Almost Heaven..........Pipestem Resort State Park, West Virginia

Pipestem Falls

We've covered a lot of miles in various states and different countries since I retired back in April 2016.  There have been planes, trains, ships and rental cars involved in all of these journeys.  What there hasn't been is a true "road trip" where we've driven our own car as the primary mode of transportation.  

Until a few weeks ago our car, which we still lovingly referred to as the "new car" was a 2005 Honda Accord with over 245,000 miles on it.  That's a few thousand miles more than the distance from the earth to the moon!  We were pleasantly surprised when it got us and all our belongings from Texas to Florida after retirement.  Since then it has gotten us to where we have wanted to go, but we haven't pushed it much beyond the one hundred mile range.

Before hitting the road we hit the dealership and purchased a new to us, but used Honda CR-V.  We're not big car people.  We want something comfortable, safe, dependable and long lasting.  We drive them until the wheels practically fall off and have even been known to sell a car or two on the side of the road after it died.  We're hoping to get as many miles out of the CR-V as we have on the Accord.  We'll be putting it to the test over the next few months.  

We left Florida early (1:30 AM) yesterday morning on a road trip.  We hope to cover a few destinations over the next couple of months and possibly beyond.  We're planning on spending around five weeks in Pennsylvania, close to where our son Ben lives.  We hope to fly back to Florida for a few days for a very special 92nd birthday.  After that we'll head back to Pennsylvania, pick up the car and move to the upper peninsula of Michigan to enjoy the change of seasons from along the shores of Lake Superior.  

First up on this adventure is two nights at Pipestem Resort State Park in Pipestem, West Virginia.  The 4,050 acre park sits in the Bluestone River gorge.  It is conveniently located about 20 minutes off of Interstate 77 and is about three hours north of Charlotte, NC and two hours west of Roanoke, VA.  It's right on the way to Ben's neck of the woods in Pennsylvania.  The name of the area (Pipestem) came from early settlers who observed the Native American Shawnee Indians using the stem of a local shrub to make pipes for smoking.

Over the course of our US travels we've visited most of the fifty states but this is actually our first time in West Virginia.  From what we've seen so far, we're in agreement with John Denver's assessment of West Virginia as "almost heaven".  We had also heard great things about the West Virginia State Park's and if Pipestem is any indication, they too have earned their excellent reputation.

https://wvstateparks.com/park/pipestem-resort-state-park/

Pipestem offers camping,  26 cottages, and two lodges, the Mountain Creek Lodge (open May-October) which sits in the gorge alongside the Bluestone River and the McKeever Lodge which is located at top of the canyon rim.  A unique feature of the Mountain Creek Lodge is that it is only accessible by a tram that runs from the parks Canyon Rim Center.  Day visitors or guests in the campground, cottages and McKeever Lodge can ride the tram for a small fee (currently $7, unless you're old like me, then it's $6).  If you do visit the park I would encourage you to take the tram down.  We took it down shortly after we arrived while we were waiting for our room to be cleaned.  The views looking up from the bottom of the gorge were great.  Also, there is a nice flat trail along the river that was very enjoyable.  This trail was a great way to get the blood flowing again after the twelve hour drive from Florida.

McKeever Lodge on the rim of the gorge

The Tram down to the base of the gorge and Mountain Creek Lodge

A chair in the shade by a mountain river........it doesn't get much better!

The park also has a beautiful 18 hole golf course, a par 3 golf course, miniature golf course, tennis courts, basketball court, fitness center, numerous hiking trails, a lake for fishing that also has a variety of inflatable water features, a "splash pad", an indoor and outdoor pool, several restaurants and a whole lot more.  The word "Resort" in the parks name is well deserved!

Horseback riding through the park.....

Deer keeping the grass on the golf course well manicured!

Long Branch Lake has plenty of activities for everyone

It's a really tough course

We finished off our first day at Pipestem sitting on the balcony of our lodge room enjoying a spectacular sunset, while below us a four deer and seven racoons begged for food from us and the other amused guests.  Additionally, a small but somewhat shy gray fox would occasionally make an appearance before heading back into the thick brush.

We couldn't convince all of the deer, racoons and the fox to get together for a group photo but this isn't too bad!

The fox would only come out for a couple of minutes and never far from the safety of the woods.

Sunset from our balcony overlooking the gorge

After catching up on our sleep we enjoyed a full day's adventure in the park and surrounding area.  First it was coffee with the deer and racoons who were now looking for breakfast.  Afterwards we hiked the nicely shaded, mostly flat Lake Shore Trail that encircles Long Branch Lake. We followed that up wit a walk to a nice scenic overlook just off the parks main road.  In the afternoon we played the incredibly difficult miniature golf course, explored Pipestem Falls, which is just outside the park, and drove a quick 20 minutes to see the impressive but more rustic Bluestone River State Park.

Bluestone River near Bluestone River State Park

Sunset is still a few hours away.  Hopefully we'll be joined by the deer, racoons and shy fox again tonight as we close out our first full day of being in "almost heaven".

 

  

  

Adios Bodega Bay!

We snuck in behind Emma Joy for a quick picture before she realized we were there.

We're absolutely stunned at how quickly the month has passed.  We visited Sarah, Joey, James and Emma Joy one final time last night.  They were the reason for our making the trip and we enjoyed our time with them so much.  It's amazing how much both children grew in the six months since we had last seen them.  Saying goodbye was tough!

Sarah, Joey and Emma Joy enjoying our outing to Goat Rock Beach and the Russian River.

Sunday morning hike on the Kortum Trail with our favorite daughter!

MiMi and Emma Joy watching James playing in his backyard pool.  Shortly after the picture was taken Emma Joy realized it wasn't Mom or Dad holding her.

MiMi and James enjoying playing with an early birthday present.

Today we simply enjoyed what we have come to love about Bodega Bay.  Watching the tide roll in and out, the birds, enjoying the cool temperatures and the mix of sun, clouds and fog.  Of course I can't forget we had one final dip in the hot tub, especially since we easily spent the equivalent of a full day in there during our stay!
As she does everyday, Beth beat me in scrabble.  We enjoyed a final walk on the Birdwatch and Cheney Creek Bridge Trails as well as the entire length of Doran Beach.  We were pleased to see the campground at the beach opened today.  Campers were streaming in at a steady pace to join those that had already set up.  They all had huge smiles on their faces.  I guess you could call them "Happy Campers".

Sunset at Bodega Head

Our next destination is back to Florida for the annual Anna Maria Island 4th of July Celebration and family reunion.  It will be a little smaller this year due to the coronavirus pandemic but it will still be nice to see everyone.  We are especially looking forward to Ben joining us for a few days!
We haven't left yet, but we're already looking forward to our next visit to Bodega Bay and with the very special family that lives nearby.

Family fun minus one!

Three Generations at Doran Beach!

We're continuing to enjoy our time at Bodega Bay.  We've settled into a nice routine of daily beach walks, hot tubbing, reading, mostly cooking our own meals instead of eating out and me getting beat in Scrabble.  One other thing we really enjoy are the changing views.  All we have to do is sit here and watch out the numerous large windows.  Before our eyes we're treated to the tide rolling in and out, the fog blanketing everything and then lifting, the sun popping out and then going away, the wind blowing followed by calm, all the while the temperatures remain cool to occasionally a bit on the chilly side.

From the balcony of our house......high tide, sunny and calm but subject to change!

Over the Father's Day weekend we were able to enjoy some time with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma Joy.  Although the weather wasn't very cooperative we did get in a little beach time as well as time to simply enjoy being together.  Every time Emma Joy sees us it seems as if in her mind she's thinking, "oh no, they're still here".  She sits and stares at us looking like she's wondering why we  have suddenly infiltrated their family bubble.  She seems to like us just fine as long as we don't try to hold her.  As tempting as it is to just pick her up, we don't want to traumatize her, so we mostly just smile and talk to her from several feet away.  I guess it's "social distancing".  Temptation does get the best of us on occasion and we pick her up from behind.  We're usually good for about 10-15 seconds until she turns around and realizes it's not Sarah, Joey or James holding her.  She quickly voices her displeasure and reasserts that she's running the show.  On a walk back from the beach she fell asleep in Joey's arms so Beth and I both had a chance to hold her for an extended period of time which was awesome.  James, on the other hand, keeps both of us on our toes, busy and laughing.

James making sure we stay on the path

Two beauties and one beast on Father's Day

James flying high with his dad on Father's Day

Just before the secret handoff to MiMi

Shhhhhhhh!  She doesn't realize it's not mom, dad or James holding her.

I was telling James about the time I wrestled a grizzly bear.

It was a great time being together. The only thing missing was one special person.... Ben.  He was in the middle of creating a campground full of "happy campers" back in Pennsylvania.  We did enjoy visiting with him by FaceTime Sunday night which wasn't nearly as good as it would have been to have had him with us.  However, as always the call was very special.
We're enjoying the house, and amenities that are within walking distance, so much that we rarely venture out in the car.  We've had a couple of nice drives along the coast and checked a couple of other items off our list.
Although we wanted to watch The Bird's before visiting it (my technical skills still haven't convinced the DVD player to talk to the TV), we did make the short (4 mile) drive to Bodega to see the Potter Schoolhouse. This was a filming location for one of the most memorable scenes from the 1963 horror movie classic.  The building was originally built in 1873 and over the years it has been a school, community center, inn, restaurant, guesthouse and is now a private residence.  Although we haven't been able to watch the whole movie we did YouTube the scene.  I've attached a link below.
The Birds School Scene

Potters Schoolhouse.  In the movie it is "Bodega School".  No attacking birds on the day we stopped by to take a peek.

There are a few amusing things about the scene.  First, the teacher, played by Tippi Hedren, was smoking on the playground while the kids are having their music lesson.  Second, the kids seemed safe and secure inside the school, why take them outside and have them make a run for it?  Third, If you notice, they run downhill towards the water.  The house is about four miles inland, making it a very long and dangerous run!  Really great film editing, especially considering the movie is close to 60 years old.
We also made a very scenic drive over to Healdsburg for a frozen treat at Amy's Wicked Slush.  We wanted to try this place during our last visit, but unfortunately it's closed on Monday's.  Of course, Monday just so happened to be the day we chose to head that direction last time.  The drive took us from the coast into "wine country" with miles and miles of well manicured green vineyards.  The grapes are on the vine and will be harvested beginning in late August and continuing until October.
The drive was simple and pleasant and the reward of an Amy's Wicked Slush made it even better.  I chose the traditional Root Beer Split (half root beer slush and half vanilla frozen yogurt), Beth opted for the more exotic Very Berry Split (half strawberry lemonade slush and half blueberry frozen yogurt).  We were both pleased with our choices and enjoyed them while visiting for a few minutes with Amy, the proud owner.
Amy's Wicked Slush

A refreshing treat at Amy's Wicked Slush.  When we left Bodega Bay the weather was cloudy and 58 degrees.  30 miles away in Healdsburg it was sunny and 85.........perfect slush weather!

Although we still have over a week left at Bodega Bay, our time here is going by quickly.  There are a few more visits planned with Sarah, Joey, James and Emma Joy.  Who knows, by the time we go to leave she may even be letting us hold her while she's awake.  The visits will be fun even if they're minus one!

I've posted a lot of sunset pictures from Anna Maria Island and places we've traveled around the globe.  These were taken from our balcony a few nights ago.  I couldn't decide which ones to use so here's all of them.  It was an amazing show!

Getting ready to rob the stagecoach!

Hiker or Stagecoach Robber?

We're continuing to have a blast here along the Sonoma Coast.  The scenery is spectacular and we've certainly managed to escape the hot and humid temperatures of Florida for the time being.  We've actually escaped the heat and humidity so well that it's been downright chilly on several occasions.  Will Rogers is quoted as saying, "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco".  Beth and I are in agreement that this is the coldest June we've ever spent, but we're certainly not complaining.

Wild flowers and the Pacific Ocean (Kortum Trail)

More wildflowers along the Kortum Trail

The small town of Jenner from the bank of the Russian River.  It's population is listed as less than 200.

Sunset from Bodega Head

These two young bucks were enjoying the sunset as well.

We're continuing to enjoy the trails, especially the Birdwatch and Cheney Bridge trails that lead to Doran Beach.  You're required to have a mask with you on the trails and to put it on when you pass others.  The compliance isn't quite 100% but it's pretty darn close.  As soon as you pass your fellow masked human you take it off until the next person approaches.  There are quite a few people on the trails so it's a constant putting the mask on and taking it off.  No matter how many times we do it we always have two thoughts; it's sad we have to do this and we look like a bunch of cowboys pulling our masks up as final preparation for robbing the stagecoach.  Crazy Times!

Excellent Clam Chowder from the Spud Point Crab Company!  This nice table was across the street at the local marina.

Bodega Bay

It's not only a Doo Rag, it's a mask for when we pass people on the trails.  It's required that you have on a mask when you're on the trails.

Beth and I fell in love with Bodega Bay before we had a reason to fall in love with this area.  In other words, before Sarah, Joey and James relocated to the area (they are about forty miles away from Bodega Bay).  With them here, and with the addition of Emma Joy to their family, it's even more fun visiting this area.  They are the reason we're here now!
We're very grateful to have found an amazing house to rent that sits right on the bay.  We wake up to sea lions barking and enjoy our coffee and tea while watching the occasional seal swim in the nearby channel. There are pods of white pelicans and numerous other birds hunting for their morning breakfast in the tidal area.  In the afternoons, after the tide comes in, we enjoy watching the wind surfers and kite surfers zip across the bay at high speeds.  Not a bad place to isolate while we count down the days until we can visit the family.

Isolation with a view!

Bodega Bay is located in Sonoma County and has a population of under 1,000 people.  It covers an area of 12.5 square miles, of which 33% is water.  It's western border is the Pacific Ocean.  There are numerous wide beaches including Doran Beach which is just a ten to fifteen minute walk from the house.  A short drive either way along Highway 1 (Shoreline Highway) will take you not only to other beaches but also to a variety of scenic overlooks with great views.

White Pelicans at low tide.  Taken from our balcony

View from the same balcony.  Looking across the bay (high tide) to Bodega Head

Bodega Bay
In the 60's there was a plan in place to build a nuclear power plant in Bodega Bay.  Protests by local residents combined with them finding a fault line when they starting digging the first reactor hole quickly and thankfully brought the plans to a halt.  Something about the words "nuclear reactor" and "fault line" just don't seem to go together! The hole remains and is now filled with water.  It is affectionately and appropriately known as "The hole in the head".
There have been numerous movies and TV shows filmed in the area.  The most famous movie is Alfred Hitchcock's "The Birds", which was released in 1963.  It wasn't anything like the psychotic slasher movies of today, it was downright terrifying........at least it was to me!  Getting your eyeballs pecked out by a bunch of birds just makes for a really bad day.  The house where we are staying has a DVD copy of the movie.  We're looking forward to watching if I can ever figure out how to get the TV and the DVD player to talk to one another.  A few of the filming locations are very close by and we're looking forward to seeing them, but we want to see the movie first if at all possible. Thank goodness we have a month!
California is opening back up at a much slower and more deliberate pace than the rest of the country.  Just this past weekend some of the restrictions were lifted and the beaches, parks and trails have reopened.  Short term rentals are still not available and restaurants have restrictions that limit them to outdoor seating and carry out.  Maybe their slower, more deliberate pace is the right one, maybe it isn't.  I just know it's sad to see so many small, family operated businesses sitting closed at a time of year that is critical to their survival.
The easing of restrictions has opened the many numerous trails in the Bodega Bay area.  According to the All Trails App there are over 500 trails in the area.  Thankfully during this period of isolation we are able to get out and exercise and have taken advantage of a few of them.  While we won't touch them all, we look forward to exploring others over the remaining three weeks.  One of the things we really appreciate about the trails in this area is that many of the best trails have very little elevation change.  We're getting kinda old and we spend a lot of time walking in Florida.  We don't do extreme elevation changes well.
Birdwatch/ Cheney Bridge/Doran Beach-Just a few hundred yards from our house is the Birdwatch Trail Head.  The Birdwatch Trail is a flat, one mile looped trail that offers great views of Bodega Bay.
The Birdwatch Trail connects to the Cheney Bridge Trail which is a half mile trail that connects to Doran Beach and Doran Regional Park.  Doran Beach is a little over two miles in length that at low tide is several hundred yards wide.  The beach sits in a cove facing in a southeasterly direction so it is somewhat protected from the northwesterly winds that pick up in the afternoon.  Although the water is way too chilly for us, there are many swimmers frolicking in the small waves along the shoreline.  It's easy to make a combination walk on these three trails whatever length you desire.

The Cheney Creek Bridge on the Cheney Creek Bridge Trail.  This short trail connects the Birdwatch Trail to Doran Beach.

The Cheney Creek Bridge Trail

The south end of Doran Beach at low tide

The wildflowers are plentiful at this time of year (Birdwatch Trail)

Bodega Head Trail-To access this trail head simply take Westshore Road from Highway 1.  Drive until if you drove any further it would look like the final scene from Thelma and Louise.  You'll find yourself on a high peak overlooking the rocky shore of the Pacific Ocean.  There are numerous trails that can be accessed from here including one that follows right along the rim.  The ocean views are fantastic.  Also keep an eye open to the grassy fields.  There are plenty of deer to be spotted as you enjoy the walk.

Sunset from Bodega Head

Kortum Trail: Shell Beach to Blind Beach-Shell Beach is located about 8 miles north of Bodega Bay on Highway 1.  The entrance is very well marked and there is decent parking available, although I'm sure it fills up quickly on weekends.  There are stairs down to the beach but it is also where the Kortum Trailhead is located.  This out and back trail is approximately 4.5 miles in length (total distance).  It is basically a flat trail along the rim overlooking the ocean.  Near the turnaround point at Blind Beach there is an elevation change of a few hundred feet. The grade up and down isn't bad at all and the views from the top and other side toward Blind Beach and Goat Rock make the climb well worth it.

On the Kortum Trail

Wild Flowers along the hike

The Kortum Trail can be seen on the left side.  This was taken from the top of the highest peak along the trail.

These are great trails, made even better by the fact that daily high temperatures have been in the low/mid 60's with very little humidity. That's a far cry from June in Florida!
One other thing as I wrap up this blog.  I cancelled my Netflix account a few months ago because we weren't using it.  For some reason I didn't start it back as the pandemic broke out, so we're a little behind.  We're only through the third episode of Tiger King.  We weren't sure what all the fuss was about, now we know.