Back in the US of A! Crossed on the Peace
Bridge at Buffalo, NY and had our camper searched. We had to toss some
produce that we had no way of proving actually came from the states.
Note to travelers coming back into US from Canada: no citrus foods, no
cherries from Europe, and no bell peppers can cross from Canada into the
US right now. We are headed to PA tonight for a late check in at
Ohiopyle State Park.
Stopped to replenish the food that got tossed at the
Canadian border and to get enough for meals in a campground for the next
couple of days.
Morning coffee view from our campsite in Ohiopyle State
Park. We are on our return trip home from Canada and will be here for a
couple of days. The famous Fallingwater house by architect Frank Lloyd
Wright is located in this area. We made a wrong turn in the mountains
last night and didn’t get to our campsite until super late. Also I was
driving and didn’t realize we were almost out of gas. The mountain roads
made us guzzle quickly through our tank. Did I mention we are kind of
in the middle of nowhere? Daniel is headed 9 miles to the closest gas
station this morning to fill up. I’m praying he gets there without
actually running out 😬
This
afternoon we visited the natural water slides at Ohiopyle. Daniel took
one for the team and went first. It was cold but not freezing like the
Great Lakes. Isaac couldn’t decide if he wanted to do it or not, and had
a lot of tears over the experience before letting Daniel take him down a
really short chute. I also took a ride down one of the longer slides
(Daniel only videoed the first part). We were the only adults sliding
when we were there 🤷♀️ Then I took a hard fall on the very slippery
rock and brought our fun to a halt. I seem fine but we are watching out
for a concussion (a nurse was there and checked me before we left). We
were hoping to raft while we are here but were told that PA has a state
law that the outfitters can’t rent to children under age five. Next year
we will be able to do more (Isaac is 4.5). We are going to enjoy a
campfire and hopefully get some good rest tonight.
One
of the things I really wanted to do while at Ohiopyle was to bike a
section of the Great Allegheny Passage (or GAP). It’s a rail trail that
connects Pittsburg to Washington DC. After my fall yesterday, we weren’t
sure if we should still do it. We waited 24 hours and I have still had
no official signs of a concussion. So off we went. We completed 4.5
miles (Isaac’s longest ride to date) from Ohiopyle and heading toward
Confluence. We used our turnaround point to take a break and play in the
Yough River. It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
After
our bike ride, the kids begged to go back the natural waterslides. We
agreed to go back since our time yesterday had been cut short. Isaac
enjoyed wading in the deeper pools at the bottom. I stayed on dry rock
as much as possible to prevent another knock to my head. And Jack and
Daniel did a few more runs in the slide. I’m glad we had the chance to
go back and no one else got hurt, besides maybe the guy that fell in the
second to last video 🤣 He seemed ok though.
Coffee view this morning. It rained all night, but we had
a slight reprieve and then just a light rain while we packed up camp.
We are headed further south. Our original plan had been to go to
Shenandoah, but we decided to spend an extra day at Ohiopyle and will
camp in West Virginia tonight.
Campground: Ohiopyle State Park in Pennsylvania
Highlights: Natural Water Slides, Biking a small section of the GAP trail.
Days on the Road: 14-18