Harper’s Ferry, WV – Oak Hill, WV – Cincinnati, OH – Seven Springs, PA

• Harper’s Ferry, WV is known for its history and easy access to the Appalachian Trail. I now remember it also as the place we broke the rented mini-van door.
• Laura did not want to hike. Her flip flops were not up to the task.
• We met a couple on the trail who were a traveling nurse and traveling radiologist. They had been working in NYC during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic prior to the much needed break of hiking the AT. It was so interesting to talk to them.
• Next stop was Ace Adventure Resort in Oak Hill, WV. The cabin had a hot tub on the porch such that you could look in the window and see the TV. The resort had a waterpark on a spring fed lake that was impressive.
• We went white-water rafting. There was training for what to do in case you fell out of the raft before we started. As we were rafting, prior to arriving at one of the rapids, the guide would tell us what to do if we fell out during this rapid. I’m sure he meant to be helpful, but it mostly succeeded in making Mike and Laura more nervous. It had rained a lot prior to our visit so the river was much higher than normal. Consequently the river was fast, but the rapids were mellower since the big rocks you normally need to paddle around and such were all under water. It was fun, but no one was at risk of falling out.
• We went on a hike that looked down on the river we rafted on.
• Next stop Cincinnati, OH. We did our first ever food tour. Our guide took us to the House of Belgium and introduced us to liege waffles. Love them. I think we had a loaded chili dog, too (fine). We ended with Graeter’s Raspberry Chocolate Chip Ice Cream which was amazing.
• Mary & Alex took some time to explore Smale Riverfront Park.
• Seven Springs Resort in Pennsylvania was our final stop. We rode their alpine slides and tried our hand at pickleball for the first time and some of us did some hiking.