matt Turner and son Chip. Lewis County High School had a glass making class. Chip worked for several companies including Princess House Manufacturing . They started their company in 2001.

The witches ball and friendship ball are called Kugels- the friendship ball is a circle with no beginning and no end. It sparkles the way a good friend brings sparkles into your life. No two are the same just as no two friends are the same. The three threads inside the witches ball trap the bad or mischievious spirits inside the ball.

Lessons Learned

Most Important- When driving the RV don’t always believe the GPS.

With all the rain the road out of Pegasus Campground was very uneven. It’s only an hour from Elkins to Weston. So we decided I’d drive the Miata. It was a beautiful drive on the Stauton- ------ Parkway. According to the GPS we were about 7 miles from the campground. I knew it was south of Weston so the directions seemed reasonable (a right, a left and a right). The road went from a narrow 2 lane to a 1 lane crushed stone with turns to a dirt road with more turns. You’ll have to hear Bob tell what ‘fun’ he had driving the camper. When we got to a ‘real road’ we called the campground for directions. We ended up about 2 miles away. Apparently we weren’t the only ones who’d gone that way because the woman who checked us in said she was thinking about putting a sign at that turn for the campground with better directions.

Second lesson- Always pack for 4 seasons of weather changes. In the mountains in Elkins we had rain, hail and snow (just in the air) and cold. The weekend is supposed to be in the 80’s- I packed for low to mid 70’s (as the forecast said). Sunshine will be nice.

Here is the view from the back of our campsite. It’s the sound of the waterfall and trees that make this site so pretty and peaceful. I even saw a couple of deer on the hill.